While commending on the role of cooperatives in development, Members of said cooperatives said working as a team has removed them from poor conditions that they are able to build own houses, grow crops and sell them at reliable markets and favorable prices.

COPROCHA cooperative is made up of women widows operating in Kiramuruzi sector in Gatsibo district.

Growing mushrooms is paving a way for women’s development

Growing mushrooms is paving a way for women’s development

After local residents realizing they had the same problem of poverty and had the same goal of attaining development, they joined associations and cooperatives that do different compositions like baskets, decorations and other crafts using natural and available requirements.

Mukamusoni Aloyiziya the chairperson of “Izere Ukore” association says before they decided on joining this association, they were in absolute poverty but now they are making decent earnings from their compositions.

These women started composing art and crafts bring as a way of coming together to discuss domestic issues but now it is a project that is profitable to its members and it became a cooperative.

Valentine Nirere the accountant of COPROCHA cooperative says even if the cooperative has no properties to boost of, working together gave them self reliance. Their remaining problem is lack of market for their compositions to make to the much desired development.

Joseph Munyaburanga the executive secretary of Kiramuruzi sector recommends the courage of these women that worked on strategies to solve their problem especially poverty without waiting for outside support.

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This would reduce women dependence on their husbands explains Doroteya Mutegwamaso a member of a cooperative funded by SOS Rwanda.

Women with the weaved baskets

SOS Rwanda usually supports orphans through paying their school fees and teaching others technical skills though it works in other women projects especially in rural areas with the goal of developing women.

 Women beneficiaries of SOS Rwanda were taught basket weaving in different designs which they sell and are earning a living. Most of these women in Nyamirama sector were unemployed and depended on their husbands for survival but now they are supporting their families alongside their husbands.

These women say forming a cooperative and learning of the crafts skills made them capable of realizing their goals because two heads are better than one.

“Sometimes one has good ideas but lacks support to make them realistic and these ideas are put to rest instead of working on them to develop. When we are together, everyone shares an idea and we discuss it and then work on it together” says Mutegwamaso.

These women say they have achieved a lot through working together and their baskets are bought by many people. Women especially in rural areas need to be encouraged to work instead of being beggars in their own homes.

Women need to be sensitized to work with their husbands and develop their families just as Mutegwamaso explained. The executive secretary of Nyamirama sector Claude Bizimana appreciated the way they are working to develop themselves and asked other women to draw example from these women.

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Women during a knitting class

Fifty two underprivileged young women and girls are attending three-month training in sowing and knitting conducted by ‘Rise to Shine’ an organization operating in Rusheshe of Masaka sector, Kicukiro district.

 Rise To Shine is among the seventeen winners of the first round of the Skills Development Fund (SDF) grants awarded by the World Bank through WDA to enable the implementation of TVET.

 According to the SDF program Manager Livingstone Byandaga, the organization received a grant of 23 million Rwandan francs.

 The training is expected to give these women an opportunity to change their lives and sharing the acquired skills with many people around them.

 Beatrice Bamurange the owner of ‘Rise to Shine’ plans to extend this training to other parts of the sector after realizing that not all people can reach the current training center.

One of the trainees Agatha Uwilingiyimana who dropped out of school at primary level appreciates this opportunity.

“ I strongly consider  this as one way to uplift the standard of living for a disadvantaged rural woman, especially one who has a talent that has not been discovered’, said Uwilingiyimana.

Emmanuel Niyigena the Executive secretary of Rushehe cell believes that such trainings prevent young people from engaging in dubious acts.

He gave an example of youth who spend most of the time in bars instead of being engaged in productive work.

Besides sowing and knitting, trainees also study the English language that will help them to communicate with various clients.

As a way of creating sustainability, the training center will also have a production unit that will supply materials including sweaters and uniforms needed by most schools.

Trainees are also encouraged to group themselves in cooperatives which will help them to join efforts and gain advantage of winning loans from microfinance institutions.

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Rulindo district administration has donated cows to the women coffee growers who embarked on improving coffee production in Rulindo district.

The event was held on May 14^th 2013 in different sectors of Rulindo district.

