Olive Mutuyimana  involuntarily left school at the beginning of the first term of 2011. She was in Primary Six, at Nyarusange Primary School, in Rwabicumi Sector in Nyanza District, Southern Province, but her parents were hard up, and therefore could not afford her the school requirements—school uniform, books, pens and shoes.

But her thirst for knowledge, her love for acquiring an education was too much that it compelled her into traveling to Butare town, look for any job that she could lay her hands on, and then get the requirements that could push her for a year.

"My father ran mad some three years ago, so we only live with our mother. My mother never wanted me to go to Butare town in search of work, but I somehow escaped from home. When I got to Butare, I managed to get work as a housemaid and worked for three months, with a monthly earning of Rwf5000 ($7).

I used to work for a disabled person,” explains the fourteen year old Mutuyimana who is now back to school, but having missed the whole of first term.

"For that time I was working in Butare, I missed school so much because my passion for studying has always been insatiable. Mummy didn’t want me to continue with the studies. She preferred my provision of labour and petty trading to my schooling.

But when I came back from Butare, she had no option but to let me continue with my studies because I had bought all the requirements I wanted for school.

"Nevertheless, there are times when she stops me from going to school, gives me a patch of land to weed, and I can only resume classes after completing it.

I do not blame her for that, because she is ageing and has to rely more on our labour, but we keep on telling her that it will even be far much satisfying when she will have to rely on our skills,” philosophizes Mutuyimana with a shy smile.

Mutuyimana says that as long as she has got even the faintest of means to continue with the studies, she will never drop out of school.

Mutuyimana Olive involuntarily left school at the beginning of the first term of 2011. She was in Primary Six, at Nyarusange Primary School, in Rwabicumi Sector in Nyanza District, Southern Province, but her parents were hard up, and therefore could not afford her the school requirements—school uniform, books, pens and shoes.

But her thirst for knowledge, her love for acquiring an education was too much that it compelled her into traveling to Butare town, look for any job that she could lay her hands on, and then get the requirements that could push her for a year.

"My father ran mad some three years ago, so we only live with our mother. My mother never wanted me to go to Butare town in search of work, but I somehow escaped from home. When I got to Butare, I managed to get work as a housemaid and worked for three months, with a monthly earning of Rwf5000 ($7). I used to work for a disabled person,” explains the fourteen year old Mutuyimana who is now back to school, but having missed the whole of first term.

"For that time I was working in Butare, I missed school so much because my passion for studying has always been insatiable. Mummy didn’t want me to continue with the studies. She preferred my provision of labour and petty trading to my schooling.

But when I came back from Butare, she had no option but to let me continue with my studies because I had bought all the requirements I wanted for school.

"Nevertheless, there are times when she stops me from going to school, gives me a patch of land to weed, and I can only resume classes after completing it.

I do not blame her for that, because she is ageing and has to rely more on our labour, but we keep on telling her that it will even be far much satisfying when she will have to rely on our skills,” philosophizes Mutuyimana with a shy smile.

Mutuyimana says that as long as she has got even the faintest of means to continue with the studies, she will never drop out of school.

Mutuyimana Olive involuntarily left school at the beginning of the first term of 2011. She was in Primary Six, at Nyarusange Primary School, in Rwabicumi Sector in Nyanza District, Southern Province, but her parents were hard up, and therefore could not afford her the school requirements—school uniform, books, pens and shoes.

But her thirst for knowledge, her love for acquiring an education was too much that it compelled her into traveling to Butare town, look for any job that she could lay her hands on, and then get the requirements that could push her for a year.

"My father ran mad some three years ago, so we only live with our mother. My mother never wanted me to go to Butare town in search of work, but I somehow escaped from home. When I got to Butare, I managed to get work as a housemaid and worked for three months, with a monthly earning of Rwf5000 ($7).

I used to work for a disabled person,” explains the fourteen year old Mutuyimana who is now back to school, but having missed the whole of first term.

"For that time I was working in Butare, I missed school so much because my passion for studying has always been insatiable. Mummy didn’t want me to continue with the studies. She preferred my provision of labour and petty trading to my schooling.

But when I came back from Butare, she had no option but to let me continue with my studies because I had bought all the requirements I wanted for school.

"Nevertheless, there are times when she stops me from going to school, gives me a patch of land to weed, and I can only resume classes after completing it. I do not blame her for that, because she is ageing and has to rely more on our labour, but we keep on telling her that it will even be far much satisfying when she will have to rely on our skills,” philosophizes Mutuyimana with a shy smile.

Mutuyimana says that as long as she has got even the faintest of means to continue with the studies, she will never drop out of school.

Ends