Aimé Obéissance

Aimé grew up in the Rumonge Province of Burundi. As one of the smallest countries in Africa, it is also one of the poorest and least developed in the world. Widespread poverty, corruption, and illiteracy are seen throughout. Amid her country's turmoil, Aimé was also encountering personal challenges. She spent much of her youth in the hospital, battling chronic illness. She was painfully shy as a child, seldom speaking aloud. Comfort was only found in solitude. Looking back, she would describe herself as “serious, fearful and shy.” While she took pride in her grades and excelled in schoolwork, she found it difficult to interact and play with her peers.
It was not until a friend invited her to Campaigners that she felt a shift in her life. In high school, she began a relationship with Jesus and started taking active leadership roles in her local Young Life club and Catholic church. Aimé and her family credit her interpersonal growth to the connections she made with others through her faith and prayer life. She now has “tranquility in her heart where there once was little joy or peace.”
Through the Developing Global Leaders program, Aimé is pursuing a degree in finance from the Université Sagesse d’Afrique. She aims to become the first college graduate in her family and pursue a career as an accountant to help others. She hopes to set an example of the “faithful friend” Jesus is to her for others in her community. The once bashful young girl now sees herself as “brave” and ready to share the love of Jesus with those around her.