A beacon of light for Agnes: Investing in women for rural development

As the sun curved in over the hilly landscape marred by frequent landslides – a clear sign of the impact of climate change – in southern Rwanda, a team of the UN Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE) met Agnes Nibakure, a 43-year-old woman participating in the programme supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Norway and Sweden.

Hailing from Rango village, in Nyaruguru district, Agnes got married and started a family at a tender age of 16, with limited knowledge on women’s empowerment. The JP RWEE selected her to be part of the programme as she was part of the most vulnerable population in her village. She is now a member of Amahoro (peace in the local language) cooperative, comprising 20 resilient women and 10 supportive men who are experiencing the life-changing transformations thanks to the JP RWEE.

After undertaking a training on gender equality and women’s empowerment, “my life was transformed”, she said.

“The family journey had been marked by conflicts, rooted in a lack of self-confidence to manage the little resources we had, including the livestock and food at home and domestic violence was considered normal.  Due to regular conflict about the management of our family income, my husband Emmanuel decided to leave the household.”

When enrolled in the programme, Agnes found new strength within herself after participating in farm and field learning skills, voluntary savings and loan associations, good agriculture practices, and gender action learning skills. She started applying all her skills and improved her income, food production and savings. Her transformation attracted her husband to apologize and return to the family to learn new skills and continue to provide for his family.

The turning point came when Agnes joined the savings group formed as part of the JP RWEE initiative. With a small loan of 10,000 Rwandan francs (RWF, about USD 8) from the savings group, Agnes kick started a small-scale business involving farming potatoes and selling baskets in the village market. In just three months, Agnes not only repaid the loan, she doubled her profit to 10,000 RWF (equivalent to about $8.

With her entrepreneurial spirit ignited by JP RWEE, Agnes had bigger dreams. After losing land and house in the valley because of extremely heavy rains and floodings, Agnes rented a small piece of land where she cultivated beans, yielding 30 kilograms for home consumption, and earning a steady income from her various ventures. She aspires to register her own business, create a registered company specializing in basket and agriculture products marketing , and ultimately become a recognized entrepreneur in Rwanda. She hopes to purchase land for agriculture and renovate their family home. She would also like to purchase a bicycle to reduce transportation costs and streamline the business operations.

Meanwhile, her husband Emmanuel works in a tea plantation, earning a monthly income of 35,000 RWF (equivalent to about $28).

They now live together peacefully, and he became a supportive partner thanks to the JP RWEE training on Gender Action Learning System (GALS). The promoted approach opened Emmanuel’s mind to design and implement a clear family business action plan, and he changed his behavior towards domestic and care chores. He now takes care of the children and contribute to the preparation of meals, especially when Agnes is on business trips.

In Rwanda, the JP RWEE fosters rural women’s access to finance and ensures that the enduring impact of their newfound knowledge and skills is a key driver of investing in rural women for enhanced income generation. The four participating United Nations agencies work in synergy with the government and local partners towards securing rural women’s livelihoods, rights, and resilience, in alignment with Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

AUTHORS
Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress Towards Rural Women’s Empowerment
SOURCE
Originally published on jprwee.org
PHOTOS
© Silvia Lanzarini/UN Women