JOURNEY

• March 1, 2023 – In a recent Leadership Development Workshop, we explored the question, “How can you make sure the pain of your past doesn’t determine your future?” What stood out and meant the most to you in this workshop? Stephen said: “The only way to avoid having my past pain determine my future is by taking the lessons and strength from my past in order to make my future bright. This requires power of mind, determination, and resilience to make it happen.”
• September 8, 2022 – Stephen discusses the biggest change in his life since the end of the COVID restrictions: “The most notable change is that I learned to use my time effectively and make it more productive. In addition to that, I learned to save and prepare myself for the bad times that may arise unexpectedly.”
• September 13, 2021 – Stephen shared his favorite song and what it means to him: “My song is called “Amakuru” by Charles Kagame: https://youtu.be/UfqH-8y0G6k.The part I like most says “My child, when the world applauds you, remember the days when no one knew you……. When your life is comfortable and good, direct your prayers to the less fortunate.”
• July 16, 2021 – Stephen shared what resilience means to him: “Resilience means the mental ability of someone to recover quickly from illness or misfortune.”
• March 1, 2021 – Stephen said his biggest lesson from 2020 was: “2020 taught me to be humble and associate with everyone because everything can change anytime.”
• December 1, 2020 – I am studying General Medicine and Surgery at the University of Rwanda. My dream is to become a well-disciplined, trained professional doctor! To be sincere, if you weren’t partnering with These Numbers Have Faces my dreams would remain incomplete till death. But with your support I now have a ladder to climb on and touch my dreams. I don’t take for granted your money, effort, or courage and I do promise that I will give back to the community. May you stay safe, protected, and healthy in these trying moments of COVID-19.
• July 1, 2020 – We asked our students what makes them proud of their culture, and Stephen said: “It is gender equality. I always see it in political positions, different organizations and particularly in education systems where all girls and boys are allowed to study based on their abilities not gender as it used to be.”
• March 30, 2020 – Stephen speaks Kinyarwanda, English and Kiswahili.
• March 30, 2020 – Stephen said his favorite drink is milk.
• September 1, 2019 – Stephen spent his summer completing construction on his Grandmother’s home and educating his community about malaria prevention.
• May 18, 2019 – This semester, I learnt a lot but mostly in completing Anatomy III, which was one of the hardest module in level I Medicine. The other thing that stands out is a training we had which was about servant leadership which inspired me and am practicing it everyday.
• February 9, 2019 – When asked to define servant leadership, how that applies to his life now, and his future career, Stephen said: “Servant leadership is where a leader humbly works with much respect for those who she or he is leading, listening and always implementing goals based on their views. On campus I am a leader but I always respect the views of those whom am leading and I can never make any decision based only on what I believe. Plus These Numbers Have Faces monthly leadership training will shape me to be the best future servant leader.”
• November 19, 2018 – Stephen wants to be known for helping others whenever they need him! He is hopeful that he will excel this semester! He is also really happy to resume the monthly leadership trainings through TNHF!
• July 7, 2018 – This last year, one of the more challenging things Stephen faced was his Anatomy class. There were students who had already taken the class that told him about how hard it was, so he was nervous going into the class! Although it was difficult he was able to overcome it by studying well and working hard! He is still in his third trimester, and is working towards finishing his first year of university well!
• May 12, 2018 – Stephen values his friends and his family, because where he is now is largely to do with their support! He appreciates and values the gift that they both are to him!
• March 25, 2018 – When Stephen was younger, he dreamt of being a doctor because he always wanted to help people who were sick, especially those who may not have the financial means to go to a doctor! In five years, he plans to be fulfilling this dream as a medical specialist!
• February 27, 2018 – The person who inspires Stephen is President Paul Kagame because he is hardworking, a leader, and encourages people to be self-reliant.
• January 25, 2018 – A book Stephen read that was so good it was hard to put down was, The Power of the Holy Spirit by Kayania, a Ugandan pastor. The part that stood out the most to Stephen was when he talked about how the Holy Spirit comes to those who humble themselves, not to the prideful
• December 18, 2017 – In Stephen’s community, he says everyone goes to church on Christmas, and then after church they go home and share a meal with friends and family. Stephen thinks the word his friends would describe him as is “friendly” because he easily makes friends and keeps his friends for a long time!
• November 11, 2017 – Stephen is very thankful for the reopening of his university, and the upgrades they made! He is also thankful for God’s protection, and the support of These Numbers Have Face’s donors. He loves being able to reunite with his family.
• October 8, 2017 – Stephen used his summer to invest in young students by using his knowledge and skill to volunteer as a teacher at the Kayonza Modern school. Stephen is excited and looking forward to beginning his journey to becoming a doctor!