Murika! Oxfam in Rwanda newsletter - Oxfam Blogs

MURIKA!
Welcome to the first edition of Murika!
the Oxfam newsletter for Rwanda.
Murika shares stories and updates about Oxfam and partners’ work in the country. This
edition focuses on our initiatives to support the creation of sustainable livelihoods for
women and men, highlighting some of our achievements over the past 6 months and
sharing plans for the next period.
In early 2012 Rwanda registered impressive results in poverty reduction and against
some of the Millennium Development Goals. Here Oxfam shows its contribution to poverty
reduction efforts, working with others to ensure that the poorest are benefitting from
Rwanda’s economic growth, through creation of employment opportunities and better
returns for small farmers.
We thank all the contributors to the newsletter and welcome contributions to future
editions. Please send ideas, comments and suggestions to kigali@oxfam.org.uk
Women celebrate International Women’s Day 2012 in Nyabihu District. Photo: Gatete Thierry
INSIDE
Women entrpeneurs grow 2.3 million pineapples
16 days of activisim
Evaluation of Oxfam’s market based livelihood programme
Enterprise spotlight: a focus on Shekina Enterprises

Godelive Nyirabakobua, a pineapple sucker farmer, is supported
through Oxfam’s programmes. Photo: Simon Rawles.
Women entrepreneurs grow 2.2 million pineapple
suckers to boost Rwandan pineapple production
Women entrepreneurs in Nyagatare and Muhanga districts have
completed cultivation of 2.2 million pineapple suckers (seeds)
that will be used to boost the Rwandan pineapple industry
with home-grown, better quality suckers. This is a fantastic
achievement for women entrepreneurs supported by Oxfam.
Two years ago, Oxfam established a market-based livelihoods
programme with the aim of developing women’s economic
leadership in horticultural value chains. The aim was to address
gender inequalities in horticulture work by creating new roles for
women beyond unpaid or poorly paid labour at production level,
which also has low social status. Oxfam focused on developing
women as economic leaders and entrepreneur suppliers of
pineapple and pineapple planting material, as a source for
sustainable income in a fairly short period (18 to 24 months).
Previously Rwandan pineapple growers were using suckers
produced in neighbouring Uganda, whose unstable quality
affected the flowering time and yield. With the increasing demand
for input supply on the one hand and the Government’s plan to
increase pineapple cultivation on the other, Oxfam partnered with
the Institute of Science and Agriculture in Rwanda (ISAR) who
were also testing a pineapple seedling multiplication technique
known as ‘macro-propagation’ . Working together Oxfam and ISAR
converted the crop value chain in to a business model as a way to
createopportunities for women to develop skills, enterprises and
recognition in the chain as the main input suppliers for pineapple.
THE BUSINESS MODEL IN A NUTSHELL
There are three major stakeholders: a service provider – in
this case a women’s membership-based organisation, a
micro finance institution (MFI) and the women entrepreneurs
(pineapple sucker producers). The service provider identifies
women entrepreneurs and provides training in pineapple macro
propagation techniques, then links them as potential clients for
pineapple macro propagation to an MFI. Either the MFI provides
loans to women/women solidarity groups or women use their own
savings to start the business. The women repay the money in
small instalments initially and pay off the entire loan through the
sale of the suckers. Each cluster of 30-40 women entrepreneurs
are supported by a women field facilitator who provides technical
trainings, monitors the work and facilitates market linkage
development. A ‘women traders’ role is being explored as a more
sustainable way of doing business. Overall the model leads to
income realisation and enhancing a client base for MFIs, creating
income opportunities for women as suppliers and traders for in
local and provincial markets.
