Student Stories
ZANI
Zani is a 16-year-old refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who came to Uganda in 2013. She was orphaned at four years old and is now living in Nsambya, Kampala, with a mother and father who are not her biological parents. She speaks five languages fluently French, Lingala, Swahili, Mashi, and English.
Zani first joined the MindLeaps program in 2017 through the refugee organization HIAS. From the beginning she worked hard, and MindLeaps teachers recall a particular day during the second week when they were busy changing the music at one point during class. When they turned around, Zani was leading her peers in the warm up and counting out loud since there was no music!
Zani had to drop out of school due to lack of school fees. But her interests lay in dance and she continued to excel. Because of her love of dance and her commitment to MindLeaps, she was chosen to attend the Train The Trainer program and became a qualified MindLeaps instructor.
With the money she earns as a trainer, Zani is now the sole breadwinner for her family. Her guardians suffer ailments that limit their ability to work, so Zani is their source of support. She has continued to hone her dance and teaching skills by taking part in an intensive training program in Rwanda with the MindLeaps international team.
With her dedication and enthusiasm, Zani has not only become a role model for other refugee youth in her community, but has also enabled MindLeaps to reach many other disadvantaged children in local communities.
FRANÇOIS
François is a 20-year-old refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who first connected with MindLeaps in 2017. François had arrived in Uganda in 2012, after his parents were killed in his home country and war forced him to flee. He slept in the streets in Kampala, battling past trauma and facing overwhelming challenges to survive. François thinks back to the day he joined MindLeaps – “I couldn’t believe that MindLeaps was so wonderful and so good to me.” He goes on to say that MindLeaps helped him solve many of the problems he faced, and especially helped him break free from his negative thoughts and gain a sense of hope.
With the sponsorship of MindLeaps, François returned to school and was successfully working to complete his last year of high school. Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, interrupting not only MindLeaps dance classes, but also formal schooling. The suspension of school put youth like Francois in an acutely vulnerable position. The routine and structure of school have been broken, leaving many at risk of aimlessness and loss of interest in ever returning to school.
When asked how the Virtual Academy WhatsApp group has served as a good community for Francois and helped him stay positive during Covid-19, he stated that the topics he is being introduced to in the group are directly contributing to his academic success because they’re things he wants to achieve in his daily life. “The Virtual Academy has kept me very positive and focused on my dreams. It has shown me you can be in very difficult moments but there is always a solution. Virtual Academy has brought a solution to my life, and I know to other people in that group as well, because we are all alive and we are all happy whenever we meet there. We have fun together, we laugh sometimes, which is really good.”
NADINE
Nadine is a refugee in Oruchinga Refugee Settlement who joined the MindLeaps dance program. She did well and was then sponsored to go to school. But in March 2020, school was stopped. As a result of a situation at home, Nadine’s mother forced her to get married. When school reopened in October 2020, her mother refused to let her go back to school. But with the help of MindLeaps staff in Oruchinga who intervened, Nadine was permitted by her family to go back to school.