My Journey: Charles Nshimiyimana
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The soccer player
Charles, now 18, was born and raised in the Nyakivale Refugee Camp in western Uganda. His parents had fled there to escape a brutal civil war raging in Congo. When he was 15, Charles, together with his mother and three brothers, were selected for resettlement in the United States. His father had left the family some years earlier, and a married sister remained in Uganda.
In addition to seven years of primary school, memories of those years were of herding goats for his mother at age 6. At age 11, he began herding cows; 30 of them. They provided their only source of income, which was badly needed to supplement the monthly allotment of corn flour provided by the Uganda government.
Resettlement took them directly from the Nyakivale Refugee Camp to Atlanta, Georgia. A year later, the family moved to St. Louis, and upon arrival, Charles enrolled as a freshman at Roosevelt High School. His previous education had been the primary school in Uganda. In May, Charles graduated first in his class of 98 students, having completed the four-year program in just two years. He had also been selected as Roosevelt’s Post-Dispatch scholar/athlete of the year. See the following link for details.
The graduate
Charles notes that he arrived St. Louis with minimal English skills, as instruction at the school in Uganda was in Swahili. Shortly thereafter, he became aware of CFNA and its After School Tutoring program through a friend who was active at the Peace Center. Charles credits this program, along with the mentoring provided by Mr. Gary (Gary Krekow), with providing him with the language skills he required for his successful graduation from Roosevelt.
As Charles put it, “(CFNA) helped me with what I needed most—better English skills. This enabled me to complete high school in just two years. It not only encouraged me to do well but also to help others.”
Charles’ favorite subjects are math and science, and his dream is to become an engineer, or perhaps a nurse or medical doctor. He is presently enrolled in Forest Park Community College, where he plans to study for two years before enrolling in the Missouri University School of Science and Technology at Rolla, provided scholarships are forthcoming. Another possibility could be Concordia University, Nebraska.Charles is an active member of Timothy Lutheran Church. In addition to spiritual nurture, he very much appreciates the fellowship and warm welcome he receives there. We wish Charles the very best and our Lord’s richest blessings as he continues his journey.
By Rev. Al Buckman, CFNA
