By Xavier Dusengumuremyi, a 2015 graduated student from Padri Vjeko Centre VTC, Masonry section.

"Today I am very happy to be able to say something about the way I was trained at this school, and how I am trying to implement what I learned at my place of work."

I joined Padri Vjeko school in January 2014 in the Masonry section. When I came, I had it in my mind that I came to learn building, meaning to learn to put brick on brick, cement, stones... it was not easy. After few months, I got into a fight and a fellow student was bitten seriously by me. How strange... to think that it was okay to bite somebody as long you are stronger than him... imagine how I was acting...

The school decided to send me home to bring my parents. Unfortunately, I am an orphan but I have a guardian who was really good to me. The first decision was to take the student to the hospital; then I was punished and made to ask pardon of all school staff and students. They pardoned me but they told me that next time I will be chased away from the school, and that they are going to follow me day to day to see that I behaved properly...

From that time I realized that something was wrong with the way I was acting because always I was acting differently than other students. But with the help of the teachers I started to change my strange behaviour to become better.

Then at the end of first year some students in our class got a chance to go to Uganda with the second year students. I was chosen among those students who would go from first year. A teacher who was assigned to go with me called me aside and asked, "Xavier are you sure you will not behave badly there in Uganda? I know you are hardworking but something is wrong with your behaviour." I told him that I had started to realize that also. Then he told me he was proud of me and I promised him I would behave well, as was directed by school policy. My guardian came to talk to the school staff before we left, and she told me, "please try to work hard as you are used to doing, but to try to be nice also to the young, the old and the children."

In Uganda, as a team we were really good ambassadors of the school by our way of working and our behaviour.

So the day I came to the school to receive my certificate, it was a day of celebration. It was also a day of joy, of thanksgiving to all who tried to help me to change my behaviour. It is easy to get someone to teach you a skill, but it is not easy to find someone who cares enough to also educate your character as well. And it Is very difficult to get a job when you have knowledge and skill, but are without good character. That is what I found in my place of work.

I give thanks to my guardian who took care of me from my childhood. I was ashamed because I was a man and yet I had to be followed by my mother to the school when I misbehaved. I was ashamed but I now know that if you don’t want to behave according to school policy, then this is what happens.

I gave all my thanks to all staff of this school. If they had not helped to educate me, I would have been sent away, And if I was sent away, I would be standing here in front everyone, regretting it. Instead, I am now thankful and I am really proud of who I am today because of the school.

This certificate that I got, is not my full responsibility. If it were possible to share it, I should get 40 percent, then 30 percent to my guardian and 30 percent to the school staff. During my training they worked hard so that I could have this reward.

So now I will try to repay the 60 percent of my certificate that I received. I have started a job at Economat, which has helped me to build my own house. My guardian gave to me a plot, and I am now able to take care of my son, Francois who is few months old and my wife, Olive.

I am very busy with my job and am trying to do it well because at school is possible to mess around and to get a warning... and even pardon, but at the job, there is no joking... only work well and behave well... no other condition, and then hope that life will be well.

I have some advice to the students and parents:

• Dear friend students, you have all possibilities, a chance at school to learn, to be educated. When you finish your studies, jobs are there, but now is time to work to prepare for getting a job. Try to listen and to follow advice.
• Parents, try to work together with school staff and teachers. When you are called to come to school please come, because it is the way to help educate our young brothers and sisters. If they are properly educated, they will get a job, but if not they will not get what they need for a future.

Again I am thanking everybody who helped me to be who I am today.

Edited by Valerie Kae Ken