Portrait
Claude Nikondeha
How a childhood in poverty becomes a life’s mission
As a poor child in Burundi, I experienced firsthand that poverty means more than just hunger. It means a lost childhood, and also a lack of opportunity and hope. I saw children my age drop out of school because they were too hungry to concentrate. I saw mothers who had to decide whether to buy food or medicine for their children. I felt a sense of responsibility growing inside me to change that: No child should suffer.
I started small, distributing food with friends, organising meals after floods, and being there when families had nowhere else to turn. One bowl of porridge became two, then 100, then 10,000 …
What we do
I develop ways to reliably provide healthy food, especially for the children of Burundi. To do this, I opened a factory that produces porridge from locally grown foods. We developed this porridge according to scientific standards to fully meet children’s daily nutritional needs.
I also bring people together so that, with shared strength and shared values, they can free themselves from poverty.
“When I watch children go to school, eat their meals, and grow and thrive, I know: What I do is worth it! When I see entire villages that had sunk into despair come together again to take their fate into their own hands, I know: What we are doing here is worth it!”
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