As I am preparing to leave Burundi, it is a pleasure to be able to announce the approval of three new agriculture development projects. In response to the US-based Call for Proposals 2024, we received and reviewed 7 project proposals. We shortlisted 4 proposals for the second level evaluation and interviews. Whereas we were expecting to be able to provide only two one-time, start-up grants, we were delighted to be able to provide three grants for three projects. All three projects have the benefit of involving a Hope Africa University Agriculture Program Graduate which we hope will yield greater agriculture productivity.
Cultivating Maize and Beans and Breeding Goats for Poor, Vulnerable Women from GASENYI Colline, NYARUSANGE Commune, GITEGA Province
Project Manager: Jacques NIMPAGARITSE
Jacques has two degrees from Hope Africa University; a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Community Development and a Master’s degree in Instructional Leadership. He is a fulltime Lecturer at Hope Africa University and teaches courses in the Social Work and Community Development Program. Rev. Jacques NIMPAGARITSE is the Senior Pastor at the Nkondo Free Methodist Church in GASENYI Colline.
Connected Agriculture Program Graduate: Albertine NDAYIZEYE
Albertine is a Graduate of the Hope Africa University Agriculture Program. She was selected by the Free Methodist Church of Burundi and received a full two-year scholarship from Friends of Hope Africa University. As a Connected Agriculture Program Graduate and living in GASENYI Colline, Albertine will visit the project frequently throughout the cultivation seasons and she will train the beneficiaries to use more productive agriculture methods and preferred ways of keeping the animals.
Introduction:
NYARUSANGE is one of the communes of GITEGA Province and it was devastated by the civil war from 1993 until 2008. One of the effects of this civil war was a large increase in the number of widows and vulnerable families. These women are the most vulnerable link in the production chain; they have no access to land or livestock and they face more difficulties than men in accessing to credit. The project aims at bringing together 10 poor and vulnerable women to work together in an association. The project will empower them to be self-reliant in managing their daily challenges. They will be empowered by mindset change and maintaining the self-help association through crop cultivation, animal husbandry and microfinance. The project will help the beneficiaries support their children in education, fight against food insecurity and alleviate poverty in their respective families.
Developing the Association
In starting the project, Jacques, the Project Manager, will collaborate with the local leaders in choosing eligible beneficiaries and managing conflicts whenever they might arise among the members and the community. The Project Manager will describe the purpose of the project and explain the importance of working together in project self-help association named TURWANYE UBUKENE (We Fight Poverty). The beneficiaries must agree to join the association and work well with its members and to follow the rules, regulations, expectations and sign an agreement. Once the association is established, the members will elect their officers; a President, Secretary-treasurer and Advisor. The association will a participatory, democratic organization and its members will be the workforce for development functions and the recipients of all of the project benefits.
Cultivating Crops
A significant amount of the one-time, start-up grant money must be invested in crop cultivation. To begin cultivating crops, the association members, the Project Manager and the Connected Agriculture Program Graduate, Albertine, will select appropriate land and negotiate a rental agreement. The labor for the cultivation will be provided by all of the association members. With guidance by Albertine, the soil will be prepared, the maize (corn) and bean seed will be purchased and the planting and care of the plants will continue through to the harvests. The beneficiaries will share 40% of each harvest, save 10% of for seed for the next season and sell 50% of the harvest to continue with self-supporting crop cultivation. For addition income, the women will be encouraged to work for other farmers and the income will be split between the association and the women who worked for the other farmers.
Breeding Animals
When the crop cultivation becomes self-supporting, the Project Manager will be able to request the remaining grant money for purchasing animals. For this project, the association will involve the Connected Agriculture Program Graduate in purchasing 10 goats for the association and distribute them for feeding and care to the 10 association members. As the goats multiple, the new baby goats will belong to the beneficiaries. As time passes, the goats will be a very valuable income source for both the association and the individual association members.
Microfinancing
Right from the beginning, the association will organize an internal microfinancing program. From the project grant, a small amount of the money will be used for capitalizing the microfinancing function. In addition, the beneficiaries will contribute 1,000 BIF each month. The money will be used to provide repayable loans for incoming-generating activities such as buying and reselling vegetables. The additional much-needed income will allow the beneficiaries to purchase personal items for themselves and their family members.
