Janvier Manirakiza

2017 Fellow from Burundi

Janvier Manirakiza is a social activist in Burundi. He has experience in various fields, including mass communication, grant writing, project management, and community development. Currently, Janvier is founder and executive director of Dreaming for Change, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance human dignity by providing educational opportunities, economic development, and sustainable agriculture to impoverished communities in Burundi. The organization works to create healthy, peaceful, and educated communities for the marginalized children, women, and youth living in seemingly forgotten rural areas. A 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow, Janvier states that the Fellowship taught him to overcome his fear and reach higher, even though life’s challenges might make him feel lower. Dreaming for Change has board members from Africa and the United States who have expertise in agriculture, education, business development, and marketing. Janvier’s dream for his organization is to see people lifted out of poverty to become self-dependent role models and agents of change in their communities and country.

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