NEWSLETTER: An Update on Our Four 2019 Development Projects

It has been about a year since the Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund provided four one-time start-up grants to four development projects selected from our Call for Proposals 2019. It is time to provide an update on the projects that focus on a group of vulnerable women and a self-help association. All four projects are agricultural development projects that are involved in animal husbandry, crop cultivation and microfinancing. All four projects represent an investment in development and all the four projects are making progress. All four projects are productive and all four projects are on their way to becoming self-supporting, self-managing and self-governing.

  • Supporting and Sustaining the Livelihood of Widows and Orphans at Rubirizi, Project Manager: Barthelemy MINANI 
  • Husbandry, Potatoes and Cabbage Plants in Kizunga Colline in Nyabiraba Commune, Project Manager: Désiré NSENGIYUMVA
  • Supporting Widows and Divorced Women in Breeding Goats and Cultivating Rice at Musenyi in Mpanda Commune, Project Manager: Epithace NDUWAYO
  • Breeding Pigs and Raising Sweet Potatoes for Widows from Nyabiraba Commune, Raro Hill, Bujumbura Province, Project Manager: Juvenal HAVYARIMANA  

Supporting and Sustaining the Livelihood of Widows and Orphans at Rubirizi, Project Manager: Barthelemy MINANI

Project Manager: Barthelemy MINANI

Introduction

The project beneficiaries, 15 vulnerable women, are organized into an association called BUZIMA BWIZA, meaning good life to improve living conditions. The association has elected officers and holds weekly meetings of the members to discuss the business of the development project. The project is involved in animal husbandry, crop cultivation, microfinancing and promoting hygiene.

Association Members

Development through Animal Husbandry

The project grant provided 15 female goats to the 15 women who are members of the association. Ownership of goats and their offspring is an important source for income and the natural fertilizer that goats produce is valuable for crop cultivation. The first generation of goats will go to the association and the next generations will remain with the women. The project already has a total of 24 goats; 15 adult goats and 9 baby goats.

Woman with Goat and Kid
Mother Goat Feeding Baby Goat
Association Members, Goats and Kids

Development through Crop Cultivation

The association members meets weekly to discuss issues, including renting fields, planting crops, weeding fields, fertilizing plants, harvesting crops and sharing and selling harvests. Working together as team and building cohesion, the association members have harvested lenga lenga (amaranth), cassava (manioc), maize (corn), soya beans and rice. Most recently, this highly productive project has produced large harvests of maize (corn), soya beans and rice. From these harvests, the association shared a total of 780 kilograms of food and sold the rest for a total return of 2,624,000 BIF (or approximately $1,381.00 USD).

Maize and Soya Beans Ready for Harvest

From the harvest of corn, the members shared 450 kilograms and sold 2,600 kilograms for 1,560,000 BIF (or approximately $821.00 USD).

Harvesting Corn with Joy
Husking the Corn
Loading Corn into Sacks

From the harvest of soya beans, the members shared 30 kilograms and sold 85 kilograms for 102,000 BIF (or approximately $54.00 USD).

Soya Beans Ready for Harvest
Harvest of Soya Beans
Measuring Soya Beans Before Selling

From the harvest of rice, the members shared 300 kilograms and sold 520 kilograms for 962,000 BIF(or approximately $506.00 USD).

Weeding the Field of Rice
President and Treasurer Visit Rice Field Just Before the Harvesting
Separating Rice from the Straw
Loading Rice into Sacks for Transportation and Sale

Development through Microfinancing

The association has a social account for social support. The project manager has organized the 15 women into a Savings and Loans system to promote savings, support social purposes, provide loans for income generation activities and emergencies. Each member contributes money that becomes shares. Each member is listed in a booklet into which all shares are registered. The value of one share started at 200 BIF in the beginning but it shifted to 500 BIF then to 1000 BIF per week. From September 2019 to April 2020 members had a sum of 771,100 BIF in their account (approximately $406.00 USD). To protect the money, the association members have a metallic box with three locks and three keys which are kept in three separate locations by three different women.

The women have already assisted more than 20 members of the association and neighbors with a loan of more than 60,000 BIF (approximately $31.00 USD). The Savings and Loans methodology was introduced to face a challenge that in Burundi a great number of people especially women have no access to loans from banks and microfinances. Each association member has access to a loan but they must repay the loan. This is a way of fostering sustainability which is based on the principles of self-support and independence.

Promoting Hygiene

A decision was made to promote hygiene. The project manager facilitated training with association members on practicing hygiene, focusing on hand-washing, malaria nets, nutrition, toilettes and Health Care Insurance Cards. The social account was used to buy a small basin, some soap and other supplies in order to promote and allow hand-washing for protection against COVID-19 at all association meetings.

Hygiene Materials and Supplies
Women Washing Their Hands

 

Pigs Husbandry, Potatoes and Cabbage Plants in Kizunga Colline in Nyabiraba Commune, Project Manager: Désiré NSENGIYUMVA

Project Manager Désiré NSENGIYUMVA

Introduction

This project has an association of 12 women who have elected officers. The association has monthly meetings at which time the members make small contributions. The association raises pigs, cultivates crops and does microfinancing.

