EASTERN PROVINCE BUGESERA — Women in Bugesera district have been urged to form cooperative societies in order to stem poverty from their midst. The advice was given Tuesday by Dinah Mutamba, an official of Women for Women Rwanda, while meeting needy women in the district at Hotel Café-Nyamata. Mutamba explained that they decided to use area local leaders to train women in forming cooperatives to achieve faster eradication of poverty. She said that with the help of district authorities, they had mobilized over 500 needy women to change their livelihoods using simple approach to address their needs. Women for Women Rwanda targets women who may have lost everything in conflict, without viable alternative, those living with HIV/AIDS, and other vulnerable women. According to Mutamba, the organisation also provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with tools and resources to deliver them from crisis and poverty, to stability and self-sufficiency. When asked about the criteria they use when selecting poor women, Mutamba said they get recommendations from the district authorities who second the beneficiaries. She added that after registering, they give them Frw9,000 per month to solve their domestic problems. However, she said that they encourage them to save part of the money for future use. We encourage them to save at least Frw3,000 per month. We want them to save at least Frw30, 000 to 40,000 at the end of the year, Mutamba explained. The organisation also trains needy women in life skills like reproductive health, government policies, and ways of preventing HIV/AIDS. Mutamba, who also acts as a facilitator said they have a one-year training programme in vocational skills that helps their beneficiaries change from ‘victims of conflicts and war to active citizens. After a one-year training, the women graduate and we use the same criteria to recruit the next batch of poor women. Our programme is continuous for all needy women in the country, Mutamba added.Ends
