Eric Kubwimana with Chad Allen
Eric Kubwimana with Chad Allen

People often draw their deepest inspiration from the family that raised them, regarding them as their ultimate source of belonging and identity. But what happens when this source is suddenly, violently erased? Eric Kubwimana knows this reality all too well.

Born in Rwanda's Western Province in 1993, Eric lost his entire family during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Yet despite this devastating loss, he refused to let this define his trajectory. Instead, he persevered, guided and strengthened by his new home and family that forever transformed his life and purpose.

At LivingStone International University, Eric discovered that education could be more than knowledge acquisition; it could be a pathway to profound personal transformation and service to others.

Foundations of Resilience: The Orphanage Years

Eric's childhood memories are filled with the huge absence of family, a void left by the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. At just six months old, he was placed in Orphelinat Noël de Nyundo (ONN) after his mother passed away. A year later, the genocide claimed the lives of his father, two older sisters, and every member of his extended family. With no relatives left, the orphanage became Eric's home.

Eric shares that ONN, the orphanage that became his refuge, offered more than shelter. It became the foundation where he learned resilience and developed the inner strength to carry him through future challenges.

Eric mentions, "Life at ONN taught me resilience in the face of unimaginable loss. Growing up without a family was difficult, but the orphanage gave me a foundation of care and discipline that allowed me to focus on my education."

The Turning Point

When the opportunity to pursue higher education arose, Eric was ready to seize it. After finishing secondary school, he was given a chance that he described as "would change the course of his life." He received a scholarship from a non-government organization, His Chase, to study at LivingStone International University in Uganda.

LivingStone International University (LIU), a small private non-profit Christian university established in 2012, aims to transform Africa through Christ-centered higher education. With over 250 students from across Africa, LIU provides a deeply relational learning environment rooted in mentorship and discipleship.

However, transitioning and entering into this new big world did not become easy for Eric. Like many young people who have grown up in hardship, he wrestled with questions of identity, purpose, and meaning. He recalls, "When I arrived at LIU in 2013 to begin a degree in Business Administration, I was unsure of my future."

However, what he encountered at LIU was not just a university but a community of faith, mentorship, and personal transformation. More than an institution of higher learning, Eric shares how LIU offered him a new family, one defined not by blood, but by shared values and a commitment to nurturing spirit-filled leaders and members of society.

According to Eric, it was in this environment that he began to heal, not just intellectually, but spiritually and emotionally.This sense of belonging, reinforced daily by the university community, helped him shed the fear and uncertainty that had once shadowed his future.

Chad Allen, the CFO at LIU from 2013 - 2018, mentions, "LIU aims to direct its students towards God's mission in the world: a mission of creating, healing, building, loving, teaching, serving, and saving. The university's success lies not just in its academic programs but in its ability to cultivate leaders prepared to serve their communities with integrity and compassion."

Beyond Graduation: Leadership, Faith, and Giving Back

Graduating from LIU marked the beginning—not the end—of Eric's journey. Armed with a degree in business administration, he returned to Rwanda in 2017 and began working in the banking sector, with positions at Letshego Bank and Access Bank.

Yet Eric shared how the sense of calling that began to stir in him at LIU only grew stronger. Eventually, he left the corporate world to enter full-time ministry. Eric describes this decision as a choice rooted in the clarity, conviction, and purpose he had found during those formative university years.

Eric shares, "The seeds planted at LIU continue to bear fruit—not just in my career but also in how I live my life. My mentor from LIU still walks with me, offering prayer, guidance, and encouragement."

Today, Eric is pursuing postgraduate studies in theology and leadership at Africa College of Theology (ACT), committed to preaching the gospel and discipling others. His story represents one of many similar journeys among LIU's graduates. Regardless of race, ethnic background, upbringing, gender, or physical disability, students are accepted and given equal opportunities to pursue their dreams.

While many universities focus primarily on knowledge transfer, LIU recognizes that true personal development is the balance of intellectual excellence and spiritual maturity, rooted in faith and the word of God.

The ripple effects of this approach extend beyond individual success stories. Graduates like Eric Kubwimana become sparks for change in their communities, using their education not just for personal advancement but for collective benefit and the glory of God.

Eric mentions, "From orphanage to business school, my story is one of grace and transformation. I am a living testament to what is possible when education is grounded in faith and community. LIU didn't just give me a degree. It helped me discover my purpose—and my voice."