From School Dropout to Business Owner

Vestine Uwamahoro grew up in Juru Sector, in Rwanda's Bugesera District, part of a family that struggled just to get by. That hardship eventually reached her education too. She had to leave secondary school, not for lack of ability, but because her family couldn't keep up with the costs.

Then in March 2023, she heard that Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera, working with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), was running a free six-month training program in Masonry and Tailoring. Something about tailoring just felt right for her, so that's what she chose.

Over the following six months, plus a two-month internship, Vestine threw herself into learning the trade, finishing the program in September 2023. Felicite Ishimwe, her school manager at Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera, remembers her as a courageous and disciplined student, always eager to learn and fully focused on her work.

After graduating, Vestine received a startup toolkit to help her get started on her own. She used it to open her own tailoring shop, and she now earns a living entirely through her own skill and effort. The family that once struggled financially is now in a far more stable place, thanks to what Vestine learned and built at Mwananshuti VTC.

In her own words: "I'm so thankful to Mwananshuti VTC and to partners like MCC for the support that truly changed my life. I hope you keep reaching more young people in our community who are going through what I once went through."