Antoine was born in the South Province of Rwanda in 1966. He was the fifth of nine children and his family lived in poverty. As a boy, he loved to play football (soccer) and to help his parents with chores at home. He was saddened not only by the hardships faced by his own family, but by the poverty of others around him. Throughout his life he has always had a strong desire to help others and to treat them with kindness and respect. This attitude is shaped by his deep faith in God and growing up with the values of the Catholic Church. 

When Antoine turned 15, life grew so difficult for his family that he left for the town of Gitarama, hoping to find work. Life in Gitarama was filled with hardship; no one would hire an unfamiliar, uneducated boy, and he had no family or connections to depend on. He soon turned to life on the street and was forced to eat from garbage bins to survive. He was beaten by other street kids, he owned only one pair of ragged clothes, and he had no access to clean water. He soon became very ill. This is the life that hundreds of children in Rwanda must face each day. For three years, Antoine lived on the street, and he became very sad that he could not improve his situation or help his family.

In 1984, Antoine went to Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali, hoping to find a better life. One day, he was looking for food in a heap of refuse and a man came up to him and asked, “What are you doing over there? Don’t worry, follow me. I know you have a bad life and I want to give you a job. Will you agree to do this job?” Antoine agreed and became an assistant in the man’s automotive repair shop. He lived with the man and his family and earned 200 Rwandan Francs each month. With time and practice, his skills improved, and he was able to earn more and to care for himself. When he had saved enough, he went home to visit his parents.
           

He returned to find his family living in squalor and even poorer than before. He immediately built them a house. He then left for Kigali to continue his work in the garage. In 1988, he had learned enough about mechanics to start his own business and he was also able to marry his wife, Annonciata Uwamariya. In 1994, the genocide broke out. There was chaos in Kigali and across the country. Many people in Antoine’s family were killed. He lost his garage and all of his materials and fled to his home village. He and his wife eventually returned to Kigali to start over again. In 1997, Antoine became the chief mechanic for the Nyabugogo Bus Station and life improved for him and his family. He has three children, Jean Pierre Twizeyimana, born in 1996, Antoinette Umugwaneza, born in 1998, and Keria Umuhire, born in 2003.
           

Antoine never forgot his life as a street kid. When he saw other children on the street, he knew that he must find a way to help them. In 2002, he rented a house in the Kimisagara sector, Nyarugenge District of Kigali, and took in 45 children. He gave them shelter and food and clean water and was able to send some of them to school. Antoine has brought together many dedicated volunteers, and together they have worked to improve the lives of these children and over 250 others from all over Rwanda.

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