TALLY BAKERY CAFE in Remera-Giporoso, may be popular for its coffee and pastry at budget prices, but not many patrons may know the captivating story of how it came into existence.

The history of this popular stop-over and meeting point is embedded in the not-so-pleasant past of it proprietor, Edwin Ndizeye, a former street boy who swam against a heavy tide of misfortune and hardships to stay focused on education to become an employer that he is today.

As a child, life was not easy for Ndizeye, the son of a widow who was supported by her older son following the death of her husband.

Like most Rwandans who lived in exile for many years, Ndizeye returned home soon after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and immediately enrolled to primary school sponsored by his older brother.

As the last born of his mother’s six children, he was the only one to attain education in the whole family because an older brother was able to pay his fees. "None of my brothers went to school; I was the only one and it I was lucky to be a bright child. I never failed my brother and this encouraged him to take me to some good schools, even though it was tough for him.”

However, the higher he went in his quest for education, the tougher it became for his brother to finance him.

"Although I had a mother, an advantage that most children at the time did not have following the genocide, we had to fill paper declaring me an orphan so as to get a sponsor to finance my education.” It worked.

At high school, Ndizeye never had holidays. He often stayed behind to work and save some money to help buy requirements. He could work at the school canteen doing any work he was assigned—washing utensils, slashing the compound until school reopened for a new term.

In return the canteen operator would help him with his special diet needs because he suffered from stomach ulcers, a condition that did not permit him to eat certain foods. He also used the small savings to help his brothers back home.

Life after high school

Ndizeye, returned home after high school to a new and bigger responsibility. His older brother, who had been supporting the family, had married and started his own family. That meant he did not have enough resources for two families. So the high school graduate found himself on the street — scavenging for something to eat but also desperately looking for any work.

"I did any job I could lay my hands on. I was even a watchman for a very long time; and I did it with passion.

Every work that I found, I did it willingly with all my heart because I knew that it was going to put food on my family’s table. That was all that mattered to me,” he said. Looking at him you just see what he meant by his words. He did it for several years and never gave up.

Then one morning his life reached a turning point. "I had started working at a construction site as one of the porters. It was one sunny day and a man came looking sad. He said he had missed a job just because he couldn’t write an application letter in English. I was curious to know what he was applying for but he couldn’t explain, so I decided to go and find out by myself. I found so many people writing applications, so I also sat down with a pen and paper to write without even knowing what I was applying for.”

He describes it as one chance that one had to grab; and that’s what he did.

As luck had it, he was called for a month-long on-the-job training. But this joy was short lived as the training ended with no job. I felt bad; I had walked for a month from Kanombe to Kiyovu thinking that by the end of the month I would get a job but only to be told that it wasn’t there. It was one of those shocking moments that really knock you down.”

However, little did he know that there was something in store for him as three months later; he was called to work at one of the best hotels in town, Serena. "At fast I was assigned to wash glasses. When you hear this, you might think it was easy but cleaning more than five hundred glasses crystal clear is not simple. But I would do it without complaining and my bosses liked it.”

He was so humble like his nick name, ‘Soft,’ that his supervisors could not believe that a young man was willing to do any work he was assigned, including cleaning bathrooms and toilets and did it well without frowning. They were astounded by his good attitude and saw potential in him.

Ndizeye however chose to continue his education even though it meant giving up his job at Serena. So he enrolled at the former Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) from where he graduated with a first and second degree in finance.

He briefly returned to the job market — working with Bourbon Coffee and the Workforce Development Authority from where he received training opportunities that turned round his life.

"It was due to God’s grace, but also partly due to hard work and the passion I had in everything I did. So I was sent for training with one of the best chefs in Continental Hotel—[an international hotel chain]. The training took him to Dubai and Singapore and saw him return home as one of the best pastry chefs in Rwanda today.

Achievements

Upon his return home, he felt equipped to start something that would not only improve his life, but also the lives of others in the community. He however, did not know how to start. "I did not know where to start from and I was a shy person. So I called one of my friends and set up a stand at the 2013 Expo to serve coffee and some burgers and it worked well.”

As it turned out, many people liked the products and so they decided to do something bigger. "After what I had seen in the Expo, I decided to get a permanent place and I started with a place that could accommodate only six tables.”

This was later to grow into a place with sitting capacity of 50 people that it is today. "My passion for perfection leads me into making quality products and because my mission is to serve the people, I sell quality products at lower prices.” How cheap? A burger that costs Rwf3, 500 in some places in town can be eaten at only Rwf1, 000 at Tally.

He also has big plans for his people. Right now he employs more 35 people, but says that is not good enough.

"If in less than a year, we have managed to get this far, I want to do more than just employ 35 people. I want to create jobs for 500 people,” he says with a smile.

He has not forgotten orphans as he often makes donations to orphanages. "I never forget that for me to get all the education that I received, it is because of the assistance I got as an orphan even though I had a mother. I am so touched when I see those little children—I often feel I should do something for them.”

Street children were his kind and he did not forget them either. Among his employees, are several former street children whom he trained personally and are now working and earning a living. He plans to pick more children from the street and give them employable skills from which they can earn a decent living.

"It is not easy to be a chef and a trainer and a business manager at the same time with a schedule of journeys outside of the country,” he says. But that does not bother him.

Last word

He reveals the secret of his success so far in a three-word sentence: "Passion for perfection.” This has been his aim and ambition in his entire career as a pastry chef and this has earned him a lot of goodwill and customers.

From the poor boy who struggled to find something to eat at school, he has since grown into a married man who employs so many people; men and women, young and old. But above all, he had not forgotten those in need.

"I know that even now, so many young men and women are going through what I went through or even worse; but what I can tell them is not to give up. Whatever you might be doing, do it very well and with love and passion and always remember to pray as you work hard because one day it will bear fruits of joy.”