All these have been as a result of ActionAid’s support to Isangano cooperative that included awareness campaigns on women’s rights by forming this cooperative and give its 32 women members a financial support to buy a maize milling machine. Icyitegetse Rose, 42, a widowed mother with 4 children and a member of Isangano cooperative of Kamina cell supported by Actionaid gives her testimonies and thanks to ActionAid and its partner TUBIBE AMAHORO.
MUKASINE Therese, receiving maize mailing machine, photo T.A.
The president of Isangano cooperative, MUKASINE Therese, 52, Kiraro Village, Murundi sector, Karongi district, 5 children, highlights the importance of joining cooperative and how she benefited from being with other women: “Our cooperative Isangano was established in 2008 in Kiraro village, Kamina cell, Murundi sector. We were gender based victims at our homes so we associated as 32 poor women within this cooperative with the aim of developing agaseke as an initial idea of income generating activity among us to help our families to overcome poverty in our homes. Before creating our cooperative, life was more and more difficult for me and my colleagues. We were very poor unable to buy even salt, loin cloth and most of our children couldn’t attend school due to everyday families’ conflicts. Later in 2011, we took the initiative to contact Action Aid Rwanda and asked for supporting our cooperative.
With time and years go on, Action Aid has supported us with cassava seeds and now having our own plantation with 3 hectors , our cooperative is building the house for processing and producing cassava flour. Truly, my livelihood has been changed with the agriculture works which our cooperative is doing. Further, most of our cooperative members bought some pieces of land. Already on my side, I have rehabilitated my house with 30 iron-sheets from my savings, all our members have bought piece of mattress, and 2 goats each and are all happy: all of these came from different supports we got from Action Aid Rwanda. Further, from 2016, we anticipate producing at least 5 tons of maize per season and the machine will be processing 1 ton of good quality maize flour a day which we will sell to different secondary schools in Murundi. We hope to produce more maize flour and our market which has been schools and local people in Murundi.
MUKASINE Therese (in front), in their cassava plantation, Murundi, Photo T.A
