HUYE— Gerard Twizeyimana, a shoe repairman in Tumba Sector in Huye District says his job satisfies his needs contrary to the view that such a calling is unproductive. Twizeyimana, married and father of one owns a repair shop “Kiato Afadhali”at Tumba. He says he managed to buy a house worth Rwf6Million, a cow and he is able to provide for his family. “Rwandans have a misconception that shoe repairing is fruitless, but it is a lucrative business if perfectly done,” Twizeyimana stated confidently, urging unemployed people to stop undermining such blue colour jobs. Twizeyimana was formerly a shoes trader in Gakenke District in the Northern Province but he switched to repairing after realising that it has a potential to generate more income than mere trading, he stated. To improve his business and increase his income, he decided to go to Tanzania to learn more about his current calling. When he returned well equipped with the necessary skills, he established a shoe repairing shop in Kigali. He later in August last year shifted his business to Butare anticipating a big market of students from the National University of Rwanda (NUR). He set up a repair shop at Mukoni center[Tumba Sector] named Kiato Afathali and he equipped it with two mechanical and one electronic smoothing machines all worth Rwf 340,000. Esperance Agatesi, the cashier, says that this shop nets over Rwf100,000 after spending over Rwf350,000 on wages of six workers and other needs. Jean claude Habimana, one of the six employees, says he earns Rwf30,000 as monthly wages. He says out of his savings he was able to secure his marriage dowry and bought a bicycle Iddy Niyomugabo, another cobbler in the area, revealed that repairing shoes helped him to renovate his father’s house at a cost of Rwf1.5m. He urges beggars, commercial sex workers, street children and other jobless youth against laziness. “There is no useless job, only you need to be passionate and thus you stand to gain from it. Shoe repair brings good returns and investors should think of empowering the sector,” he commented. Marie Claire Uwimana, officer in charge of social affairs in Tumba Sector, commends the efforts of cobblers adding that the sector authorities should consider grouping them under associations so as to help them address their challenges. “If grouped under cooperatives, they [cobblers] can help us reduce the number of unemployed people many of whom are always idling in town,” Uwimana said. Ends
