Gasabo: MPs encourage Kimironko women ventures into small businesses

By Elias Hakizimana.

A team of Members of the Parliament, chamber of Deputies has on Sunday, December 4, 2022 visited the groups of women savings and loan associations (GSLAs) in Kimironko sector, Gasabo district to understand their progress and to advocate for existing hindering issues to their business development.

Since the establishment of their self-reliance initiative in 2016 from one group of 30 members, 4 men and 26 women, Ikirezi cya Bukinanyana has expanded and gave birth to 5 groups, and they are now six (6) associations who tirelessly strive to become cooperatives.

Successful set up of the initiative was supported by officials from the village to the district level, including the National Women Council (NWC) and the local organization ‘Joint Action for Peace and Development (JAPED).

Their progress was commended by MP. Hon Emmanuel Bugingo and MP. Hon UWAMARIYA RUTIJANWA Marie Pélagie during the visit of these associations.

Addressing the women and local authorities of Kimironko sector and Bukinanyana village, MP. Hon. Emmanuel Bugingo said that the focus of their visit is to see how women who gather together for business associations can be facilitated to fast track the development they need.

“Today we are not focusing on infrastructures, but the development of women activities, small businesses. We thank partners including local authorities who work with these groups, I encourage all of you to continue working together and our government doesn’t want to leave anyone behind,” Hon. Bugingo said.

The visit of the MPs was attracted different people, including Leon Pierre RUSANGANWA, the President of Community Socio-economic Development Initiatives (CSDI) that has socio-economic development activities in Gasabo district.

One of the challenges raised by these women is small investment capital in their businesses that were born from the support by the district and the loans from their saving groups.

Sylvia Kekisiibo, who started a small business of selling fruits benefited from the district’s direct financial support to the group of 10 women of which she was a member. The group got Rwf 1 million, and they used to save Rwf 12,000 every week in their saving association. She told MPs that they are still having this amount as startup, and they want further financial support to expand it.

“I learnt a lot from the schemes, from saving culture to making a business, I managed to successful request a loan of Rwf 3 million from bank and I added Rwf 2 million loan from our association, making it Rwf 5 million; and I invested Rwf 4,7 million in a supermarket, and the remaining Rwf 300,ooo in fruit business. If we get financial support and increase our investment capital from Rwf 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 can be helpful,” Kekisiibo told MPs.

Some of the businesses of these women include charcoal selling, fashion and design, fruits and vegetable small trade among others.

Jean de Dieu Rukundo, Bukinanyana village leader said that the initiative has helped to address family conflicts and reduced poverty among the women, as they contribute to the welfare of their families by paying Mutuelle de Santé, school fees for children.

 

Florence Nyiransabimana, the vice-president of NWC in Gasabo district appreciates the performance of the women in their respective six groups.

“The efforts of these women are very commendable, they have expanded to Bumbogo sector, and we want them to be in all the sectors and villages of Gasabo district,” she says.

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