Women coffee growers reveal that they embarked on coffee growing program because it’s a cash crop that has led them to social and economic development.

Women beneficiaries thanked the administration saying cows will help them eradicate malnutrition in their homes since children will get milk.

Beatrice Mbarushimana, one of the beneficiaries says the cow she received will give her manure for the crops and enable her develop socially.

Agnes Yankurije aged 65 confessed: “I will increase coffee productivity by using cow dung as manure, and I will be drinking milk till I die.”

According to Prosper Mulindwa, vice-mayor for economic affairs in Rulindo district, donating cows to the women coffee growers is to help them get manure for the crop.

He adds that cows improve on the economic development both in their homes and the country at large.

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 Though most of the women in Ngoma district say they are no longer afraid on doing business, some of them invest their capital and lose just for not learning well their projects.

Women representatives in training

 In the 4 days training that was given to the 52 women, they were fully explained how to make the project proposals that are productive that is far different form how these women understood the concept.

 Virginie Mukamusoni the coordinator of the National Women’s Council in Ngoma district says women usually do projects in chaotic way where they use the credit for the project to solve their personal problems instead of using the profits.

 “Women in Ngoma district are confident enough to do any kind of business. Now that they understand the concept of doing business and realizing projects, they are going to work hard and get to development.”

 One of the trainee women says some women were still held back in realizing productive projects but now with this training that taught them a lot about projects, they are going to try it.

 She said; “Some of the women had the confusion on how to use the credit for the project with some of the personal needs without making a loss. Now we understand how to use it well and make profits, thanks to this training.”

 Erasto Bayihorere a trainer in Rwanda Development Board (RDB) who also trained in this training says the main emphasis in this training was to tell women never to invest in as project they have not learned thoroughly.

 “Just like a driver should first be sure the vehicle has all the requirements before starting off, the same goes for an entrepreneur. One has to first make action plan, business plan as the first step in realizing an idea into a project” says Bayihorere.

 This training was given to women on the support of the National Women’s Council in the Eastern Province of Rwanda and RDB. The first training was attended by 52 women from Ngoma district who will train others back home.

 The vice mayor for social affairs in the district Providence Kirenga asked women to always work towards achieving their goals every other year to attain development.

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After the second phase of “hanga umurimo” (job creation) commenced, the vice-mayor for social affairs in Huye district has called on women to embrace the job creation program.

The call was made in a meeting on April 26^th 2013 three days before the best participants were chosen to start training which had been scheduled to commence on April 29^th 2013.

Robert Ruhamisha, an expert working with SORWAFFA (Société Rwandaise de Fabrication des Fayers Ameliorés) that was chosen to visit ‘hanga umurimo’ program participants to Southern Province asserts that the training might be postponed because women’s ideas have to be verified before the raining.

During the meeting, women who attended job creation phase 2 in few numbers revealed to the reporter that many did not turn up because they had attended the first phase of the program and have not yet got access to loans to start projects.

However, one of them who managed to access a bank loan in job creation first phase, explained to the participants that failing to access loans is a result of not having all the necessary requirements the banks asked for.

Women participants assured they will sensitize fellow women on gaining confidence and adapt job creation.

While 50 people that had good proposals were trained for five days to enable them start projects in the first phase, 80 participants that will present great proposals of adding value to Rwanda-made products will be trained.

However, it is not yet known how many projects will be chosen from 80 projects and be helped to access loans.

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REMA training women in Rusizi district

REMA did this as a way to involve climatic changes in development programs of women in all 18 sectors of Rusizi district. This move is meant to protect environment and reduce destruction of the sky through pollution that can be fatal to people’s health.

Since the majority of Rwandan women are in agriculture, they are the most affected people by environmental degradation. Environmental degradation has many effects to people in Rwanda especially those in agriculture as it reduces the water in farms leading to poor harvest.

REMA expects women to help curb this environmental degeneration and its effects that have affected gravely Rwanda and the whole world at large. Though Rwandans have started to understand the importance of conserving the environment, there is still time for all countries in the region to participate in this endeavor as Patrice Mugabo a worker in REMA explains.

