At 13, Claude was no longer living with his parents until recently. When Claude’s parents divorced, they remarried and their new spouses didn’t want Claude in their houses. An aunt took care of him. As he was missing classes, Claude finally dropped school and ended up living in Bujumbura streets. One thing leading to another, he got accused of stealing a goat and was imprisoned. Luckily, SOJPAE, a children’s right defense organization, had him released with children who were imprisoned after a police raid. Once free, Claude spent 9 days at the FVS-AMADE BURUNDI transit center. When asked, he couldn’t remember where his mother lives. FVS-AMADE BURUNDI finally found her in Buterere neighborhood. The mother was so moved to see her son she couldn’t even greet him. This time, Claude’s step-father accepted to shelter him. When his father knew about his return, he came to see Claude and encouraged him to go back to school.
Claude now lives with his mother and has gone back to school.
