Kimironko: Women turned small startups businesses into million projects

Elias Hakizimana Nov 12, 2021Nov 12, 2021 0 Comments

By Elias Hakizimana.

Since a couple of years, some women from Kimironko sector, Gasabo District in Kigali city were looking lives as a no-where direction due to extreme poverty and lack of employment.

Most of them who are under the Ubudehe categories with limited economic capacity were depending on their husbands’ jobs.

The time came and few of these women met a partner, Joint Action for Peace and Development (JAPED), who partners with the National Women Council (NWC) at the local government level to promote their saving culture and build their skills and capacity in credit and income generating activities management for them to start and own businesses.

The initiative started with women in Rindiro village, Kibagabaga cell in Kimironko sector in 2013, later on in 2015, it expanded and reached Bukinanyana village of Nyagatovu cell, Kimironko sector, where women expensively owned the initiative. By now, the program has reached beyond kimironko boundaries in Bumbogo sector of Gasabo District. As they moved on, women also welcomed men to join and by now, more than 300 women and 48 men are beneficiaries of this initiative in Kimironko sector only.

**From little savings, they manage to get loans from their Saving associations and invest in income generating projects.**

Testimonies of women who achieved an outstanding journey in using credits from their saving association, show how possible an individual or a group of women can own a vibrant business and graduate from poverty line.

Francine Nyirahabimana used to work as a cleaner for a certain institution in Kigali city in 2015, earning a little salary but she had a dream of owning a small business.

Fortunately, she was informed by a colleague that there is a partner-JAPED who is mobilizing women to join saving and credit associations and she joined. By the time, one weekly share was Rwf500; Nyirahabimana could save 1 to 4 shares on weekly basis. This is 500Rwf to Rwf2000 on weekly basis. After one year, the weekly share increased gradually to Rwf1000 per a person. From Rwf 4000 she could save on weekly basisis , she decided to leave her job and invested in charcoal business.

“I requested a loan of Rwf50,000 from the association plus my last salary of Rwf20,000 and I bought 10 sacks of charcoal. Gradually I could sell 10 to 15 sacks in one week. I paid the loan and requested another of Rwf100,000. By the end of 2016, I managed to pay school fees of my daughter in Sewing and the following year I bought a sewing machine for her. In 2017, I bought a plot of Rwf800,000 (Including Rwf300,000, I received as a donation from my daughter), I added Rwf600,000 and bought a plot and by now I have a capital of Rwf 750,000.” Nyirahabimana affirms.

She is now planning to re-sell her plot that has now increased value up to Rwf 2,000,000 and expand her charcoal business. She aspires soon to be a whole-seller in charcoals business, once her wish will be realized after re-selling her plot.

“I have a vision to invest in cooking gas business and leave charcoals. My dream is to build a modern residential house and to give jobs to other people. I thank JAPED and CNF for their contribution in empowering women to have access to finance.” She said.

Marie Alice Uwimana, another woman who leads TURIMBE Cooperative of tailors in Kimironko sector narrates how they managed to have 25 sewing machines from seven.

“In only three years, we made tremendous achievements, we interested young ladies who dropped out of school, teen mothers and former street women vendors and so far we trained 422 girls in tailoring. Some of them were married and we created a cooperative for some of trainees.” She said.

Ildephonse Hitimana, the president of the board of JAPED said that they look on supporting women to own financial startups and investments in order to promote family development.

“We have some women who started from Rw100,000 and their investments increased to over Rwf4millions now because they used well the loans they requested from their associations and formal financial institutions, we have others who created cooperatives and we continue to help them in terms of advocacy and training in project management.” Ildephonse argued.

Officials’ comments

Jean de Dieu Rukundo, The Leader of Bukinanyana village in Nyagatovu cell, with more than 100 women benefiting from this initiative congratulates JAPED for the achievement.

“In fact, as local government in our village, we found this as important initiative to empower women, we help the partner to encourage women to be in saving associations as a way to tackle financial issues in their families.” He said.

“We started with one group ‘IKIREZI CYA BUKINANYANA’ and now there are four associations, we wish to have more women and more associations.” Rukundo said, adding that there is a hope to end extreme poverty among the citizens when this initiative is shared to other villages countrywide.

Speaking at the meeting that gathered women associations in Kimironko sector on November 9, 2021, Pauline Umwali, Gasabo District’s Executive Administrator thanked the women to make such significant achievements.

**Pauline Umwali, Gasabo District’s Executive Administrator addressing women grouped in various Saving Associations from Kimironko Sector.**

“It is a great achievement, we commend their efforts from little saving to owning businesses, they can now get loans from their associations and run income generating activities to improve their family living conditions as well as pay health Insurance and other family needs, we request them to be good ambassadors of change by encouraging others to have such a mindset, we pledge to support them in their future activities within the district’s capacity.” Umwali said.