|
Miserable, desolate, ailing, extremely poor and distressed” we don’t usually say these words about ourselves; chances are that we die before we can say them or are too weak to speak. It’s hard to believe, but the author of these words has lived eleven years to tell the story of a previous miserable life in a country where close to a million people were brutally murdered for being what they did not choose to be. Eleven years ago in post Genocide Rwanda most people felt this way; a number of them still feel this way today. They are frustrated, helpless and in most cases ailing, unable to fend for themselves and do not know where to start to rebuild their shattered lives. What they needed then, as well as now, is hope in the future from a life lived in the present.
It is against this background that LWF/Department for World Service intervened in Rwanda to respond to a complex emergency resulting from the April/1994 Genocide. For an emergency of this magnitude, LWF was well prepared with its 30 years of experience in handling emergencies. There was misery all over Rwanda, millions of people in need within the country, and thousands of others returning from exile after thirty years or more. The basic needs of emergency food distribution, temporary shelter, water and sanitation were of primary concern for LWF. In addition there were other problems to address in a country where basic infrastructure was in ruins. Ten years later LWF/World Service Rwanda has a different story to tell - a story of hope - hope for a future lived in the present.
Mukankusi Boniflide is a female farmer from Ntongwe District in Gitarama Province. Ntongwe and Ruyumba are districts in Gitarama Province and are within the dry belt of the lower Akagera basin that stretches all the way from the eastern part of Rwanda to the south eastern part towards the border with Burundi. Bonfilde remembers when LWF started operating in her district in 1994 just after the Genocide, “there was virtually nothing” she said “we had no food, clothes, no money to buy medicine and our houses had been destroyed, we were miserable, desolate, ailing, extremely poor and distressed.”
From 1996 to 1998, LWF/World Service Rwanda mobilised communities in Gitarama to form associations and groups on issues of common interest to facilitate effective response and assistance to those in need. Mukankusi Boniflide was one of the community members who joined together with others in an association known as “Abatanyuranya” which literary means “common interest” comprised of one hundred members. Their aim was to pull resources together for self help, realising that they could not depend forever on relief assistance. The association was given a multi-purpose grinding mill which they used to run a small business grinding cassava and other grains for the community at a fee and were able to generate a modest income to restart their lives.
Two years later, they decided to regroup themselves in smaller groups of three known as solidarity groups. They requested goats from LWF on a rotating credit basis and were able to pass on an offspring to each group member. The goats helped augment their income from the mill and provided manure for their garden, enabling them to grow food and regenerate their land. They also sold excess stock and earned sufficient money to buy some essential items and send their children to school. “This has helped me a great deal” says Mukankusi Boniflide “I now have seven goats and can sell one when I need money to buy clothes or medicine, I am not rich but I have hope for the future.”
“It’s not just the goats” says Mukankusi Boniflide with a smile, “I also have a house, they helped us construct our own houses.” Like many others in the community, Mukankusi Boniflide lost her house during genocide. During the three year period following the Genocide, LWF supported communities to reconstruct their houses through its shelter programme and constructed a number of houses for the most vulnerable in the community such as widows and orphans. Water sources were repaired, community systems for water management facilitated. and schools and bridges rehabilitated. “They truly gave us hope for the future” says Mukankusi Boniflide.
In the year 2000 LWF/World Service Rwanda embarked on long term sustainable livelihood development approaches responding to critical issues such as food security, reducing household poverty, access to potable water, improved health through sustainable hygiene and sanitation practices and environment protection. Activities included training and capacity building in crop and animal husbandry, project planning, improved nutrition and organised study tours focusing on management and utilisation of local resources. Alongside these, were specific programmes that responded to cross cutting issues such as peace building and reconciliation and HIV/AIDS. “I did not know how to write a project plan but now I know and I have even taught my neighbours how to write proposals” says Mukankusi Boniflide. “We went to the institute of research and agriculture(ISAR) where we were exposed to various farming techniques including banana multiplication which I have mastered. I got banana planting stems which I planted both in my fields and in the association’s field.” She added “I benefited from a LWF donated cow to give me both milk and manure and the cow has already reproduced three times.”
In response to critical issues identified in the 1999 CSO(Country strategic outline) process, a community run micro-finance scheme involving two associations in both Ntongwe and Ruyumba districts was established. “After being trained in micro-finance, we started a micro-finance fund which is operating under the umbrella association “TWIZERANE”. We started with 70,000Frw and LWF gave an additional 1,000,000Frw. I have particularly benefited a lot as I was able to pay “mutuelle de sante” (health insurance) for members of my family, school fees for my children and improve my farming activities.” Like Mukankusi Boniflide, many other female-headed households in Ntongwe are able to pay for their basic needs.
With funding from Finn-Church-Aid and the European Commission, LWF/World Service Rwanda constructed a demonstration farm and training centre at Mbayaya in Ruyumba District to provide local farmers with improved farming skills and enabling greater access to markets for their produce. The centre focuses on crop and animal husbandry as well as micro-credit for local farmers with special emphasis on female participation in farm income generating activities. Included in the programme is training on peace building and reconciliation skills - integrated in sustainable livelihood development.
It is gratifying to know that we do not simply intervene in people’s lives, but give hope.
|
