Bosco Murengera Ntwari was frequently suspended from his school in rural Rwanda for not being able to pay his school fees. His father had left the family when Bosco was young, and with three other siblings, it was often difficult to make ends meet.
Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Bosco and his neighbors faced a new wave of challenges. As schools and businesses shut down, he says, “People here in the community had lost hope.”
Around the same time, a fellow church member invited Bosco to join a savings group and attend an agrifaith program through Sowers of HOPE—HOPE International’s discipleship ministry that equips farmers through savings groups to proclaim the Gospel through agriculture.
New skills and a source of income
For Bosco, the invitation represented not just an opportunity to learn new skills, but also a chance to avoid peer pressure from other students who had begun abusing drugs and alcohol. Now 20 years old, Bosco remembers, “I joined because I wanted to grow financially so that I can help my family, especially my parents.”
Bosco’s family hadn’t successfully grown anything on the plot of land near their home due to a thick tree covering that blocked the light. But, with skills gained in his agricultural training, Bosco thinned the branches of the trees and planted a kitchen garden.
His garden soon began to produce enough vegetables to feed Bosco’s whole family—and created a surplus he sold in the market for profit. With these earnings, Bosco could faithfully save 63 cents a month in his savings group.
Over the next two years, his savings grew, and in 2022 he used a $45 loan from his group to purchase a female pig to breed and seeds for carrots and onions. He also paid for his and his two sisters’ school fees—and school supplies for five other children in need at his school.
Worshipping God in everything you do
As he studied Scripture with his group, Bosco grew in confidence as a leader in his community. He says, “I have the confidence to speak in public. I can teach in church and share the Word of God every week when we meet in the savings group.”
Bosco shares that one of the greatest lessons he’s learned in his savings group is what it means to worship God. He says, “You can worship God outside the church when you are going to school, in the garden when you are weeding, and even when you are taking care of your cattle… you glorify God when you are taking care of His creation, that is a form of worship.”
Our annual Thurman award honors incredible men and women across HOPE’s network who are honoring God and serving their communities. To read the stories of our other 2023 Thurman honorees, read how Jovelee met Jesus and opened a church in the Philippines, or discover how Artem* made a courageous choice to continue serving his Ukrainian community through his restaurant even amid war.
