Former commercial sex workers find sanctuary at ‘Abihanganye ba Remera’

Abihanganye ba Remera means the resilient ones of Remera when translated into English. When a group of women started a cooperative to rehabilitate former sex workers and street vendors, they named it Abihanganye ba Remera. The women decided to join forces and resort to decent ways of earning a living with the help of City of Kigali’s Agaseke promotion project. Members of the cooperative are trained in making jewellery and weaving the famous Agaseke baskets. The brains behind the project have an inspirational story. 34-year-old Claire Nyinabungeni says that she joined the cooperative in 2010 when it had just been founded. “I’m a former sex worker and it’s something I will never be proud of. I was forced into the trade because I had no life; I was young, naïve and an orphan. All I can say is that I was helpless. But after joining the cooperative, I now earn a decent living and I’m able to take care of my three children,” Nyinabugeni narrates. She adds that she is rebuilding her life while dealing with pain that the people who know her previous shady business throw at her. “I decided to put my past aside and work hard to take care of my three children whose fathers decided to abandon them. The eldest is now in secondary school and two are in primary school. I’m able to hold my head high in whatever I do with the help of the cooperative members who have advised me positively and comfort me when things get tough,” Nyinabugeni says. Nyinabugeni and other cooperative members design napkins that are distributed in several hotels and restaurants around Kigali and also export arts and crafts pieces to the United States of America. “Most times vulnerable young women get into trouble because there was no one to help or guide them into making responsible decisions. This is why I feel that as mothers we need to help or talk to young girls and women, especially sex workers, on how to live responsibly,” Nyinabugeni adds. 31-year-old Laurence Bamurange, also a founding associate of the 35 member Abihanganye ba Remera cooperative says that she owes her life to the cooperative. “As an orphan from the village, I came to Kigali city in search for a job. When I reached here, I got a job as a house help, but my bosses were sex workers. After some time, I was introduced to the business. I ended up getting pregnant in the process. Today when I look back at the kind of life I led, I feel ashamed but I aim at working so hard to shape my future and that of my child and I owe this to the cooperative,” Bamurange narrates. She adds, “Besides the fact that I knew that joining the cooperative would give me the capacity of economically empowering myself, I also joined the cooperative because I didn’t want my child to be picked on at school or by the community just because I was a sex worker. I know of many young women who are sex workers, if given the opportunity I was given, they would also change for the best and quit the demeaning profession.” “I have achieved a lot and I’m ready to protect it. My child is in school, I beg no one and I’m happy that I can now take care of myself with dignity.” Marie Goretti Niyonzima, the president of Abihanganye ba Remera says that the members are no longer vulnerable. “As the representative of this cooperative, I can say weaving and beading empowered us to be the great and strong women we are today. We are now able to take care of our families, our children go to school, and some of us started small businesses. Personally I was a street vendor but I was always at the risk of being caught by the police. At times the vegetables and fruits that I carried in a basket would pour each time I was running away from the police. I would end up making losses and it was a dangerous and reckless kind of business to sustain,” Niyonzima narrates. The single mother of one says that from making baskets, she was able to buy a plot of land at Rwf 250,000 a year ago and if she decided to sell it, she could get a huge profit. Niyonzima also takes care of her late sister’s three children. Regarding the challenges the cooperative faces, Niyonzima says: “We have achieved a lot, but we also face challenges like any other kind of business and the main one is the lack of an established space or home for the cooperative. We rent the shop which also doubles as our meeting place. The other challenge is still the fact that our market base is small.” Niyonzima advises women to join cooperatives so as to empower themselves. “When we meet as members of the cooperative, we share experiences about life and this protects us from isolation and self pity. Sharing ideas gives us options on how to handle life changing situations and focus on a bright future,” Niyonzima emphasises. According to Joseph Mutware, a mobilisation officer of Agaseke promotion project in Kigali City Council, over 54 women cooperatives in Kigali benefit from trainings and sensitisation programmes offered by the project. “The programme entails capacity building, where women become innovative and business orientated people so as to uplift themselves from poverty. We encourage them to form cooperatives so that they can always pass on the knowledge and skills to others, thus the chain and the power of empowerment is achieved,” Mutware explains. He also says that the reason the project focused on craft making was to make the women not only view crafts making as a culture but also as a business opportunity.