Rural women in Muhanga district have not only been emancipated but also worked hard towards self sustainability and economic development. They attribute their success to the unwavering government support. The underlying factor is that all of them had the courage to take the first step and work to avoid dependence on their spouses. Most of them have invested in agriculture, handicrafts, real estates, general trading and micro scale industries.  These women have all the reasons to celebrate the International Women’s Day and below are some of their stories as retold By Daniel Sabiiti

With sustainable agriculture you cannot go wrong

Suzanna Mujawamaria, 46, is a representative of the National Women’s Council (CNF) in Shogwe and has led other women by example. She abandoned her teaching profession after realising that she was not improving her welfare.

Mujawamaria, is lucky to have attained various training skills on modern agriculture and micro project management which he attributes to a supportive husband. Her husband helps her to discuss most of the projects and share the burden of repaying bank loans.

She then turned to agriculture (horticulture and banana farming). Mujawamaria transformed her activities with modern techniques in order to get more produce, which subsequently increased her income, to enable her to buy a cow.

Today, she has with the help of bank support  and her husband’s income, managed to buy more cows. Consequently she has  built a house worth Rwf8 million among others.

She is also part of the women’s cooperatives of maize and rice growers in the area, which adds on her income.

She encourages women to focus on agriculture, saying that it is very productive if modern techniques are used according to government programs.

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