In Kirundi, the word often used for a person with a disability is ikimuga. Unlike umuntu, the word used for a human being, ikimuga begins with “iki”, a prefix typically reserved for things. Objects. Not people. The shocking reality is that, in many communities, people with disabilities are often seen not as individuals with dignity and potential, but as burdens, invisible or worse still, disposable.

This perception has consequences. Access to education, employment, and normal community life remains limited for many people with disabilities. Social stigma often isolates them long before physical barriers do. Jimmy was born with malformed fingers, in a rural village to farming parents. Despite the prejudice against their son, they chose to raise him no differently from his siblings. Jimmy was obliged to study and work, just like everyone else, which instilled resilience in him.

Jimmy established Community Rise to facilitate a movement that empowers many, particularly those with disabilities. Along the way, he has met others who carry similar strength.

One of them is Bernadette. At just two years old, Bernadette lost both her mother and her leg during the violence of Burundi’s civil war. She grew up navigating physical challenges, trying not to draw attention to herself. But over time, she chose visibility over hiding, rising to the challenge of sport, then leadership. Today she is an champion for women and girls with disabilities who are too often ignored and works alongside Jimmy at Community Rise.

Each year, they host Camp Possible to inspire women who have had amputations. The weekend offers trauma healing sessions, entrepreneurship workshops and sport. It gives attendees a chance to connect with others with similar experiences. A highlight was the amputee football match, with one player recalling,

“I was happy to see others like me playing football; I realised I could do the same!”

Delegates left with gifts of sporting equipment to continue their passions back at home. Through Community Rise, over 2,000 women and youth have trained in sewing and vocational skills. But Jimmy’s vision looks beyond individuals. He is actively engaging policymakers, government officials, and university leaders to advocate for inclusive systems in higher education. His goal is to create an environment that welcomes students with disabilities.

Therance has fought throughout his life to gain access to education. Now a Master’s student living with a disability, he chose to join Community Rise to represent students with disabilities who, like him, continue to face numerous barriers and challenges in pursuing education due to the lack of accessible learning environments. For Therance, true inclusion means an environment where all students are given equal opportunities to fully participate in both academic and social life.

Jimmy and his team continue to break barriers, forging a path for people with disabilities to dream higher than the limits society places on them. In so doing, they are quietly reshaping what it means to be seen: not as ikimuga, but as umuntu: fully human, with dignity and a voice.