When Dreams Sustain Ambitions

It is without doubt that the future of work is intrinsically linked to a good education. There will be around 200 million young African people entering the labor market by 2030. Indeed, if Africa is to strategically implement the Sustainable Development Goals, we need to rethink how to better prepare its youth for the future of work.

But for many young Africans, the pathway to better, decent work starts with a dream. Mine is a story about the power of a dream.

A little over two years ago, at my graduation from the University of California at Berkeley, I spoke on behalf of my fellow graduates of Berkeley Engineering about the power of a dream, to borrow Martin Luther King’s words. My graduation address that day is perhaps more relevant today, as I am living my dream and engaging in work that is transforming communities across Rwanda.

I was born in the war-torn Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and grew up in Gisenyi, a small town north-west of Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. I am very fortunate to have lived to see the flourishing Rwanda of today, fondly referred to as ‘Remarkable Rwanda.’

It is here in Rwanda that my dream was born: to chart a different path for my life and career, a fulfilling career where I pursue and achieve my childhood ambition to help rebuild my country. As an orphan raised by my economically-disadvantaged grandparents, it was almost certain that, at worst, I would drop out of school very early in my education, or at best, I would not go past high school. But one sunny afternoon in 1997, when we finally had some peace in Gisenyi, I had a dream.

That year had been turbulent in our hometown due to post-genocide insecurity at the time. After spending two weeks in a refugee camp, all my family wanted was just to sit down and relax. So that afternoon, we watched a documentary on TV about student life at a prestigious school in the United States. As young as I was then, I vividly remember dreaming about going to that school, coming back and helping to build roads in my hometown. That dream has driven me ever since that day.

You see, in the aftermath of the genocide, accessing basic amenities such as hospitals or even markets in my hometown was almost impossible due to lack of proper roadways. Growing up, I would hear people complain about this issue, and I wished I could solve it. I already had the desire to improve the roadways and access to my hometown, and now thanks to that documentary, I knew the way to really pursue it: educate myself at all costs.

Now, having such a dream, just four years after my mother’s passing, just sounded too ambitious. I struggled to get school fees even for my primary school then. But dreams are powerful. As author Paul Coelho rightly put it, when you want something so bad, the whole universe conspires to help you!

Fast forward twenty years, and here I am: a graduate of the respected University of California at Berkeley and a transportation engineer. In my role as technical advisor to the Minister of Infrastructure, I contribute every day to improving the national infrastructure in my country. It is an opportunity beyond even my wildest dreams.

My career path is unique as you can imagine, dotted with luck, preparation, well-wishers and good mentors at different stages of my life. Almost my entire education was funded through donations and scholarships. Thus, I am always reminded of my privilege to have attained the education I have today, and I am forever indebted to everyone who helped me achieve my dream.

As international organizations and African governments embark on developing the strategies, policies and practices that will support progress against the Sustainable Development Goals, let them not forget that education underpins it all. And that a dream is what sustains us and keeps us engaged in building a brighter future for those who will come after us.

Patricie Uwase is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar based in Rwanda. A graduate of the Program at the University of California at Berkeley, she has worked as a Technical Advisor to Rwanda’s Minister of Infrastructure since 2015.