When first-hand information is hard to believe

Friday, February 24, 2017

‘’I would go to sleep with much sorrows deep in my heart, I could not figure out how my children would eat the following day’’she says sighing deeply as she starts to recounts.

‘I was selling labor to survive and could work for a whole day for 120 Rwf (approx. 20 cents). This was not even enough for dinner as a family’’ she continues.

Immaculee Cyiza lives in Akarugamba village of Gakenke cell in the northern part of Rwanda. She used to struggle to put food on the table for her children. To fend for her family she sold labor. Digging land for others was the main job she got; she explains.

Immaculee’s neighbours kept her informed on possible opportunities of where she could sell her labor. World Vision had to intervene for her children to go to school. School materials, uniform and school fees were provided by World Vision. With sponsorship budget, Buranga, her nearby World Vison programme, worked with the family to help change mother’s situation. Training coupled with seeds distribution changed everything in Immaculee’s life. She was trained on improved farming and was supported with banana suckers and a goat to help get organic manure for fertilization. She continued working with the coaching of World Vision staff, banana suckers started giving good yields. Part of the harvest was sold and another used for home consumption.

She bought a cow out of the money she got from the banana; organic manure increased, and she decided to increase her banana production; she recounts. Her 5-year-old Sandrine Umukundwawase, her third child did not register in sponsorship, family was already doing well with WV’s support. She can access balanced diet and be cared for without any problem. What changed further Immaculee’s family was a learning visit World Vision took her to.

‘’When I came back from the training, I opened my eyes wide’’ she says smiling

She started pondering on what to do of her increased banana production, and came up with an idea, to manufacture banana juice.

‘’ My factory is still rudimentary but it helps me manufacture juice that last for longer’’ she explains showing a tree boat she uses to make the juice.

Once juice is produced, it is packed in bottles and sold, it can last for 2 months; Rwandan certification Authority has come and approved, before the juice was put on the market; she says proudly. She also opened a shop where she is selling her juice and milk from, as well as other items. Immaculee is producing 120 litres of juice and 450 littres of milk on monthly basis. She is making more than 180,000 Rwfr monthly with her current business; she has counted.

‘’We expected to be given jobs to do when we saw World Vision coming to us, but they said, they were coming to show us how to rely on ourselves. This, became a reality shortly;’’ Immaculee recounts sitting in her shop where people have been interrupting her, coming to buy different items, as she told her story.

‘’My story is amazing; you might not believe me unless if someone else who knows me told you.’’ Immaculee says humbled