Dreaming for Change was born out of both pain and hope. After surviving Burundi’s civil conflict and completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, in 2017, Janvier Manirakiza returned home with a simple dream; to help rebuild communities through compassion, education, and opportunity. In January 2018, he officially registered Dreaming for Change with no funding, no staff, and no donor support but only a belief that change must start by listening.

He traveled to Butanuka, a remote village in Bubanza Province, to meet families and understand their daily struggles. What he found was heartbreaking: children suffering from malnutrition, mothers struggling to feed their families, and young girls dropping out of school too soon. But amid the hardship, he also saw courage, resilience, and the desire to learn. That visit, captured in the first photo on this page above, marked the birth of a lifelong mission to build hope where it was most needed.

Janvier began sharing this vision with friends and mentors from the United States, especially from Boone, North Carolina, whom he had met during his fellowship. They believed in his dream and offered encouragement, prayer, and guidance. Soon, a few local volunteers joined him in Butanuka, and together they launched a simple porridge program for malnourished children. What began with 50 children quickly grew into hundreds; and the small group realized that this was only the beginning of a much larger story.

Those early days were filled with challenges: limited resources, no electricity, and long walks to reach every household, but they also carried a powerful sense of purpose. With faith, perseverance, and the support of friends near and far, Dreaming for Change began to take root. From that first act of kindness in Butanuka grew an organization that today reaches thousands of children, youth, and families across Burundi; proving that big change can begin with small, faithful steps.