Eloi Abineza - Senior Artist
ABINEZA ELOI
Born on 11th December 1985, in Rwanda, Abi lost both his parents when he was still a young boy. When he and his elder brother Aimable and little sister Lillian came to Uganda in 2001, they were hoping to find a better life which however did not come so easily. They stayed out of school for two years but were later to be taken on by an NGO (Non government office) which saw them through school.
Though he studied mechanical engineering, Eloi found pleasure and satisfaction in making crafts when he joined Caring Hands in 2007. He was still a student then and had not realized his potential in craft making.
You will often find the 25year old covered in dust and absorbed in either making the famous memory books or cutting through doom palm tree seeds for the key holders and necklaces. He is so proud of the skills he has acquired over the years he has been with Caring Hands, let alone the knowledge that there is great wealth in what we always consider trash.
Caring Hands caters for his medication and Eloi is sure that he cannot find the Caring Hands working environment (which he describes as warm and friendly) anywhere else-yes, not even in his own field of study.