The Swiss Abroad Wêndabo André Kientega came back to Switzerland from Africa to attend high school. Here he talks about his experiences at school and later during military service and at the university of applied sciences.
“I was born in the canton of Zug in 1998, but only lived there for a few years before my family moved to Neuchâtel, where I learned French and attended kindergarten and primary school.
Since my parents founded the NGO Wêndbenedo FEED to help women and children in need, we moved to Burkina Faso in 2009. We lived on the outskirts of the city of Bobo Dioulasso. Water and power cuts were the order of the day. It was a real culture shock, but also an enriching experience.
I went to a French school where most of the students were from Burkina Faso, but there were also young people of many other nationalities. Since the school did not offer a high school, I decided, also because of the teaching quality, to return to Switzerland to continue my education and meet up with my childhood friends. So, at the age of 15, I returned alone to the canton of Neuchâtel, where I completed my high school education. During these three years, I lived with family friends. Since I always visited Switzerland once a year during my time in Burkina Faso, I quickly settled in again. Nevertheless, it was difficult at first to be separated from my family.
After graduating from high school, I didn’t know exactly what to do next. So, I decided to take a gap year, during which I completed recruit school in Ticino and did various internships to find my way. Finally, I found what really interested me: studying at a university of applied sciences to become an agronomist. To do this, I had to complete ten months of internships with farmers in the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, and Geneva before I was accepted at the Haute école du paysage, d’ingénierie et d’architecture (HEPIA) in Geneva. I really like the study programme with its diverse and current topics such as Switzerland’s food sovereignty, use of pesticides and organic farming.
Unfortunately, I had to extend my studies by one year because I was called up by the army as a medical soldier during the coronavirus pandemic. I was deployed to a nursing home in Lausanne to take care of elderly patients in the quarantine zone. I am glad I was able to make myself useful, but it was painful to see these people isolated from their families and friends. It was a time of many uncertainties. Nevertheless, I tried to follow some online lectures on my days off. It was a difficult time, as it was for many other people.
I am now in the process of completing my bachelor’s degree. My bachelor’s thesis is about the use of ultraviolet radiation to combat pathogens on cultures to be able to do without fungicides. I was undecided whether I should follow the master’s programme straight away or do some work first. Now I am starting a master’s degree in agricultural sciences with a specialisation in sustainable production systems.
It was mainly thanks to the scholarships from my home canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden that I was able to complete my education. I am very grateful for all the help I received on my way, which was not easy, but I am now on the home stretch.
If I can give one piece of advice to young Swiss people abroad who come to Switzerland for training, it is that they should find locally-based people they can rely on. Especially as a young person, it is not easy to live without your family. It’s good to know who to ask for help or information.”
Educationsuisse offers counselling to all young Swiss Abroad on all matters related to education in Switzerland and support with cantonal scholarship applications.
Educationuisse, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne, Switzerland, Tel. +41 31 356 61 04, info@educationsuisse.ch, www.educationsuisse.ch
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