In photos: Reducing food insecurity in Rwanda

Through the Green Graduation and Kungahara programmes, families have received agricultural training, cash transfers, access to village savings and loans associations, and other forms of support. Here, they share the ways - big and small - their lives have changed. 

“Concern gave us good teachers. They trained us in farming, agriculture,” Theodore shares. “After learning how to farm in a good way, now we have more harvest...the crops are enough, the food is enough. Now we don’t buy anything from the market apart from cooking oil, salt, rice and small fish.” 

The couple grows eggplants, beans, cassava, corn, peas and yam. They also received a cash transfer from Concern as part of the programme. 

“We got 90,000 Rwandan francs [£45] from the project. I used it and bought the manure, the treatment, the fruits, after that I got 200,000 francs [£104] from the harvest,” Theodore explains. With these earnings, he was able to buy two goats, which have since given birth to kids. 

“I had a goal of buying a machine for irrigation,” Clementine says. “I was able to achieve it, I have a machine now. It played an important role in the farm. The harvest is more now, the food is enough for everyone. I take it to the local markets as well. If you ask for beans, I won’t fail to get them for you.” 

With the irrigation machine Clementine can water her crops more quickly and easily, giving her time to do other things such as household shopping. On her farm she harvests eggplant, tomatoes, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes and corn. 

“Before I could get a jerry can and a cup and start pouring, pouring, pouring. But now, because I have the irrigation machine I put a cloth up and then I pour easily, it takes the water. If I go in the morning, I could come back home in midday, it goes so fast." 

“Before Concern I was doing farming - peas, sweet potatoes, beans. I would mix them, they were scattered. I didn’t get any harvest from that. I would get 30 kgs of beans, now I have hundreds of kilograms,” Benedicte explains. “There's a big difference." 

“I continued planting with the eggplant. I harvested 77 sacks, and I sold one sack at 9000 francs [£4.70]. From all of the sacks, I got 700,000 francs [£365]. I went and bought a cow.” 

“We got different lessons, it made our minds sharpen,” shares Barthazar. “Sometimes you have small ideas, but after getting the lessons and trainings it helped us to have new mindsets, new ideas." 

The family earns an income by selling the crops they grow, including onion, green pepper, eggplant, French beans and tomatoes. In the garden next to their home, they also have fruit trees such as orange, papaya and avocado, and grow rosemary bushes. 

“The kids are doing well. All of them go to school, we pay the tuition on time, they no longer chase our kids from school because of food fees,” says Beltilida. 

In the Abahujimbaraga co-op there are 21 members, who make decisions together about what crops to sell and how to use the profits. The name of the co-op means “people who bring strength together." 

Elizabeth is the treasurer and Celestin the president. 

Celestin explains: “When we are forming a cooperative, we make a circle. When you have an issue you raise your hand, no one has to speak through you, we value everyone’s point of view.” 

Through Concern, the co-op members receive agricultural training and other support. 

“After getting the lessons, we are changed in mind,” Elizabeth says. “After changing our mindset, even our hearts, even our pockets have changed. The way that we were before is not how we are now.”  

“Our goal is not to stop from here, but also to look outside the Concern programme, to the community, the neighbours. The skills we got, we don’t want to keep to ourselves, we want to share with the community as well,” she shares.