BUSINESS MODEL: PINEAPPLE PLANTING MATERIAL: PRODUCTION AND SUPPLY
Local sell
Women
traders
Business relationship
Facilitation role
Income/market realization
Retaining
clients
MFI
Interest
on loan
Credit support
Engaging women
with MFI
Women
producers
Capacity
building
Measure
change
Service
Provider
Women’s ecoleadership
The programme has enabled women to produce a marketable
product with minimal resources investment. It has also changed
their attitude from being dependant to seeking creative and
innovative solutions to their problems. There is a positive change
in the way women involved in this activity are being perceived in
their homes and communities. The approach is helping to create a
visible role for women in horticultural value chains as suppliers of
planting material which is valued by many stakeholders. In many
cases women are also hiring labourers to support their enterprises.
A recent evaluation has shown that 10,000 days of labour were
bought by the participating women in the previous 6 months thus
creating much needed employment opportunities. Poor women have
also accessed Rwf 36 million (around $60,000) in loans to support
this enterprise through the micro-finance partner. Working in
solidarity groups means that the women were able to access larger
loans without traditional collateral requirements.
The next phases for Oxfam’s work on planting material will be to
scale up the models and engage with other MFIs who can promote
this type of work; working with research institutions in developing
technologies for watering; and linking the private sector with
farmers. We will start a new project focusing on tree tomato and
passion fruit input supply in 2012.
Photo: Simon Rawles.
Overall the model leads to income realisation and enhancing a
client base for MFIs, creating income opportunities for women as
suppliers and traders for in local and provincial markets.
The programme has enabled women to produce a marketable
product with minimal resources investment. It has also changed
their attitude from being dependant to seeking creative and
innovative solutions to their problems. There is a positive change
in the way women involved in this activity are being perceived in
their homes and communities. The approach is helping to create a
visible role for women in horticultural value chains as suppliers of
planting material which is valued by many stakeholders. In many
cases women are also hiring labourers to support their enterprises.
A recent evaluation has shown that 10,000 days of labour were
bought by the participating women in the previous 6 months thus
creating much needed employment opportunities. Poor women
have also accessed Rwf 36 million (around $60,000) in loans to
support this enterprise through the micro-finance partner. Working
in solidarity groups means that the women were able to access
larger loans without traditional collateral requirements.
The next phases for Oxfam’s work on planting material will be to
scale up the models and engage with other MFIs who can promote
this type of work; working with research institutions in developing
technologies for watering; and linking the private sector with
farmers. We will start a new project focusing on tree tomato and
passion fruit input supply in 2012.
PINEAPPLE SUCKERS ON THE AIRWAVES
Mr. Kagiraneza Boniface, a researcher/technician from Rwanda
Agriculture Board (RAB - formerly known as ISAR), visited women
pineapple suckers producers in Nyagatare on 6th-7th February
2012. To raise awareness about the macro propagated pineapple
seedlings, a one hour radio programme was aired on Radiyo
y’Abaturage ya Nyagatare, hosted by Lambert Nkundineza.
For the event, Boniface was accompanied by two staff of
Duterimbere ASBL, a cooperative being supported by Oxfam to
provide technical support to the women entrepreneurs. During the
radio programme, the guests explained the seedling multiplication
technique and its advantages. They also provided advice to existing
producers on how to better take care of nurseries, especially in
areas prone to long spells of dry season such as Nyagatare.
Boniface urged farmers to use properly developed macro
propagated suckers to develop better quality pineapple orchards,
instead of crowns from existing plants received from the
processing units thrown as wastage. More than 10 people from
Gatsibo and Muhanga called in to the programme to get more
information and showing interest in purchasing quantities of
suckers. Oxfam and Duterimbere are now planning to broadcast
this radio programme in Nyagatare and Muhanga districts.
MEET THE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
Uwamwezi Merciana, 41, pineapple cultivator, pineapple seed
plant farmer and imboni (community facilitator)
Merciana is a farmer in Ntoma Sector, Nyagatare District, where
she lives with her husband and their three children. Merciana was
first trained in seed multiplication techniques in 2010 by Oxfam
partner Duterimbere ASBL, who then selected her as a community
facilitator, after noticing her keen interest in the activity and good
communications skills. Today she has trained more than 40 women
to develop small pineapple nurseries. Later, with imported planting
material from Uganda, Merciana used innovative ways to multiply
seedlings. Today, she owns a nursery of more than 80,000 seedlings,
of which she has sold more than 40,000. “I have been recognised as
knowledgeable in this technique because even agronomists from
Bugasera and Gitarama travel to Nyagatare to learn from me.” In
her district of Nyagatare, she was chosen by her peers to chair the
association of pineapple growers and seed plant farmers.
