Meet the people using new skills to break free from poverty

Once stuck in a desperate daily struggle to survive, many of them have now established flourishing and sustainable livelihoods. Highly motivated and focused, they are making the most of the training and funding provided to start up successful small-scale businesses, helping their families to thrive.

We’d like you to meet them.

40-year-old Alexia Mukashyaka is proud of the brightly coloured fabric bags she has carefully and expertly made. After investing in a sewing machine, the mum-of-three started a successful tailoring business in a small workshop in her village, thanks to skills training and support from Concern. She produces 20 women’s outfits on average a week, as well as bags and men’s shirts, and also mends clothes in need of repair.

Alexia plans to expand her business and eventually open a hairdressing salon. She is currently receiving lessons on hair styling, and hopes her 12-year-old daughter will join her in her future salon business.

Mum-of-five Marie-Claire Ayinkamiye (45) is an astute and hard-working businesswoman, using skills acquired from the Graduation Programme to sell grains and legumes to customers in her hillside village.

It is a big change from struggling to earn a living as a casual farm labourer cultivating other people’s land. 

Inside a storeroom in her house, Marie-Claire inspects her supplies of rice, sorghum and soya beans, some of which she harvested on two plots that she owns. She also grows tomatoes and onions, as well as papaya trees which she planted from saplings. All of that makes for a profitable trade.

Marie-Claire has also purchased a bike which her grown-up children use to transport supplies to and from the market, 10 kilometres away. She said she no longer has “sleepless nights thinking about what tomorrow will look like.”

Father-of-two Jean de Dieu Nsanzumuhire (29) is a busy man. Not only does he have the added responsibility of helping to care for his new born daughter, who arrived only three months ago, he also runs a successful small grocery shop in his community.

Over the past two years, Jean de Dieu and his wife Riberi have transformed their lives after taking part in Concern’s Graduation Programme.

Today, Jean de Dieu’s shop is a vital part of the community, with everything from eggs, salt and cooking oil to soap and toothpaste on offer to local people who would otherwise have to travel long distances for such provisions. He has made enough from the business to invest in five plots of land where he cultivates rice and has planted trees.

After originally buying a bike to help transport goods to and from his shop, Jean de Dieu now plans to purchase a motorbike to make life easier.

It all changed for Charlotte Bankundiye (33) and husband Joel Nkurunziza (37) when they received financial support to build their own house together. Before that, they and their two children were living with relatives or sleeping in the open.

Once they had a place of their own, Charlotte and Joel invested in livestock, and set up a prolific kitchen garden growing amaranth and onions. They now rent land to grow potatoes, cassava and beans, selling any surplus harvest at market. On top of that, Joel is attending vocational training in carpentry and has already made two chairs and a door.

Emmanuel Habimana (43) and wife Delphine Hagenimana (35) have three children, including a new born son. They were both casual farm labourers and found it difficult to make ends meet every day. But after receiving a grant and business training from Concern, they turned a small banana plantation into a money-making business.

“The banana plantation supports my life here,” said Emmanuel, who recently harvested 40 kilos of the fruit to sell at market.

From the proceeds, the family have been able to invest in livestock, including goats and a cow, and they make additional money from selling the aubergines and cabbages they grow in their kitchen garden, along with beans for themselves.

The small business also means Emmanuel and Delphine are now able to keep their two older children in school.