Uwimanikunda Olivier, 17 years old, is passionate about welding. He dropped out of school at a very young age due to lack of financial means and support from his family and lost hope for achieving his dreams. He was selected by the USAID-funded Gimbuka Program as one of the program’s beneficiaries, which gave him the opportunity to pursue his education.
Uwimanikunda is financially supported by USAID Gimbuka Program, which has arranged for his internship in a welding centre named VIP Atelier de Soudure, located in Rubavu District and the program covers his living expenses as well. Gimbuka not only supports him financially, regularly provides mentorship, guidance and startup kits to help beneficiaries launch their own businesses at the end of their internships.
Caritas Rwanda has been implementing the USAID Gimbuka Program under the USAID-Caritas Rwanda Cooperative Agreement since 2012. The investments of Caritas Rwanda/USAID Gimbuka aim to improve Rwandans’ health, education, and nutritional status in order to accelerate Rwanda’s progress toward middle-income status and a better quality of life through sustained growth and poverty reduction.