'I looked after people when i was supposed to be looked after'

His family had been hiding in a church hall when the killers came in 1994. He and his two sisters escaped, but five siblings and their parents lost their lives. Jean and the girls only survived by pretending they were dead; after that they were forced to spend 16 days hiding from the murderers in Akagera national park.

Since then they have rebuilt their lives in Kayonza District, two-and-a-half hours from Kigali, and helped to look after 70 orphans. Rather than being rueful about his childhood, Jean's matter-of-fact approach shows how used he has become to the extraordinary. "I got the responsibility of looking after other people when I was supposed to be looked after." Today Jean is president of a poultry co-operative recently set up with friends Godelive Nyiramana, 25 and Pierre Rugango, 20. Backed by a loan from Avega and called Let's Live, the co-op will provide a long-term income once the hens arrive. Jean, who returned to school when the country became more peaceful, recently took A-levels and now one of his sisters is studying. He enjoyed technical subjects at school and hopes to go on to university one day, perhaps to read computer science, although he will have to find the money to pay for it.

"It is very expensive to go to university, so for now it is just a dream. Maybe one day that dream will come true."