Nadine

My name is Nadine. I live in Bujumbura, Burundi, with my mother and eight siblings. We were a very poor but happy family when I was young, but that changed in high school when my father left us. I had to start working to pay for my school fees and other materials. We were struggling to survive and some of my siblings had to drop out of school. I was hopeless and did not see a future for my family. However, I was invited to church by a friend and she introduced me to the love of Jesus. This empowered me, gave me hope and I was able to complete high school. My neighbors were so proud of me because of my courage, which is rare for girls in my culture.

I gave my life to Jesus in high school after a friend of mine introduced me to church and His Love. When I made the decision to believe in Him, my thoughts completely changed. I knew that I had a heavenly Father who was always with me even though my biological father left our family. I then learned about Young Life during high school and started going to campaigners. I am now a Young Life leader and I also go to church and am a choir member.

As a recipient of the Developing Global Leaders scholarship, I am studying engineering and computer science at a local university. I will be the first person in my family to graduate. I want to serve others and be among the few women in my country with my degree. My dream is to open a youth center that will help young people gain basic knowledge about computer sciences.