Merciana’s husband has also shown great trust in her leadership
abilities. “In my family my husband sees me as an equal contributor
and can’t take any decision without consulting me.” According to
Merciana he was initially sceptical about her business but now he
has agreed to shift their home closer to the small farm where she
could better attend to her nursery.
Uwamwezi Merciana. Photo: Simon Rawles.

MUKAMANA ANNONCIATA, 26, SINGLE MOTHER AND
PINEAPPLE SEED PLANT FARMER
Annonciata lives in Katabagemu Sector, Nyagatare District located
in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. She is a single mother and lives
with her three children aged 8, 6 and 1,5 years, along with her mother
and younger sister. She is a farmer but does not own land. Through
cultivating a high value horticultural crop on rented land, Annonciata
has been able to pay for land lease and sustain her family.
Annonciata has been part of Oxfam’s planting material project
for two years and was trained in the technique of multiplying
pineapple seed plants (macro propagation) by Oxfam and its
partner Duterimbere ABSL. After joining a solidarity group (an
informal social group of 3-5 people who come together to take a
loan and get solidarity collateral), she now owns two goats and is
able to look after the basic needs of her family such as medical
insurance and food and clothes for herself, her mother and her
children. She invested about Rwf 63,000 (approx. GBP 63) into the
activity and got an income of Rwf 200,000 from selling her seeds.
She used the money to buy a goat, which gave birth to two kids,
and then sold it and kept the kids. “Being able to buy the goats has
been my biggest achievement. It has given me an activity to do
even though I don’t have land.....I benefited a lot from this project
because I was able to buy a goat with the money I earned from the
pineapple seed [plants]. Without the project this would not have
been possible.” Like many others in her district, Annonciata doesn’t
own land which means she either has to borrow or rent land in order
to grow food. By Rwandan standards, she would be categorised as
very poor. Those in this category do not own land and work every
day for others for their own survival. The skills and knowledge
Annonciata has received has increased her confidence and have
opened up her mind to recognise different business opportunities.
One such activity would be to buy beans when they are cheap and
then sell them later on in a season when they are more expensive.
Now Annonciata would like to continue with pineapple seed
multiplication even if it is without the involvement of Oxfam because
she has already received the skills and the confidence.
Addressing gender issues in value chains - the GALS
methodology introduced into Oxfam’s work in Rwanda
In February 2012, Oxfam kicked off a new IFAD-funded regional
project to introduce GALS (Gender Action Learning System) into our
agriculture work here in Rwanda. The work is being rolled out in
Rwanda by two local partners, Duhamic-ADRI and ACORD.
GALS adapts simple diagramming, mapping and participatory
methods to empower not only women but also men of all ages and
education levels, including those who cannot read and write. This
has led to significant increases in recognition of socio-economic
rights of women including on property ownership, decision-making
and division of labour in the household. GALS has also contributed
to reductions in alcoholism and adultery, recognition of women’s
reproductive rights, and reduction in gender-based violence in
households as well as strengthening of women’s voice in local
government processes.
Oxfam has already worked with 75,000 women globally using
the GALS methodology and plans to roll it out across all Rwanda
programmes by 2015. From their participation at the inception
workshop, women farmers of Kamonyi and Muhanga said the
difference in sharing tasks is sometimes due to the nature of the
work. Work that requires a lot of time to sit and concentrate such
as screening rice was reserved for women, while activities that
required moving around and trading is done by their men. Overall
the exercise demonstrated for these Rwandan communities that
women work harder than men, but often benefit much less. The
next phase is to support households and communities to:
• Reflect and plan for the future, including promoting changes in
gender relations, personal growth, wellbeing and leadership as key
dimensions in livelihood development.
