MUHAWENIMANA Jonas

Jonas’s childhood was shaped by extreme poverty and repeated loss of hope. Because his family could not afford even the most basic school needs, his education was interrupted many times. Each interruption pushed him further away from his dreams and closer to survival on the streets. For a long period, Jonas lived on the street, where hunger, fear, and loneliness became part of his daily life. As if life on the street was not painful enough, Jonas’s situation worsened when his mother was imprisoned. This sudden loss of parental care left him emotionally broken and without protection. Today, Jonas is raised by his elderly grandmother and grandfather, who love him deeply but have no stable income. His grandfather survives by carrying people’s luggage in markets and parking areas—work that barely provides food for the day and leaves no space forschool expenses. In the midst of this darkness, Art for Change Rwanda became Jonas’s source of light. At a time when his mother could not be there for him, Art for Change Rwanda stepped in as a parent— restoring his dignity, supporting his education, and giving him back the hope he had lost. With his support, Jonas has returned to school and is now continuing Senior One, determined not to let his painful past define his future. Through painting and drawing, Jonas releases the deep frustrations and trauma he carries inside. Art has become his safe space—a way to transform pain into creativity and despair into vision. Each drawing tells a story of survival and resilience, and each school day brings him closer to a future shaped not by poverty, but by opportunity.