How participants are managing COVID-19 30/07/2021
Project :Community Development To Break The Circle Of Poverty - Rwanda
- No poverty
- Zero hunger
- Good health and well-being
- Quality education
- Gender equality
- Reduced inequalities
- Peace, justice and strong institutions
COVID-19 remains a source of difficulty for many people around the world, including our beneficiaries. Painful losses and the economic downturn have become daily challenges. However, there are examples that give hope, such as the one of Marie Rose, a participant in our programs.
This mother and head of a family of 6 children has managed, thanks to the savings generated by her microenterprise and the Savings and Credit Group of which she is a member, to provide for her family during this pandemic.
Marie Rose was forced to cease her activities on March 21 2020, when the Rwandan government decreed lockdown in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus. This courageous mother recounts:
"My name is Marie Rose and I live in the Karukoro district of Kigali. My husband is in prison and I have to bear alone the burden of raising 6 children. We were very poor before we met the nonprofit, almost three years ago, but since then I have received a lot of training and support that has allowed me to greatly improve the well-being of my family.
In the first year, I received training in finance and project management as well as a small amount of seed capital that allowed me to start a vegetable business. Now all my children are healthy and have returned to school. Before lockdown, I was able to earn up to $5 a day and save regularly.
The program has also taught me how to plan for the future. I am part of a Savings and Credit Group. Shortly before the crisis began, we had already managed to save $1,200! We decided to use those savings to help us get through this crisis without having to cut into our personal savings too much.
Thanks to this, my family is not suffering too much from this crisis at the moment. During these difficult times, the staff of FXB Rwanda remains in regular contact with us by phone".
When asked if she is happy to participate in the program, she answers, "I am very proud to be part of the program’s beneficiary families. It's true that we are going through a difficult time during this COVID-19 crisis, but thanks to this support, we were prepared to face crises".