Association Members

Development through Raising Pigs

The association began with 6 female pigs and now the pigs have started having piglets. One pig had 7 piglets. Now, the project has a total of 19 pigs; 6 adult pigs and 13 piglets.

Mother Pig and Her Seven Piglets

 Development through Cultivating Crops

 The project began by cultivating and harvesting cabbage.

Harvested Cabbage

More recently, the project has harvested potatoes.

Women and Their Harvest of Potatoes

Half of the potatoes were shared among the beneficiaries and the other half was sold with a return of 500,000 BIF (or approximately $263.00 USD). The first 300,000 BIF was deposited in the association’s account. The test of the money, 200.000 BIF, was used for planting a field of wheat.

The Association’s Wheat Field

Development through Microfinancing

The beneficiaries contribute small membership fees at their monthly association meetings. The contributions are placed in the association’s account and used for loans to the association members for income generation activities. At the time of the last report, the account had a total of 663,800 BIF (or approximately $349.00 USD).

 

Supporting Widows and Divorced Women in Breeding Goats and Cultivating Rice at Musenyi in Mpanda Commune, Project Manager: Epithace NDUWAYO

Project Manager: Epithace NDUWAYO

Introduction 

With help from the Colline Chief, the Project Manager identified vulnerable women and potential beneficiaries. Several meetings were held to explain the project, the activities and the principles of the project. Fifteen (15) poor widowed or divorced women accepted and signed an agreement to work with and for the association. The association members elected the officers. All association members agreed to meet every Friday to discuss the plans and activities for the association. The project is engaged in crop cultivation, animal husbandry and microfinancing.

Association Members, Project Manager and Program Coordinator

Development through Crop Cultivation

This project has cultivated planted and harvested crops of peanuts and maize (corn). Although the harvest of peanuts and corn could have been better if more fertilizer was available, there was a harvest. The association decided to share half of the harvest with its members. The other half was sold and produced 52,500 BIF which was deposited in the association’s bank account.

In addition, the project planted a large field of rice that produced very good results and took two days to harvest. The rice harvesting activity was tiring but it was also happy work. The association members were very happy to see such a good harvest which pushed them to forget their tiredness.

Harvesting a Large Field of Rice
Sacks and Sacks of Rice

The harvest yielded 1,419 kilograms of rice. The association decided to distribute 600 kilograms of rice to the members; 40 kilograms of rice per member.

Rice at Point of Sale

The association kept 100 kilograms for seed for the next planting of rice. The association decided to sell the remaining 719 kilograms of rice and use the money to rent another field for planting and fertilizing rice.

Development through Animal Husbandry 

The project grant was used to purchase and distribute 15 adult female goats to the project beneficiaries.

Association Members and Their Goats

Of course the female goats produce baby goats and, currently, the project has a total of 26 goats.

Development through Microfinancing

All the beneficiaries meet once every week for the common work of the association and they contribute 500 BIF each. For security and transparency purposes, the association opened and uses its own bank account. The contributions are meaningful because they help the beneficiaries identify the committed members and allow the association members to have small loans that must be repaid with a small amount of monthly interest.

 

Breeding Pigs and Raising Sweet Potatoes for Widows from Nyabiraba Commune, Raro Hill, Bujumbura Province, Project Manager: Juvenal HAVYARIMANA

Project Manager: Juvenal HAVYARIMANA

Introduction 

The association is named “MUKENYEZI TERIMBERE” means “Woman Go Forward” and consists of widows; 15 vulnerable women who agreed to work together to tackle poverty in their families and improve their living conditions. All members are active in the association. The association has elected officers. Twice a month, the association meets with all members to discuss and make decisions about the project’s business and activities. The association is involved in crop cultivation, animal husbandry and microfinancing.

Association Members

Development through Crop Cultivation

The association members decided to begin by cultivating onions. The project began by renting two fields and developing a nursery and planting onions. All of the members are active in the crop cultivation activities; soil preparation, planting, weeding and harvesting. The association shares some of the harvests with its members and sells the rest. The money generated from the crops is kept in the association’s bank account and used to support additional crop cultivation (self-support).

 

Onion Plants
Weeding Onion Plants

The members have already harvested the gardens of onions. For the part of the harvest that belonged members for the personal benefit (40%), they have decided to buy cloth for clothes to wear when working.

President Presents New Cloth to Members
Members Dressed in Their New Clothes

The association decided to rent another field where they will cultivate onions during the sunny period.

Rented Field
Preparing Soil for Planting

For now, all the members of the association are engaged in taking care of two fields of sweet potatoes.

Development through Animal Husbandry

The start-up grant was used to buy five pigs. Now, the association has now 15 pigs; 5 adults and 10 piglets.

Sleeping Mum and Her Piglets
Suckling Piglets
Mum Gets to Eat

Development through Microfinancing
At the start of the project, the members decided that they would each contribute 600 BIF to the association every month; 500 BIF for microfinancing (loans for income generation activities and/or emergencies) and 100 BIF for social assistance to members when needed. The collected contributions are immediately deposited in the association’s bank account at COOPEC in Nyabiraba.