Ntwali, Rwanda, GRADUATES

NTWALI GRADUATES A COMMUNITY IN KAMONYI REGION, RWANDA THRIVES BECAUSE OF YOUR SUPPORT

10 Years Of Sponsorship It is an honor to express our gratitude for your support to the Ntwali community through child sponsorship over the last 10 years. It is humbling to see how much your involvement has transformed the lives of families in the community.

READ MORE TO STEP INSIDE THIS COMMUNITY AND SEE HOW LIVES HAVE CHANGED.

Summary OF WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED HEALTH

EDUCATION

The major obstacles facing families ten years ago were malaria and water-borne diseases. The closest water source was nearly eight kilometers away and it was typically the job of children to gather daily water needs resulting in less time for school. Over the course of our partnership with Ntwali, seven water wells have been constructed, cutting in half the distance to collect water for most families.

Improving the quality of education as well as access to education was identified as a top priority when FH arrived in Ntawli. We can proudly show through strong performance and attendance in school that today children are enjoying an improved learning environment. Ten years ago there was a 65% enrollment rate of children in the community; today 98% of school-aged children are receiving an education.

Training parents on the importance of health and sanitation practices, as well as on new ways of fighting illness, has significantly improved the health of families. Reported cases of preventable diseases among sponsored children and their siblings has been reduced by over 30% as a result of improved nutrition, increased access to medical care, and overall knowledge of basic health and sanitation.

In addition, dairy cows were distributed by FH in an effort to complement nutritional intake. These cows also dramatically improved agricultural productivity by fertilizing family gardens and crop plots.

When FH first began working in Ntwali the dilapidated school building was unsafe and leaked terribly, especially during the heavy rainy season from March to June. To make things even more difficult, the school had no properly-functioning latrines. With your combined support, FH Rwanda constructed and supplied materials for two new classrooms, six latrines and three water tanks at the school.

These developments have directly contributed to the increase in enrollment and to the decrease in dropouts.

LIVELIHOODS

SPIRITUAL HEALTH

Your sponsorship support allowed parents to spend their time and energy learning new skills and developing small businesses that have diversified and increased their incomes. Families in Ntawli heavily depend on their land for their livelihood; some major obstacles facing them included land erosion, poor soil fertility, and population density. Often what a family could grow on their land wouldn’t feed them for an entire year.

Ten years ago, there were several churches in the area, but there was a lack of Biblical discipleship and no active ministries directed to or supporting children. FH Rwanda intentionally included community and church leaders in all the development activities. This cooperative process has had a great impact on the churches.

Through livestock support and training in more effective farming practices, agricultural productivity has vastly improved. Food sources are now considered stable and 85% of families eat twice a day.

To facilitate their training in agriculture techniques, families were grouped into cooperatives. These co-ops facilitate support and provide access to a local finance institution where a guarantee fund was placed to enable community members to take out loans.

Today, church leaders better understand their role in the community and are modeling God’s love to families and children. They have become true catalysts of change.

The synergy that developed between church and community leaders working together to improve Ntwali is a model of transformation. Perhaps most encouraging of all is that 78% of parents have communicated they are now regularly praying with their children.

Another inspiration is seen through community members readily supporting each other spiritually and physically.

Odette (in orange), orphaned and now the primary caregiver for her family with two of her sisters and local FH community staff in front of their new home.

and plant a garden, creative ideas to help the family survive, and tailoring training (FH) support, particularly getting them secure shelter and a way to meet their basic needs.

With overwhelming volunteer labour from community members, FH was able to build a comfortable three room house for Odette and her siblings.

“With this house, we can now sleep well and we have no fear of the rain. My registration in the child sponsorship program was God’s plan and, as a result, my sisters and I can celebrate such an achievement.Thanks and blessings to FH Rwanda and the community!”

In order to help Odette support herself and her siblings, the community has connected her with tailoring lessons which she believes will result in a steady stream of income sufficient to her needs. In addition, community members regularly help Odette cultivate a garden so that she and her sisters will have enough food to eat.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT

A Home For Odette

GENEROSITY IS A TRUE SIGN OF TRANSFORMATION

Odette’s story is a perfect example of what happens when FH succeeds at its aim to build a sense of community amongst its target group. When people come together, as they did around this Child Headed Household, challenges are less insurmountable and creative solutions are birthed which lead to transformation. Odette’s plight created a sense of urgency and for Odette.

