Rural Rwanda like many other sub-Saharan African countries is characterized by low levels of general socio-economic development. In this beautiful hilly country, there lives the formidable woman who oversees the day to day survival of the family.

Most of Rural Rwanda is too remote to access standard health care, social amenities, etc. The people in these areas are involved in intensive labour throughout the year, ironically for subsistence living.

The pivotal force in the labour market is the woman. The economic strength of a woman in this whole process is beyond the reach of normal thinking.

"I have to wake up so early in the morning and go down the valley to work on our garden. You know we happen to be close to our church (Catholic). The early morning church bell (05.30 am) wakes me up everyday and I go for work. I do not need to wait for my husband. This is because sometimes he takes so much beer that he can not easily wake up in time,” says Maria Mukantabana, a resident of Ngoma in the eastern region.

For the rural woman, work is not limited to the fields. She has to take care of domestic duties as well such as breast feeding and preparing meals.

"After work in the garden I leave my husband behind. He usually passes by a bar to quench his thirst. I have to make sure Umutware (literary translated as the family King) finds food ready,” she narrates.

The rural woman is still many years behind in as far as woman emancipation is concerned. It is in the rural area that one can trace the original cultural beliefs and extreme respect.

"Rural women are indeed respectful, not because they are uneducated, but because the traditional values still hold in those areas. In our urban areas, some women are abusing the equality given to them. Equality should not mean disrespect. I admire how rural women for example respect their husbands though I do not cherish those men who abuse such respect either,” says Jean Marie Vian Kambanda, residing in Kigali.

Rwanda social fabric has in essence made the woman the backbone of the rural economy, at least at the household level. They work under a tight schedule across the week, buying and selling goods in markets.

"I have a quite busy program to follow every week. I deal in tomatoes. I however keep on changing the commodities I deal in depending on their availability and price,” reveals Claudette Nyamatama, a small-scale trader in Nyagasambu.

The money the women earn from their small scale businesses supplements their small agricultural activities. It is however regretful to note that most rural men are not involved in active production, leaving the whole burden to the woman.

"My husband spends most of his time playing the board game with others on the veranda, while I toil in the market,” remarked Hajjat, a middle-aged woman residing in Rwamagana.

"If chance knocks on my door, I can even make Rwf 10 million in one year. So I do not need to be engaged in these small businesses, my wife does that…,” say Hamim Munyaneza, of Kayonza. To him, as long as he provided starting capital for the wife, he can afford to while away the day as she toils.

The poor attitude explains why some remain poor and actually fail to educate their children. The men are not really engaged in the labour market yet they are part of the consumers. The case is not unique to the Eastern province of Rwanda.

Rusizi district neighbours the DR Congo, and the people of both countries are inevitably involved in cross border trade. Though men will be found engaged in business, women still dominate cross border trade.

A mini-survey conducted in the eastern and southern provinces of Rwanda showed that women take the upper hand in all economic activities in rural Rwanda.

The rural woman is resilient. This should however be supplemented with skills training and soft loans to enable them attain their fully economic potential.

Local authorities also need to ensure that even the men are involved in productive activities and not exploit their wives. The rural woman deserves her dignity.

Contact: mugitoni@yahoo.com