• Develop leadership potential and negotiation skills for
co-ordinated collective action
• Develop concrete strategies for inclusion of the extremely poor and
disadvantaged as leaders
• Document and communicate household and community plans in
pictorial and multimedia form for advocacy with local authorities
• Track and evaluate their achievements quantitatively and
qualitatively for participants’ own action learning, and as input into
institutional decision-making
Marie Louise and her livestock in Musanze District,
January 2012 (Photo: François Munyentwari/ACORD)
Oxfam continues work with financial service providers on
increasing access to middle-range finance
Access to credit enhances development opportunities. Formal
financial institutions usually target the upper end of the market
whereas the lower end remains dependent on informal finance
and micro-credit institutions. This leaves a gap in the middle
range (Rwf 2 to 15 million), termed as ‘the missing middle’ in many
developing countries, and Rwanda is no exception.
But financing for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is
important for poverty reduction in Rwanda as such entities can
more easily create more jobs per dollar of investment than large
companies. In addition, as a relatively emergent aspect of the
private sector, SMEs are more easily influenced in terms of building
beneficial relationships with small farmers.
In order to uplift the horticulture sector, the development of
middle range financing is crucial as it provides an opportunity
for small and medium private sector firms and smallholder
entrepreneurs to develop better enterprises, particularly in rural
settings. The middle range entrepreneurs can serve as a market
leads while remaining connected to the producers.
Oxfam has been exploring the possibility of developing
middle range financial products for MFIs focusing on women
entrepreneurs and small private sector firms to develop
enterprises in the horticulture subsector. The initial research and
piloting on the issue has led to launching of a formal study from
the perspective of financial institutions and enterprises. The
study covers three major aspects:
• Exploring alternatives to collateral
• Identifying business services required for middle range
entrepreneurs
• Understanding capacity building needs of financial institutions.
Recently Oxfam has initiated ‘a learning group’ comprising of AMIR
(microfinance umbrella institution), four MFIs (Duterimbere IMF,
RIM, Urwego Opportunity Bank and Vision Finance) and an advisor
from the Rwanda Development Board who will take up this study
and its recommendations. Furthermore, Oxfam will hold an event
for all stakeholders on 28th March 2012 in Kigali to discuss the
findings of the study and scope for developing such financial
product in Rwanda.
16 Days of Activism - Raising awareness of the impact of
gender-based violence on household food security
In commemoration of the 16 days of activism on violence against
women from November-December 2011, Oxfam worked with the
Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) to carry-out a
Situation analysis of the impact of Gender-based Violence (GBV)
on food security in households - a case study of Nyabihu, one of
the districts with the highest proportion of households with poor
food consumption in the country. Following the study, the project
provided training to local leaders on fighting GBV to enable women
to live free from violence.
While GBV interventions often focus on the health and legal
consequences of violence, the study demonstrated that there
are strong interrelations between gender-based violence on the
one hand and poverty and hunger on the other. The most common
form of violence experience by women was domestic violence
within the home. Where this exists, and since women have a prime
responsibility for food provision in the household, the entrenched
unequal social distribution of power and resources between
men and women constitute an exacerbating factor to hunger in
households.
Mushrooms being dried in a solar drier at BN Producers, one of Oxfam’s partners
benefitting from Enterprise Development financing in Rwanda. Photo: Simon Rawles
Of course all gender-based violence including domestic violence
is an unacceptable breach of women’s rights and should be
addressed as such. However women and men participants also
shared their practical experiences on how domestic violence also
results in immediate costs for households and communities in
terms of money and time. In some cases injuries from violence
can be long-lasting and therefore permanently reduce or destroy
the productivity capacity of the victim which also has negative
implications for household livelihoods strategies. Domestic
violence also often results in out of pocket expenditure to access
health and/or courts services, draining household resources
and incomes as the spouses often miss paid work and neglect
household work. The inability to work has a direct impact on
hunger meaning that household members can go hungry.
