Marie Rose Mutamuriza carefully scoops pounded cassava leaves (isombe) from a mortar. She proceeds to put it in a container as expectant customers wait patiently.

Mutamuriza serves the waiting buyers with a smile and thanks them for buying isombe from her.

This is a ‘new’ Mutamuriza. Things were not always like this for the 54-year-old entrepreneur.

"I used to traverse Kigali city and its suburbs selling different items, including vegetables. Though it was hard and risky, I had no choice as I had to raise money to support my children,” she says.

The mother of 11 now operates a permant stall in Kimisagara market in Nyarugenge, Kigali.

"I can now concentrate on the business and serve customers better compared to when I used to move all over the city,” she notes.

This stability has come with handsome dividends. Mutamuriza says, previously, she used to save about Rwf800 a day or about Rwf24,000 a month, but today she saves about Rwf300,000 per month (after deductng all the expenses).

Besides pounded cassava leaves, Mutamuriza sells other items like cooking oil (palm oil) and fruits. She also produces and sells ground nut paste.

She started the enterprise with about Rwf600,000, which she raised from savings and a soft loan.

Inspiration

Mutamuriza says she was inspired to start the permanent business in order to provide for her 11 children and two orphans all basic needs of life to prevent them from going to the streets "to lead a miserable life”. 

"I would traverse the city on foot every day selling vegetables, sometimes with a baby strapped on my back, to raise money to supplement my husband’s earnings,” says Mutamuriza of her previous business life.

However, in 2011 she decided to hire an electric mortar to start selling pounded cassava leaves.

"I would rent a mortar at Rwf4,000 per day, and make between Rwf5,000 and Rwf6,000 a day. With time, I realised that the owner was taking almost all my day’s earnings as I could only take home Rwf1,000 or Rwf2,000 after paying the rental fee,” she narrates.

"This forced me to borrow money and buy my own electrical mortar at Rwf200,000. I also rented space at Rwf100,000 and paid Rwf150,000 worth of prepaid power.” She says she used about Rwf150,000 to buy supplies and kick-start the venture.

"Presently, I make between Rwf6,000 and Rwf10,000 per day. I help my husband to pay school fees, as well as pay health insurance in time. We have also been able to build a permant family home in Shyorongi,” she says.

Mutamuriza says some of her children are in secondary school, while others are still in primary school.

Mutamuriza’s specialty

I wake up at 4am every morning and go to Nyabugogo to buy cassava leaves and other items, she says of her day.

Besides, making the ordinary isombe, Mutamuriza mixes cassava leaves, garlic, leeks, spinaches and other ingredients to make ‘specialty’ isombe that costs Rwf800 a kilogramme. A kilo of ordinary cassava leaves costs Rwf400.

Mutamuriza serves some restaurants and homes with her specialty pounded cassava leaves and other ingredients.

Future plans

She employs two workers whom and pays Rwf7,100 in taxes per month. The entrepreneur looks forward to educating her children up to university.

She plans to buy two more electrical mortars to expand the business.

Challenges

Mutamuriza says power outages hurt the business. In fact the market had no power when this writer was conducting the interview. She also lacks capital to expand the venture.

Can BDF support her?

Beata Uwurukundo, the in-charge of business projects at Business Development Fund (BDF), says among loan guarantee funds they provide, there is a women guarantee fund, which is supported by the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion to empower women. 

"Before one can benefit from the fund, they submit a project proposal to the bank, which then writes to us so that we all analyse the feasibility of the project.

"When we find that it’s viable, we pay the guarantee fund of 75 per cent, and the owner pays 25 per cent,” Uwurukundo added, noting that Mutamuriza could utilise this window of funding.