From 10 chickens to a thriving poultry business: how PRISM is transforming lives in Ruhango

By Elias HAKIZIMANA. 

When Esther Mukamurigo received 10 chickens through a farmers’ association in Kabagari Sector, Ruhango District, she did not imagine the small gift would become the foundation of a growing poultry enterprise that now supports her family and creates jobs in her community.

Mukamurigo, a resident of Gitwa Village in Rwoga Cell, recalls that life was once a daily struggle. Before joining the PRISM project, she and her husband survived mainly on casual labour and had no livestock at home.

“Before PRISM I was poor without any animal,” she said during a media field visit to the area. “Now our meal cannot miss an egg, and we even have a cow.”

The turning point came in 2023 when Mukamurigo joined the Twuzuzanye Cyunyu Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), a group supported by the Partnership for Resilient and Inclusive Small Livestock Markets (PRISM) project. Each member received ten chickens and iron sheets to build poultry shelters.

Instead of simply raising the birds for home consumption, Mukamurigo treated the opportunity as a business.

She began by selling eggs and reinvesting the earnings. Six cocks from the initial flock were sold at Rwf12,000 each, earning her Rwf72,000, which she used to buy goats and expand her poultry stock.

As her confidence grew, she began investing more aggressively. At one point she bought 200 chicks for Rwf220,000 and sold them a month later for Rwf500,000. Later, she invested in 500 improved “Tetra Super Harco” chickens, eventually selling them for about Rwf1.2 million.

Today, Mukamurigo raises about 600 chickens and sells mature cocks at up to Rwf15,000 each. Her farm has become busy enough to employ workers to help with livestock care and crop production.

“All my development is due to PRISM support,” she said. “Our long-term vision is to expand our poultry house so that it can accommodate at least 2,500 chickens.”

Beyond income, livestock has improved nutrition and agricultural productivity for the family. Poultry manure has helped increase crop yields, especially cassava.

“Before, I harvested small cassava roots,” she explained. “Now the harvest is bigger and more productive because of the fertilizer from chickens.”

The benefits are also visible in her household’s wellbeing. The couple’s two children now have access to eggs and milk regularly, something Mukamurigo says was impossible before.

Her success has also inspired other farmers. Through the PRISM “Passing on the Gift” approach, Mukamurigo transferred ten chickens to a neighbour, Eustache Munyakarama, who is now gradually building his own flock.

“When she gave me the chickens, I started learning from her example,” Munyakarama said. “Now I have about 25 chickens and I earn some money from eggs and selling birds.”

He hopes to grow the business further, eventually expanding poultry production and improving household income.

Mukamurigo’s farm has also attracted buyers from outside the district. Traders from areas such as Kirehe and Karongi have visited her farm to purchase chickens.

On busy days, she says, she can sell between 60 and 70 chickens, earning between Rwf160,000 and Rwf170,000.

The PRISM project, which runs from 2021 to 2026, aims to strengthen Rwanda’s small livestock sector while helping rural families escape poverty. It is implemented by the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board with funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Enabel and Heifer International.

In Ruhango District, the project operates in five sectors — Bweramana, Byimana, Kabagari, Kinihira and Ruhango — reaching more than 2,000 beneficiaries.

Farmers receive training in livestock management, nutrition, savings and entrepreneurship, alongside livestock such as chickens, goats and pigs.

According to Ruhango Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Development Jean Marie Vianney Rusiribana, the initiative has played a significant role in improving livelihoods and reducing poverty.

“Small livestock are not only a source of income but also improve household nutrition and soil fertility,” he said.

The district has also benefited from new infrastructure supported by the project, including a veterinary clinic, a small livestock market and a pig slaughter facility in Byimana Sector.

For Mukamurigo, however, the most valuable outcome is the sense of independence and possibility that livestock farming has brought.

“My husband and I plan everything together,” she said. “PRISM gave us knowledge, confidence and the opportunity to change our lives.”

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