While on a recent trip in Nyaruguru District, Southern Province, I asked a friend for something I could take home. Without hesitation, she told me about a bakery in the neighbourhood renowned for its honey sandwiches.  

As you approach the bakery, it was a beehive of activity with Ngera sector residents trying to get the day’s bread off the oven. The proprietor, a lanky young man is obviously multitasking, as he passionately mixes ingredients and watches the oven, while at the same time attending to his customers.

Charles Bihirabake, a former airtime hawker in Nyaruguru has now become a household name in the district, thanks to his tasty and irresistible bread as many of the customers I found at the bakery variously referred to it. 

He says the positive feedback from his customers pushes him to outdo himself and ensure he makes quality and delicious bread so that he never disappoints them.

"The feedback motivates me to make better bread every day,” he points out.

Starting out      

Bihirabake’s life was a struggle; the businessman never had a chance to acquire formal education, a situation that led to the numerous challenges he experienced growing up in a humble family of seven children.

"Being the first-born child, I was raised to think more of my sibling’s welfare than myself. Because of poverty, we lacked basic needs, which often made me feel helpless as my siblings looked up to me for a solution as their elder brother,” he says.

The 26-year-old was forced to abandon his home and move to Kigali city in search of better opportunities.

That was six years ago. Looking back, Bihirabake says it was not easy to find jobs in the city. However, the situation back home inspired him to persevere and find something to do to earn a living.

He says he was lucky that an old friend took him in when he arrived in Kigali (though he had to contribute to the home expenses). He had to act fast and find a job. Bihirabake says he had some little savings from home so he decided to start a small business as a hawker.

"I had saved Rwf1,000, which I used to buy MTN airtime from wholesalers and started hawking airtime cards around the city,” he says.

He reasons that though the returns were low, it was better than sitting home doing nothing. "I used to earn net profit of between Rwf700 and Rwf1,000 on a weekly basis,” he says.

He returned home after one year to share the little money he had saved with the family.

Bihirabake says when he went back for work three days later, only to find that his housemate had shifted without informing him.

"To make matters worse, he disappeared with the little money I left him for the business. The landlord could not hear of that and threw me out of the house,” he recalls.

The only option left for him was the streets, which were to be his home for over two months.

"I will never forget the day when I first slept out on a cold night. Though the situation wasn’t welcoming back home, at least I had a house to shelter me. So, after staying on the streets for over two months, I decided to go back home,” he says.

Ray of hope

Bihirabake says he was lucky to get a better job at a neighbourhood bakery when he returned to his hometown about six years ago, where he earned Rwf40,000 monthly. Due to the experience from his previous life in the city, he was determined to make most of the new job, he says.

"After working for a year, I had gained enough skills and knowledge about running a bakery. So, I threw in the towel to start my own bakery,” he says.

Bihirabake was lucky that World Vision Rwanda, through its resilience and livelihoods sector under Voluntary Saving and Lending Associations (VSLA) model, identified him to join the Abahuje Umugambi savings co-operative in his locality so that he is facilitated to start the bakery enterprise.

He joined the savings and credit association, and started saving Rwf250 per week.

"After one year, the saving co-operative gave me a loan of Rwf570,000 to kick-start my business. I used the money and my Rwf240,000 savings to buy the essential requirements, like baking flour, oil, packaging materials and an oven,” he says.

Bihirabake says he devoted all his energy and time to the bakery, and was always trying out new ideas and innovations that have helped him produce top-class bread in Nyaruguru, creating a big clientele base.

Benefits

The bread-maker currently produces over 360 loaves of bread of which he supplies several supermarkets in the district, for his efforts and business acumen, Bihirabake earns Rwf60,000 weekly or about Rwf165,000 net income per month from the enterprise.

He says he has been able to build a house worth Rwf3 million and bought a Rwf30,000 bicycle, which he uses to deliver supplies to clients in different places.

"On top of everything, I was able to hold a spectacular wedding ceremony that cost worth Rwf2 million. I have also fully paid back the loan,” he says.

The young entrepreneur and father of one, says the business performance promises him and the family of a bright future.

Bihirabake’s dream is to expand the enterprise and tap into other markets beyond his community.

He also wants to improve his production systems, and give back to the community for all their patronage.

"I want to expand the business, which will enable me to give back to the community through provision of employment to youth. I also plan to go for training to sharpen my skills in bread making,” he says.

Advice

Bihirabake urges youth to take charge of their lives, "man-up and venture out on your own as self-employed as this offers you the best opportunities”. He challenges young people not to let their backgrounds stand in the way of their dreams.

"Formal education is good, but that does not mean that those who did not go to school should wallow in self-pity. Every youth, educated or not, must strive to make their lives better by setting up self-development goals and working to achieve them,” he says.

He notes that people should not be discouraged by failure, saying that it is through failing that we learn and become better.

"I urge the youth to be determined, passionate and most importantly believe in themselves that they can achieve anything in life they put their mind to, regardless of their backgrounds,” Bihirabake says.

What others say about Bihirabake

Bihirabake’s rising star has turned him into a role model in his community, especially for youth. Bonaventure Murekezi, who grew up with him, says Bihirabake’s business acumen amazes him.

"His achievements have proved us  wrong and affirmed the fact that hard work pays.

"He is a source of inspiration today. His journey has proved to us that being an entrepreneur and self-reliant has nothing to do with one’s background, but rather passion and commitment,” he says.

Jean De Dieu Habimana, a beekeeping specialist in Nyaruguru, says Bihirabake is a hardworking young man. "I encourage other youth to emulate him.”