Bonke's Story 

Bonke is 7 years old. He lives in Kigazura village, Itombwe in the Democratc Republic of Congo.  He lives with his father and mother, he has four brothers and one sister. His father is the Chief of the village and keeps cattle. His Mum cultivates their land. His elder brother, Gikwerere, who is 10, looks after him and his younger brothers and sister when his parents are working.

Bonke is in the second grade of primary school and is taught by a female teacher called Nabaruta. There are 21 other children in his class. When Bonke was asked who his best friend at school was, he replied "They are all my best friends" which caused much good-humoured laughter among the elders present: "The true response of a Chief's son!"

Of his current school Bonke says, "The walls are made from mud and wood and the roof is made from long grass. We sit on benches made from bamboo. They are not good to sit on because they often break. When it rains, we get wet because the roof leaks."

But he is very exited about the new school that is being built in his village. He described how he imagined the new school will look like, "First, the walls will be built from bricks. The roof will be made from iron sheets and the floor will be made from cement, not mud. This will make it clean and it won't leak on us when it rains. To make it nice inside, we will put pictures on the walls."

When not at school, Bonke helps his family with daily chores collecting water and firewood. He also helps look after the small cows. When he is a bit older, he'll help with the full herd. What Bonke likes most of all is playing football.