Together, this community responded to a crisis and improved the lives of one of their own.

When Dusengimana Odette wandered into Ntwali with her three sisters, the community saw the magnitude of the crisis right away.

Since Odette’s mother passed away, she and her siblings had struggled together as a Child Headed Household. One sister moved away to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, in search of work, and the burden of caring for her remaining sisters fell squarely on Odette’s young shoulders. She tried hard to find food and shelter to sustain them, but they never had enough.

Eventually, Odette moved herself and her siblings to live with their grandfather in Ntwali. Because of his advanced age and frail health, and because he was already looking after 10 other relatives, the grandfather was unable to provide much help. Though he lovingly opened his house to his grandchildren, the harsh reality was that there simply wasn’t enough room for them to even sleep, much less eat regular meals. Odette’s sisters soon dropped out of school.

The children’s plight was quickly brought to the attention of the community and they immediately began looking for ways to help.

They registered the children as priority for Food for the Hungry responsibility in the community of Ntwali. It brought different people together to pool their resources and capabilities - access to the FH child sponsorship program, physical labour to build a house

Odette’s previous residence

Community members come together to prepare the new home site

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT

Pineapple Power

EMPOWERING COOPERATIVES, INSPIRING CONFIDENCE In 2004, a group of entrepreneurial-minded farmers from Ntwali banded together to create a pineapple cooperative called Tuzamurane. Many of the 30 members are genocide survivors, single mothers, and widows. They came together to collectively respond to their social issues and create savings from the sale of the high quality pineapples produced in their gardens.

The co-op members pooled their resources and, with initial financial inputs from FH, were able to rent the land at a great price. FH also built the group’s capacity in the areas of cooperative management, segregation of duties, and recording keeping. Through savings and profits, the co-op was able to buy a piece of land and acquire a bank loan worth $1500 to expand their business. They will complete paying back the loan in May 2015 and will be able to apply for another big loan.

“I CAN ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FAMILY INCOME” -MONIQUE, CO-OP MEMBER

The steep hillsides of Rwanda often make farming a challenge because of their poor soil quality and erosion factor, but these seemingly undesirable qualities also made the land affordable. And, with the proper technique, a good dose of determination, and the right crop, the co-op’s hardy pineapple plants thrived.

“My husband used to get quite irritated when I attended to cooperative work which he did not value. When he shouted in anger, I would just keep silent to avoid further clashes, but I am happy now that he has realized the benefit of my efforts because I can also contribute to the family income,” says co-op member Mukarukundo Monique.

Pineapple plants need only one year of growth before they start producing fruit. Pineapples can be harvested every six months for five to six years before the plant is tapped out. New crops can be grown from the shoots of existing plants, so the pineapple is fairly easy to cultivate and it doesn’t seem to mind the sharp inclines. These abundant harvests generate shared income for the cooperative and help to build up their capital.

The co-op members also planted eucalyptus trees in the steepest areas of the hillside near the river to help stem erosion and

“WE ARE PREPARING FOR OUR FUTURE” -ANTOINE, CO-OP PRESIDENT

improve soil quality. In addition, the farmers also cultivated three beehives on their land.

“We are now able to provide basic needs for our families like good clothes, nice shelters, and education for our children.

We are preparing for our future,” says cooperative president Antoine. “The training received and exchange visits we made as a result of FH support empowered us with new cooperative management skills, confidence, and the ability to tackle our own issues.”

Ntwali’s neighbouring community, Busekera, was quite successful with their pineapple co-op, which gives hope and encouragement to the farmers in Ntwali that they will continue to succeed and even be able to expand.

The Tuzamurane Co-op pineapple plantation, photo taken from the Ntwali townsite hilltop.

NTWALI GRADUATES |

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Thank You

for your selfless contribution and your prayers. We are leaving Ntwali thanking God, confident that the transformation initiated there will continue long after work begins again in a neighbouring disadvantaged community.

We pray God will shed his grace on you for the sacrifices you have made over the last 10 years. Ntwali is thriving!

The Ntwali hilltop: the church in the foreground and primary school (red roof) and townsite further behind.

IT’S ABOUT THRIVING COMMUNITIES. *All photos used in this report were taken in the community of Ntwali.

#1-31741 Peardonville Rd. Abbotsford, BC V2T 1L2 1.800.667.0605 info@fhcanada.org

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