Denis comes from Muyinga in the mountains of Burundi. His family are farmers who work hard cultivating their land to grow food for their family.

He dreamt of being a construction engineer.

His family saved money for him to have a secondary school education in the hope that he would successfully graduate.

Denis studied at Stand Up and Build Technical School in Muyinga and successfully graduated a couple of years ago.

This is one of only two construction schools in the country.

He is now renting a room in a house in the capital city of Bujumbura - a 5 hour journey from his family so that he can attend Lumiere University and learn more about construction.

Money is tight - after paying for university fees, rent and food he cannot afford the computer that is essential from him to complete his studies.

When he finishes university Denis wants to work on construction projects to improve the infrastructure in Burundi. He is particularly keen to help build hydroelectric dams that will provide much needed energy for the country.

Field trips from the university have visited existing construction sites. The picture above shows Denis in the main water tunnel the feeds the power turbine.

Denis has achieved excellent results this semester and we are very proud of him. His dream is very much alive!