Why do women stay after violence? Well, according to them,
because of their children. “If I report my husband to the police who
will feed my children; Where will I get food to bring him every day at
the police station?” said Jeanine, a woman in Kimironko who was
being frequently beaten by her working husband.

Evaluation of Oxfam’s market based livelihood
programme and stakeholder learning event
Local authorities and opinion leaders in Nyabihu District after the training on fighting GBV in Households (Photo: Sekamana Archimedes/YWCA)
As part of the project leaders were trained on how to inform
women about their rights to live free from violence, how to
introduce conflict mediation and management within households
to reduce the incidence of violence, and how to ensure authorities
are aware of the impact of violence on women and how to stop
this. Women and men normally have complementary roles in
securing nutritional well-being for members of the household and
the community. The findings of the situation analysis will inform
advocacy and sensitisation actions, to promote harmonious
couples living free from domestic violence, as a necessary
situation for food secure households as well as addressing other
forms of GBV within the project areas.
New Learning from Mainstreaming HIV into Oxfam’s
livelihoods programme
Oxfam and ACORD have finished another year of working together to
mainstream HIV into the livelihoods programmes of Oxfam partners:
Duterimbere ASBL, BAIR, DUHAMIC and ACORD are implementing a
programme entitled “Mainstreaming HIV and AIDS into Rights and
Sustainable livelihoods programs” in Rwanda.
The programme promotes livelihood opportunities among these
groups affected by HIV to mitigate the impact on their economic
status. The programme combines trainings on HIV/AIDS, human
rights including sexual and reproductive rights with training and
support on entrepreneurial skills and livelihood opportunities. It
also works with programme staff in each of the organisations
to ensure that Oxfam and partners’ livelihoods initiatives are
inclusive to economically active people living with HIV.
Jacqueline, a-39-year woman working with Duhamic-ADRI
programme, has seen her life turn around with the support of the
project, she says: “Before the MAIN program, I used to be excluded
and saw myself dying, but after trainings that I received from
the program me and my friends, we are producing a lot of fruits,
vegetables, mushrooms to supplement our diets and when we sell
them we get money to buy some eggs. We have gained confident
in ourselves and make public testimonies on our HIV status; there
is a significant reduction in stigma and discrimination at the
market place where we sell from.”
There are many like Jacqueline who live in isolation after
being stigmatised for their HIV status, losing morale and being
discouraged to work. The project still has a long way to go in
changing mindsets, but key lessons have been learned so far
and Oxfam and ACORD will continue to work to reduce stigma
and discrimination in institutions like cooperatives, financial
institutions, solidarity groups and other areas essential to
livelihoods so that people living with HIV can be included in
collective strategies that lift people out of poverty.
Oxfam workshop prepares for scale up of planting
material enterprises
Oxfam has started work on ‘developing women leadership
in production and supply of passion fruit and tree tomato
planting material’ based on its experience of pineapple suckers
production.
A workshop on participatory market systems development was held
in association with its partner agency Practical Action on 21st and
22nd February 2012 at Centre d’Acceueil Saint Francois d’Assise,
Kicukiro. The workshop was attended by more than 30 participants
- tree tomato and passion fruit farmers, nursery operators
(from 5 districts - Rulindo, Gakenke, Musanze, Myamagabe and
Nyamasheke), agronomists, processors, as well as RAB and NAEB
representatives. A technical expert from Technoserve Uganda
also participated in the event. During the workshop participants
shared their experiences and discussed issues and opportunities
in planting production work, the need for introducing new
techniques and capacity building of producers / entrepreneurs.
Oxfam is now developing plans to create a business model for
planting material production with smallholder farmers.
In September 2011 Oxfam conducted an external evaluation of its
market-based livelihood work to date in the horticulture sector.
The evaluation team carried out 4 weeks of in-depth research at
household and community level and established the following:
• The projects have reached the desired target groups especially
women from Nyagatare, Muhanga, Nyamasheke, Kirehe, Gasabo
and Nyarugenge covering around 2,500 women participants;
• In the pineapple seed multiplication the project has reached 56%
resourceful poor households and 41% poor, very poor and abject
poor household categories in Rwanda.