Supporting Poor, Vulnerable Women in GAHAHE Colline, RUBIRIZI Zone, MUTIMBUZI Commune, BUJUMBURA RURAL Province by Cultivating Maize, Soja Beans and Breeding Goats
Project Manager: John NDIZEYE
John has a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Theology from Hope Africa University. He is currently a Senior Pastor with the Reformed Protestant Church of Burundi and formerly its Executive Secretary. John is currently the Executive Secretary of a large development NGO called APADECO.
Connected Agriculture Program Graduate: Alice IRAKOZE
Alice is a Graduate of the Hope Africa University Agriculture Program. She was selected by the Free Methodist Church of Burundi and received a full two-year scholarship from Friends of Hope Africa University. As a Connected Agriculture Program Graduate who lives in MUTIMBUZI Commune, Alice will be able to visit the project frequently and she will be able to teach the beneficiaries to use preferred methods for crop cultivation and animal husbandry.
Introduction:
Burundi keeps living with the consequences of the war of 1993. The government tries to see how the citizens of Burundi may improve their lives but problems continue. Mutimbuzi Commune is one part of the country which experienced serious effects of the wars and the population dispersed to other areas of the country. Some of the young members of the population were not able to continue their studies properly. Upon returning to Gahahe Colline, Rubirizi Zone in Mutimbuzi Commune, there are many poor, vulnerable women and single mothers who are experiencing serious challenges. They desperately need opportunities to change their socio- economic situation, improve their living conditions and change their way of life. This project seeks to develop the self-esteem of the beneficiaries and increase food security and alleviate poverty through cultivating crops, breeding goats and microfinancing. This agriculture development project is expected to produce an association and beneficiaries that are self-supporting, self-managing, self-governing and self-sustaining.
Developing the Association
The Project Manager will support vulnerable women grouped in an association of women. These women will be selected from among the others from Gahahe Hill. The self-help association will be known as the TUJEHAMWE Association; the Being Together Association.
There will be some consultation with local administration to acquire permission to work with beneficiaries and to identify potential association members. There will be a meeting with the women to explain the aims of the project and the rules and regulations. Ten poor and vulnerable women, 25 to 50 years old, will be invited to join the association, attend and participate in weekly meetings and sign an agreement. The members will include married women from poor households, divorced women and abandoned women and widows. Once the membership is set and the association formed, the members will elect their officers; a President, Secretary-Treasurer and Advisor. The association will open a bank account with three signing officers; the Project Manager and the association’s President and Secretary-Treasurer. The association will strive to become self-supporting and self-sustaining.
Cultivating Crops
The grant money will be used to allow the association to become involved in crop cultivation. The Project Manager, the Connected Agriculture Program Graduate and the association members will identify and select suitable fields to rent to cultivate maize and soya beans. There will be a rental agreement with the landowner that will be signed in the presence of all association members.
The beneficiaries will receive training on cultivating corn and beans. The association members will provide the labor for crop cultivation. Using the grant money, the association will buy tools, seeds and supplies. With guidance from Alice; the Connected Agriculture Program Graduate, the soil will be prepared and the seed will be planted, using methods expected to result in greater productivity than the traditional methods.
The association members will receive 40% of each harvest, 10% will be saved for seed and 50% will be sold to support ongoing, self-supporting crop cultivation. The association members will work for other farmers in order to earn additional income that will be shared between the project association and the project association members and their families.
Breeding Goats
After the crop cultivation has been established as self-supporting, the animal husbandry function will begin; the breeding of goats. With the involvement of the Connected Agriculture Program Graduate, the association members will build suitable pens and the Project Manager and association representatives will go the Bujumbura market to identify, select and purchase 10 healthy female goats. The goats will belong to the association but the goats will be fed and kept by the beneficiaries. The manure will be collected and used in composting. When the goats have kids, the new baby goats will belong to the beneficiaries. As the goats multiple, the association and the women will be able to generate income by selling the goats. The association will be able to invest money into making the project bigger and stronger and the women will be able to provide money for themselves and their families. Once the project is very well established, it might be possible to start a new agriculture development project for another association of poor and vulnerable women.
Microfinancing
The members of project association will organize an internal microfinance program. The Project Manager will help the women set-up self-financing from small, weekly contributions; every beneficiary will give a weekly contribution of 500 BIF to save in the common account. The money will be kept in a small box with three locks and the keys will be kept by three different association members. Likewise, all approved withdrawals will require the involvement of the three key holders. The association members will be able to have small income-generating loans that must be repaid with a 2% return. The income will allow the women to purchase personal items for themselves and their family members.