Mukashema a woman who was in attendance of this training says they learnt a lot from this training. “We were reminded that protecting environment is our day today responsibility because when a woman understands what she is doing, many people get involved. We are going to inform many people and teach our children about protecting environment.”

Some of the factors that sabotage the environment in Rwanda were discussed and they include the increase of population which is not relevant to the natural resources of the country, poor usage of land, forestry and energy.

Women in this training vowed to do all in their powers to protect the environment after understanding the dangers of environmental degradation more than ever.

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For Dancille Mukakamari the coordinator of ARECO Rwanda Nziza says women in Burera who reside in parts neighbouring Muhabura volcanoes are set to increase the production of bamboos through growing them in large quantities and make use of their production.

Women in bamboo plantations

Women from Kivuye sector in Burera district planted bamboos in Rugezi wetlands to prevent soil erosion that usually swept off the land and crops in this wetland. They planted bamboos they had increased in their cooperatives.

Mukakamari says that the act of women increasing the seeds of bamboos and planting them should be recommendable. These women’s special efforts to environment are the need to protect the environment through growing as many bamboos as possible and making use of these trees.

Vestine Harakandi one of these women residing in Kivuye sector says they are very well aware that bamboos protect environment and also provide components to many compositions including baskets and chairs.

“Apart from planting trees and selling them for money, when these bamboos grow, they attract tourists who leave money in Rwanda and I therefore participate in the development of our country” she reasons.

Harakandi goes on to say that women in Kivuye sector and Burera district in general are striving for self reliance and if they can do so protecting the environment and ensuring the development of the country, it is a great deal to them.

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According to The Daily Mail, research shows that ¼ of the baby deaths can be prevented if women sleep by the left side of their bodies since it’s when blood circulates to the lower part of the body and to the heart.

In Ghana, between 20 and 50 babies are born dead while only 3.5 percent are born dead in USA.

Researchers say the best way to prevent this problem is to advice pregnant women on the better positions to sleep in.

Louise O’Brien, a researcher from the University of Michigan says: “the way an expectant mother sleeps has an effect on the unborn baby. Sleeping on the back facing upward poses the baby to the danger of dying.”

Medical experts reveal that the best position is to sleep on the left side because blood travels easily to the uterus while lying on the back blocks blood vessels putting the growing baby to danger.

Researchers in Ghana assert that women who give birth to dead babies in this country is 5percent while its 6percent in Australia.

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Women in development in cooperatives

This has revealed the secret behind women development in the area as it includes forming cooperatives and sharing developmental ideas. These women form credit groups to collect the little money they have, save it and give it out on credits to group members to work on developmental ideas realizing profitable projects.

“I owned nothing and it was a tag of war to maintain my children in school. Ever since I joined women credit groups and cooperatives, things changed. I now own a cow and a pig, I get manure to boost my crops that I farm and get enough production and I am able to pay for my children’s school fees” explains Charlotte Uwimana.

For Martha Niyonsenga who was a beggar due to poverty but joined women credit group a thing that changed her life completely has this to say.

“I joined the credit group without a single penny on my name. I became confident enough and got a credit from the group bought farms and a cow. Now I have enough production, I can pay for my family’s medical insurance and my children’s school fees as well as maintain my family.”

The National Women’s Council confirms that women in Rwanda have taken a big step towards development. The number of women working with financial institutions has tremendously increased. Women are working towards the development of their families and no longer wait for their husbands to provide as Mariya Tereza Nyirantagorama the coordinator of NWC in Kitabi sector explains.

“For women not to be involved in domestic chores only but taking time to meet and share developmental ideas and realize such ideas through projects is development. With women development, there is family development and development of the country in general” says Nyirantagorama.

The women coordinator goes on to say “Though women have taken a big step towards their development as well as that of their country, there is still a limitation of men who do not understand the gender equality and restrict their wives from joining others and working especially in the rural areas.”

 The National Women Council has strategies to keep on sensitizing women and well as men on gender equality and how working together towards the development of a family would be good for the family.

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