• Business models have been well accepted by communities,
partners and small private sector firms shown in the quick uptake
of the business models by a range of actors
• There have been significant improvements in income for
smallholder farmers. For example in mushroom production
women are seeing returns of around 20,000 RWF per week which
is particularly impressive since these farmers are very vulnerable
comprising 40% widows and women affected by HIV.
• The programme has seen women access RwF 36 million of
direct financing through innovative relationships with financial
institutions to support their agricultural enterprise activities
• The programme has already created around 10,000 days of
additional bought labour as women entrepreneurs seek support for
their growing activities
• It also revealed clear indications of improving gender relations in
terms of women’s involvement in decision making at household
level and acceptance of their skills and capacities at community
and local government level.
• The programme has started to influence market systems by
creating space for women and small private sector firms through
innovations and right application of technologies.
However, the results shown in the evaluation are only preliminary
and further success of the programme will depend on addressing
some of the challenges that were also identified by the study.
These include reducing the workload of women, further facilitating
market linkages / services development, refining the interventions
further to fit in to annual time schedules while reducing seasonal
risks, and facilitate scaling-up through more focused engagement
with others.
OXFAM CELEBRATES ACHIEVEMENTS AND GETS EXPERIENCE
FROM CHALLENGES DURING LEARNING EVENT
Oxfam’s monitoring, evaluation and accountability systems place
a large emphasis on learning from programme performance to
continually improve the work that we are doing. As such on the
21st - 22nd September 2011, Oxfam organised a learning review
following the evaluation of its Rwanda country programme, with
over 50 attending participants including Oxfam staff, partners,
stakeholders and government officials, to share the findings of the
evaluation, reflect on Oxfam’s market-based livelihood program
and explore the possibility of scaling up the business model. The
event was co-chaired by Maggie Carroll, Oxfam Country Director
and Tony Nsanganira, Head of the Agriculture Department at the
Rwanda Development Board.
During a session on the role of Government, Private sector and
NGOs, stakeholders showed interest and appreciation in the
development model that Oxfam is using to promote market based
livelihoods in Rwanda, and were eager to learn from and apply
it in their own business development initiatives. Stakeholders
concluded that the Oxfam programme has moved beyond value
chain development and will serve as a very good case-study for a
holistic private-sector engagement in Rwanda.
The specific recommendations / perceptions from the
stakeholders on scaling up from the workshop included:
• The Oxfam business models are aligned to government priorities
and can further supplement / contribute to government’s efforts
of attracting FDI in the agricultural sector;
• Continued and deep market analysis is required for further scalingup
of the Oxfam model and sharing of information is critical within
the wider value chain
• Government agencies should spearhead the creation of a platform
of all actors at each stage in the chain to reduce gaps;
• It is essential to develop and use appropriate technologies to
develop horticultural value chains in Rwanda;
• The financial sector should develop better value chain finance
strategies and simplify the loan access by SMEs and low income
groups.
• Private sector actors can play a key role in scaling–up by providing
market services and technology application. However clear and
transparent collaboration between producers and the private
sector is required
• Donor agencies and NGOs should facilitate linking innovations
and research in horticulture value chain and share best practices
which can aid scaling up.
Oxfam is now working with relevant stakeholders in private
sector especially financial institutions, government agencies
and civil society, to take forward some of the more specific
recommendations and to start scaling up some of the business
models, so that more poor women and men are able to benefit from
expansion of the horticultural activities in Rwanda.
In mushroom production women are seeing returns of around 20,000 RWF per week.
Photo: Simon Rawles

Enterprise spotlight: A focus on Shekina Enterprises
On the winding road between Kigali and the Congolese border,
behind the unassuming gates of a compound in Rulindo, a new
technology is on the verge of revolutionising pineapple production
to benefit poor and vulnerable farmers.
