Meet Umuhoza, a female bus conductor saving to own her 'fleet'

How far would you go to provide for your children? That is a question that normally gets most people off guard and it wasn’t any different for Janviene Umuhoza after losing her husband, who was the family’s bread winner. Born and raised in Nyamirambo by a single mother, Umuhoza’s string of problems begun when her mother announced that she couldn’t manage to continue paying school fees for all her children. As a result, Umuhoza dropped out of school in Senior 4. Not long after, Umuhoza was married and ten years later, she was a widow and a mother of three. With no skills and bills to pay, Umuhoza approached her paternal uncle who advised her to try working as a bus conductor. “My uncle used to be a bus driver and he is the one who advised me to try working as a bus conductor if I really wanted to take care of my children,” she says. In 2010, Umuhoza got a job as a bus conductor and five years later, she is able to take care of herself and her children, thanks to being a bus conductor. She now operates on the Kimironko- City Centre route. “When I started, I was afraid and embarrassed. Here I was, in a field where I was literally the only female. Dealing with men was not easy; they used not to value any of my opinions. For one to fit in, you must be aggressive but I eventually found my footing and they now all treat me as one of them,” she says. Umuhoza told The New Times in an interview that there is no need to tag jobs to gender. “I can do any job as long as it puts food on my table, instead of begging. I don’t understand why people say such jobs are for men alone, it is simple work and it really doesn’t require much energy,” she says. Like in any other job, she also faces her own setbacks. The mother of three confesses that most people especially women look down on her. “You can tell if a person is undermining you from their facial expressions. This happens mostly with women, for instance; when they are paying the bus fare, they look at me with contempt,” she says. However, she has learnt how to manage passengers even in situations which get out of hand. “Passengers sometimes want to argue over petty things. I know how to remain neutral and always try to find a way of dealing with them. You have to keep reminding yourself that people are different. If you are short tempered, then this is not the job for you,” she says. Achievements Umuhoza says that her work helps her survive as a single mother of three. “I earn Rwf5000 per day if the business is good and Rwf3000 if it is low .I can’t complain because it makes me happy that I am not dependent on anyone. I am able to feed myself and take care of my mother and the children,” she says. Apart from that, the bus business has helped her to pay school fees for her two sons who are in Primary Six and Five respectively. She has also been able to open a small kiosk near her home which is being run by one of her relatives. “I am glad because all my three children are in a good school. I will continue working hard to make sure none of them misses out education like I did,” she says. While for the time being her business is still modest, Umuhoza’s vision is to own her bus so that she can employ other people. “The way I see this business, if I can manage to save more than I spend, which I believe is possible, nothing will stop me from growing further and owning my own bus. My target is to employ as many women as possible so that I can prove to people that there is no reason why they should be selective when it comes to employment,” she says. A piece of advice Umuhoza advises women to have confidence in what they do and not to listen to what others have to say. “No one should stop you from achieving your dreams. Women ought to stand up and challenge men by involving themselves in any work that they want,” she says. Isaac Masabo is the driver of the bus on which Umuhoza operates. He says that the two years he has so far worked with Umuhoza, her work ethic has made his work much easier than it was before. He applauds her for being tactful when it comes to handling each passenger no matter how complicated the situation may be, adding that she is more organised as compared to her male colleagues. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

Lifestyle

Meet Umuhoza, a female bus conductor saving to own her 'fleet'