From a Rwandan refugee camp to University of Barcelona: Bienvenu’s story

My name is Bienvenu Iradukunda. I am 29 years old. Currently, I am a student pursuing a master’s degree in economics at the University of Barcelona, Spain. I was born into a family of four children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Because of insecurity and the outbreak of the war between different militias, armed groups, and the government of my country (DRC), we were forced to flee to Rwanda to seek asylum in 2006.

During the war, my father died. I fled with my mother and my siblings. But we were all affected mentally and psychologically. At that time, I dropped my studies for 3 years, from 2006 to 2010.

Even though I dropped out of school, I knew that education is key to everything. In 2008, the government, through MINEMA and UNHCR, moved us from the transit refugee camp in Rusizi district to Nyabiheke refugee camp. That is where my academic journey began.

Thanks to UNHCR, we were able to meet our basic needs as a family. I started primary sixth, and despite the difficulties that arose from having to help my mother raise my siblings, I was not discouraged because I knew that education was the key to change our bitter past. Eventually, I managed to finish secondary school.

After finishing high school in 2016, I started losing hope once again because there were no job opportunities for people like me living in a refugee camp. With determination however, I applied for university opportunities available for refugees. By the will of God, I was selected for the DAFI scholarship and started my bachelor's degree at the University of Rwanda at the Huye campus in 2017 to study monetary economics.

Through this experience, I learned that education is the fundamental key to every aspect of life. I was also motivated by what my family and I, and the community of refugees, as well as people in the conflict areas, have been through.  I wish to be a vessel to make a change in the world.

Always, I believe that if you are determined and work hard, you can achieve your dreams. In that way, I pushed on applying for a master's program after I finished my bachelor’s degree. When I learned that I got full scholarship to study at the University of Barcelona it was a very good news for me and my family because I always wish to have a better education, and this was a dream come true.

The world is changing at high speed. For young people like me, there are huge opportunities, but they need education and skills. Sometimes, we might not even know what skills we will need in the future but, instead, must trust in striving for our dreams. For my fellow refugees across around the world, especially young people, I hope to show that even though we have passed through a lot, we can change our history. Education is the easiest way to make this change.

In the future, I hope to use my educational journey to inspire others. To build a better life for myself.

We have life, and through this life we have hope.