Shekina Enterprises, a medium-sized company set up in 2007 by
Damien Mbatezimana has its sights set on the export markets of
Europe, Canada, and the USA. Already exporting dried vegetables,
Shekina is expanding into dried pineapple. Two years ago this would
have been impossible but together Oxfam, the National Agricultural
Exports Board (NAEB) and the Belgian Technical Cooperation, have
developed a new drying technology unique to Rwanda.
Damien explains, “Oxfam were interested in finding export markets
for dried fruit produced by small-scale farmers and asked if
we could work together. It’s difficult to find new technology in
Rwanda. I had to design and build my own driers and while they
were good for vegetables they didn’t work well for fruit. When
Oxfam got in touch I’d been having a lot of difficulties. I was just
about to give up. Wherever I sent my dried fruit samples they’d tell
me the quality wasn’t good enough.”
“Oxfam did a study of the technology needed for drying fruit. We
went to South Africa to find a company called Dryers for Africa
and found they were making what we needed but powered
by electricity. We asked them to make a modified version as
electricity in Rwanda is very costly so wouldn’t be viable. Together
we designed a new dryer.”
Oxfam analyses agricultural value-chains to find ways of
adding value and linking small-scale producers with Rwanda’s
private sector companies. Working with experts in post-harvest
technology and product development, Oxfam supported Shekina
Enterprises with business planning, development and market
identification, and linked them with poor and vulnerable women
farmers from the local area.
Damien’s business currently employs 105 people, 75% of whom are
women. Once he has finalised his export markets he plans to apply
for bank loans to buy up to four more driers so he can expand
to work with several hundred pineapple producers. he explains,
“What Oxfam are trying to do is create a market for small-scale
farmers. When farmers in this area produce pineapples they don’t
have a market to sell to. I saw that vegetables and fruit don’t have
any added value in this country. I could really see a way I could add
value. I can make a profit and my farmers can also profit from the
new technology we’ve developed.”
Oxfam is also working with partner Duterimbere IMF to develop a
financial leasing product so other companies and co-operatives can
also start ordering and using the dryers within the Rwandan market.
What’s new at Oxfam!
Oxfam will shortly be sharing the results of the a participatory land
reform evaluation carried out in association with IPAR, watch this
space
• Oxfam has hired Kwetu Film Institute to build the capacity of civil
society actors in film documentary for advocacy. Following training
on filming, editing, screen writing, sound recording, etc. The trainees
have produced two short films on their work in Rwanda which will be
screened in the coming weeks and during the Rwanda film festival
• Oxfam has entered in partnership with Practical Action to look at
the feasibility of development a Business Services Development
Unit that will address key service needs for small enterprises
particularly in relation to market facilitation.
To join any Oxfam activities, please email kigali@oxfam.org.uk to
receive an invite and/or updates”
Go live!
It was an exciting afternoon as over 100 guests; Affiliates,
government, partners, friends and beneficiaries joined us
for the go live event held at “Nyirangarama” a busy centre,
halfway between Kigali and Musanze, and a must stop centre
for passengers eager to get fresh or dried fruits and vegetables
that would be both rare and expensive in Kigali or Musaze
supermarkets. Launching the joint strategy from Rulindo, was an
effort to offer, a “real side” of the work being done by Oxfam on
the ground and its development agenda in general.
In her speech, Maggie Carroll the Country Representative in
Rwanda, emphasised on the importance of the joint strategy,
presenting a new, unified and stronger Oxfam, ready to partner
more with the Rwandan government in its development agenda,
promising to deliver even more effective interventions to
the target group. Recorded video message of support and
congratulations from our affiliates - now colleagues in Holland,
Dublin and Madrid and written messages from partners and
friends: Action Aid, Christian Aid and Save the Children were
presented, following the final of an exciting women entrepreneur
champion competition, initiated by Oxfam in commemoration of
the international women’s day and a week dedicated to women’s
economic empowerment in Rwanda
Guests were treated to a testing tour of the drying and processing
factories of the fresh, dried fruits and vegetables which are
produced by our beneficiaries’ women farmers and dried by
Shekinah, our beneficiary private sector organisation.