Samson NDINDIRIYIMANA was born in 1988 in MUSANZE District, in the Northern Province. He started primary school in 1993. Samson was a brilliant pupil, but unfortunately, in February 1994, he contracted meningitis, against which he was not immunized. This disease left him with a total hearing loss. He had no chance to go back to school, since many teachers refused to enroll him, saying that they had no way to deal with his deafness. In 1998, he went to live on the street instead of going to school! Meanwhile, children his age were going to secondary school and others were successful in their businesses. It is then that he started to think about his future and search for the meaning of life. He wanted to do something that might make him special and unique.

In 2005, he sat for the Primary leaving examination and performed well. He was sent to a secondary school far away from his home and the family was unable to afford the school fees. He then proceeded to change schools and got admitted to Ecole des Sciences et Techniques de Busogo (ESTB) which was about 5 kilometers away from his home. However, he was not allowed to live in the school since he was unable to pay all the fees. So, he would walk 10 kilometers every day. In spite of these challenges, he overcame them and as a result finished Senior 1 as the top performer in his class. Imbuto Foundation has sponsored Samson since 2007 when he was in his 2nd year of secondary school. He was offered a comprehensive package comprised of fees, uniform and school materials. Samson could not believe it.

He does not know what would have become of him if it was not for Imbuto Foundation’s sponsorship. He continued working hard and finished secondary school at the top of his class. Samson won the presidential scholarship set up by President KAGAME and is now pursuing his universities in the US where he plans to study engineering and help develop Rwanda’s infrastructure. Samson also wants to improve the lives and education of disabled people like himself in Rwanda.