I know people who actually make a good living in their backyard in the pet bird business, as well as many retirees, housewives and others who supplement their yearly income in this business.

Whether they admit it or not, most people have a dream in life, although a good majority of them never get to live their dream. While some may dream of becoming corporate executives or, others have dreams of living a less demanding, simpler lifestyle.

I find more and more people today questioning the rat race and hectic life that often comes with living in a city, and dreaming of moving to rural Rwanda.

However, with that dream comes another thought. The need to exist. What will I do for a living? How will I provide for my family?

If we are honest with ourselves, none of us dream of living in poverty in order to live a simpler, more meaningful lifestyle, although most of us know that money won’t buy happiness, either.

I was fortunate to have been raised in a rural part of Rwanda, and I suppose that it was my dream to remain there. I had absolutely no desire to live in a city. Did that mean that I was not an ambitious person? I don’t think so.

In fact, in time I had many city dwelling friends who eventually came to envy my rural lifestyle. They just didn’t think they could make a living in the country, or they thought that if they could, they would need hundreds of acres of land in order to make a comfortable living.

If you happen to be one that dreams of living a more simple, meaningful life and balancing your time between work and family, then I would like to share my story with you.

First, I would like to stress that raising pet birds is not a get-rich-quick scheme, and should never be mistaken for such. It is, however, a little known but proven business (it has been around since the early 1900’s) that has enabled many people to make a substantial income from a very small piece of property.

Rwamagana