Supporting the Socio-Economic Development of Unemployed Secondary School Graduates, Orphan Girls by Cultivating Crops and Breeding Goats at KIBUYE Colline in Bukirasazi Commune, Gitega Province
Project Managers: Therence NDAYISHIMIYE and Prosper NIYONGERE
Therence is a Hope Africa University Agriculture Program Graduate. He was selected by the Free Methodist Church of Burundi and he received a full two-year scholarship from Friends of Hope Africa University. He is a Connected Agriculture Program Graduate for two other agriculture development projects in Bukirasazi Commune. As Project Manager and an Agriculture Program Graduate, Therence will be able to help the beneficiaries learn and use more productive methods for crop cultivation and better care methods for animal husbandry.
Prosper is graduate of the Hope Africa University Entrepreneurship and Business Management Program. He is the sole Project Manager for two other successful agriculture development projects in Bukirasazi Commune; one for the US-based fund and one for the Canadian-based fund.
Introduction:
Kibuye Colline is a village of Bukirasazi Commune in Gitega Province. It is inhabited by many girls and some of them are orphans. Among the orphan girls are landless girls who have been abandoned by their fathers due the difficult life they were undergoing. Even though they have a secondary school education, their certificates do not allow them to be employed in different jobs. These girls are now unable to find food for their young brothers and sisters or take them to school. Although these poor, orphan girls can work, they are landless and they cannot take any steps toward development. Therefore, the Haley McCready Outreach and Development Fund can support a few of these girls by providing a one-time, start-up development grant for cultivating crops and breeding goats in order to improve the quality of their lives, increase their self-esteem and enable them to become self-supporting, self-managing, self-governing and self-sustaining within self-help project association.
Developing the Association
The Project Managers will work with the local administration to consider, gather together and select 10 orphan girls between 19 and 38 years old and who live in Kibuye Colline and who are unemployed, high school graduates. The first meeting will be with local administrators to talk about the project and ask them to identify some eligible beneficiaries. The next meeting with be with the potential beneficiaries in order to describe the project, the association and the importance of working together. The interested and suitable girls will be invited to join the HAGURUKA Association (Stand-up Association). For the girls who accept the invitation, they must agree to follow the rules and regulations and sign an agreement. Once the association is established, the members will elect their officers. The self-help association will become the way by which the project will engage in development activities and develop the capacity for self-management, self-governance and self-sustainment.
Cultivating Crops
The Project Managers and association members will identify some land to rent for potatoes and sign an agreement with landowner, witnessed by all association members and at least one local administration representative. The association members will work together as the workforce and use the land for cultivating potatoes and other crops. Potatoes are the preferred crop for the project because they yield a good harvest and can generate much more money than other crops. At each harvest, members will share 60% and sell 40% for ongoing crop cultivation expenses (renting land, purchasing selected seeds, fertilizers and other supplies). In addition, the association members will be working for other people to earn some money to support the association with 30% and their families with 70% of the income. The aim is to increase the amount of food available to the girls and their families and ensure that the crop cultivation becomes ongoing and self-supporting.
Breeding Goats
To protect the project and the crop cultivation function, the crop cultivation must become clearly self-supporting before the rest of the grant money can be distributed. Once the crop cultivation has become self-supporting, the association will be provided with the rest of the grant money and the animal husbandry will begin. The association will purchase 10 adult female goats. The goats will belong to the association but be cared for by the beneficiaries. When the goats have their first kids, the baby goats will belong to the beneficiaries. The next generations will belong to the association and the beneficiaries. As the association and the girls have more and more goats, they will be sold to generate income for the association and the girls and their families.
Microfinancing
The association members will be gathered together for microfinancing; an internal savings and loans association. An account will be opened with three signing officers required for any previously approved withdrawal. The Project Managers will train association members on saving and loans methodology, entrepreneurship and finance literacy. A sum of 278,000 BIF will be deposited into the account to provide the capital for loans for small, income-generating businesses. Each member will have the right to borrow at least 27,800 BIF to start up a small business and be required to repay the association within three months with an interest of 3% per month. The profit from income-generation will be available to the beneficiaries to use for personal and family purposes (e.g., soap, medicine, school fees, school uniforms, cultivating and more).
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