United to impact: How Nyamirambo Women’s Center is transforming lives

They realized that coming together was itself a means for them to carry out an intervention that could forge positive change in the community around Nyamirambo area in Nyarugenge district.

Amongst themselves, they found that three of the members could neither read nor write. This was their call. They decided to start with their colleagues and teach them how to read and write. Since then, the group officially started and named their association, “Nyamirambo Women’s Center (NWC)”. Today, the association has impacted over 6,000 people in Nyamirambo and the areas around it.

Offering free literacy classes

Located in Nyamirambo sector in Biryogo Cell, NWC has been collaborating with local authorities in the area to reach women such as those who couldn’t read and write to train them in writing and reading and to equip them with vocational skills to engage in small-scale income generating activities.

The association targets women and other members of the community who cannot afford to pay for training opportunities with the aim of building their capacity to seek or create employment.

When the center started, it was initially mobilizing and training beneficiaries of its services at cell offices, given that it didn’t have enough financial resources for establishing training rooms. Sometimes they could deliver the training at a member’s home.

In 2008, the association connected with Slovenian researchers who were in Rwanda for research on gender equality and women’s development in the country. The researchers commended their initiative and pledged to collect support for the association upon returning to their country.

“We introduced ourselves to them and pitched our goals. They felt interested in our ambitions and pledged support to enable us to rent a workplace. Upon arriving in Europe, they sent us a donation that we used for renting training venue,” Mary Nyangoma, a member of the center and acting Manager told Rwanda Champions in an exclusive interview.

Nyangoma noted that receiving the donation catalyzed the group’s enthusiasm in stretching their efforts to other beneficiaries for scaling impact to the community.

Apart from offering free literacy classes, Nyangoma added that they included other vocational training programs such as handcraft, sewing, hairdressing and social empowerment programs such as teaching the community about gender-based violence and community-based tourism.

Women in a tailoring workshop at the Center. Photo by Laurent Rusanganwa/VISION MEDIA LTD.

Daniel Uwiragiye is one of the beneficiaries of the NWC’s training opportunities. Due to misunderstanding between his parents, he ended up not going to school when he was young, making him grow up without the ability to read and write. After attending the NWC’s literacy classes, he can now read and write. He acknowledges changes in his life after completing the literacy class.

members of the center create a large variety of accessories, children and women’s clothes and other home decor products. Photo by Laurent Rusanganwa/VISION MEDIA LTD.

“I was struggling to read different signposts on the streets. I could end up in the wrong places since I couldn’t read,” Uwiragiye said. He has since learnt how to read and write.
His colleague Nura Mutoni, who was trained in hairdressing at the center also recounts that her situation has improved after the training. Before the training, she revealed that she couldn’t envision her future because she didn’t have skills to do anything that would earn her an income.

“It was very hard for me to find something to earn me money while I had many needs as a girl. This forced me to rely on other people,” Mutoni said, adding, “after the training, I now know how to dress hair and I have already started earning money from it.”

She said that women members in her neighborhood have started using her hairdressing services giving her an opportunity to earn money which supports her daily expenses.

Forming a transformative cooperative

Nyangoma says that in 2013, the association connected with a Swiss donor who was in Rwanda for holidays and similarly got interested in their initiative. She advised them to think of an income-generating activity that can sustain the initiative to start supporting trainees upon graduating.

“She advised us to form a cooperative for trainees so that they can utilize the skills together and make some products. We welcomed the idea, but we couldn’t afford it by the time because it required us to buy more sewing machines and enlarge our workplace,” Nyangoma said.

But by chance, the Swiss lady donated money to the association to form the cooperative they named ‘Umutima’ or heart to symbolize women who are considered as the heart of the family.

Through the cooperative, members use their skills and materials to create a large variety of accessories, children and women’s clothing and other home decor products. Presently, there are over 50 women and few men who directly benefit from the products they sell through the Cooperative. Nyangoma says that the cooperative has opened many opportunities for the center as well as the community through income generating activities.

Trainees during hairdressing training at the Center. Photo by Laurent Rusanganwa/VISION MEDIA LTD

“We have entered in Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry where we offer different services in different events and conferences in Rwanda using our crafts. We have contracts with different event organizers where we provide conference bags and other accessories,” Nyangoma said.

Consolee Mukansanga, a seamstress who initially joined the cooperative after completing tailoring training is one of those who directly benefit from the cooperative. She says that the cooperative has opened an opportunity for her to work and earn an income.

“I can say that I got an address. I usually wake up in the morning going to work like others in the city. Most importantly, working with others like in our cooperative is helpful because you feel like you have a second home where you meet your colleagues who understand you and can help you in case you need help,” Mukansanga told Rwanda Champions.

Consolee Mukansanga at the Center. Photo by Laurent Rusanganwa/VISION MEDIA LTD

Before joining the cooperative, Mukansanga says that she had not touched money. She was always relying on her husband every time she needed something. However, she is currently able to earn a monthly income which allows her to buy what she needs and complements what her husband earns to meet the needs of their family including their children.

Embarking on diversifying tourism services

The center has developed a niche in community tourism, and it has adhered to the principles of Responsible Community Based Tourism (CBT), where the women provide tours to tourists for giving them a unique personal insight into everyday life and local social culture and night vibes of the busy Nyamirambo township.

Tourists are provided with cooking workshops of local dishes, handcraft with women at the center and unique Nyamirambo- Mount Kigali adventure for capturing a captivating view of the Kigali city.

Looking to the future

NWC plans to introduce Early Childhood Development (ECD) services for providing early childhood education, protection, hygiene, care, and nutrition to the children of women working or being trained at the center.

“We have many trainees and seamstresses who have children, and it is obviously difficult for them to learn or work while holding their children,” Nyangoma said, adding, “For that, we are planning to start an ECD and bring babysitters who would be taking care of the children while their mothers are learning and working.”

So far, the center has introduced a community library that offers books in English, Kinyarwanda, and French. According to Nyangoma, the aim behind the library is to encourage growth of a reading culture among children, promote literacy to align with “One child, one book” initiative in Rwanda.