While other children of his age every morning scamper for their books and school uniform to go to class, Vincent Kambanda, a 12 year old boy in Kimironko, ponders on how to put food on the table at home in the evening. Kambanda whose trade for the last two years has been vending various commodities ranging from boiled eggs to helping his mother sell charcoal, currently sells sugarcanes in the vicinity of Kimironko. The youngster lives with his parents and two of his young siblings Mugisha John Bosco, 10 and Uwamahoro Chantal, 7. The latter is the only one who goes to school. Two years ago, Kambanda dropped out of school while in primary four to take up any job so that he could supplement on his parents meagre income. “I was forced out of school two years ago to help my mother at home while she sold charcoal. Since I was the oldest, I automatically had to drop out.” Months later, his father who worked as a part time security guard lost his job. That is when Kambanda took up a job as a house help in Remera. He, however, says the working conditions forced him to quit the job to sell eggs. “Currently, I am engaged in selling sugarcanes around Remera, Kimironko and Giporoso. Though the proceeds may not be that much topped to what my mother earns from her business, we are able to keep the family going. My father is still jobless.” He says that he buys the sugarcanes from the tracks that bring them from the villages though he has started growing them himself to try and cut down on the costs. His younger brother Mugisha has also dropped out of school. He remains at home cooking for their young sister who goes to school. He also does other chores while the rest of the family goes to work. “On a good day, I can get as much as Rwf 2000 of profits or slightly more but there are also days where the sales drop to Rwf500 or even less.” But whatever he earns in a day, he makes sure he buys something to take home. Be it cassava flour or a litre of milk, his mother expects something at the end of the day. “Part of my money buys food. Even when it is not enough I still take home something. My mother pays for house rent, our sister’s books and our clothes as well as our medical insurance,” Kambanda said. His worst fear is when he does not get what to sell on a particular day or when he has it but does not sell it at all since there is no permanent relationship with his clientele. His dreams are to one day go back to school or to get a better job which can earn him more than what he currently gets. “I would love to go back to school since I would be able to get a good job in future though that can only happen if my dad got a job. But if it does not happen, I will try to ensure my young sister continues studying.” Like every young boy, he dreams of getting enough money for himself and to buy a big house for his parents. Ends
