FXB Rwanda through Igire-Turengere Abana Activity marked the International Day of Rural Women by donating Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) toolkits to 274 young women in Nyanza District.

Funded by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), FXB Rwanda has been implementing the Turengere Abana (Let Us Protect the Children) Programme. One of the programme interventions is economic empowerment aiming to support beneficiaries to launch and grow livelihoods and earn sufficient income to meet their basic needs and address development challenges.

On the International Day of Rural Women celebrated on Sunday, October 15, 2023, Igire - Turengere Abana Programme supported 274 TVET graduates (adolescent girls and young women) with start-up tool kits to facilitate their job creation for sustained income-generating activities. The donated kits were: a sewing machine, sewing scissors, tape measure (metre), iron, long needles, and thread (Fil) for tailoring trade, and hair wash, hair dryer, plastic chairs, flat, clippers, tongs, curler holder and curlers for hairdressing trade. The tool kits were also provided to 228 TVET graduates in Rwamagana District on 11 October 2023.

The essential toolkits were granted to 502 female students who had also received TVET support and financial literacy training for increasing their job opportunities, enhanced income generation, and better access to financial services.

Mariam Nyiraneza, a 21-year-old beneficiary of the programme, expressed her gratitude: "I am sincerely thankful to FXB Rwanda for providing these start-up toolkits. I lacked the financial means to acquire them. As someone who completed a six-month tailoring course, beginning was a challenge. However, with these tools, I am now poised to embark on a promising tailoring journey. In the coming year or two, I aim to buy another toolkit, potentially for training others, or even to join one of our local 'Made in Rwanda' clothing factories."

Another beneficiary, Aline Nyirantambara, 24, shared her journey, saying: "I'm a mother of two children, aged 5 and 3. When I became a young mother, I had to drop out of school to provide for my kids. Before FXB Rwanda came into my life, I did whatever it took to survive. I worked on construction sites, carrying bricks and stones, and even farmed in neighbours' fields. When they welcomed me for training, I put all my effort into gaining the skills necessary to ensure I never returned to that life. Receiving this tailoring toolkit from them is beyond anything I could have imagined. I'm determined to work tirelessly to support my family economically and, hopefully, establish my own atelier," she said.

Sumaya Uwiringiyimana, 19, an alumna beneficiary of USAID - Turengere Abana programmes, successfully completed tailoring training, received toolkits, and now works at a local Made in Rwanda clothing factory in Nyanza District. She expressed her progress, saying: "Apart from working at this clothing factory and getting a monthly salary, I now own a tailoring machine provided by FXB, which is generating additional income for me. I'm also participating in a savings group that assisted me in acquiring livestock. In the upcoming years, I envision myself empowering other women. Thanks to the significant income I've earned, I can now meet my basic needs and support my family financially."

Emmanuel Kayitana, Igire- Turengere Abana programme Chief of Party, emphasised the need to empower rural women for their resilience. "Alongside empowering the adolescent girls and young women with HIV prevention interventions, we want them to become financially independent so that they can take responsibility for their body autonomy. The programme aims to make them resilient and protect them, therefore we build their capacity to be the catalyst of their own development now and in the future," he said.

Nadine Kayitesi, the Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs in Nyanza District, commended FXB for their positive impact, stating: "FXB did exceptionally well here by supporting the district's initiatives. Many of these young women faced significant challenges, including early motherhood and dropping out of school. Empowering them with practical skills that provide opportunities for self-sufficiency is commendable.

"Moreover, equipping them with the necessary tools means they are entering the job market well-prepared. This empowerment is especially significant for rural women. If they responsibly manage these resources and leverage their training, they can make substantial progress. My advice to them is to strive for resilience in their future careers, ensuring their chosen trade is respected, and they are safeguarded from potentially harmful influences.”

Turengere Abana and FXB Rwanda

François Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Rwanda is a non-governmental organisation that has been operating in Rwanda since 1995 and became a local non-governmental organisation in 2012.

The organisation collaborates with the Rwandan government and other stakeholders to reach the most vulnerable communities with a variety of interventions, including HIV/AIDS prevention services, economic empowerment, education support, early childhood development, health, nutrition, WASH promotion, violence prevention, climate change, and environmental conservation.

From 2012, FXB Rwanda started to implement the USAID-funded Turengere Abana programme to reduce vulnerability and HIV incidence among orphans and vulnerable children, their households, and adolescent girls and young women, and to improve nutritional and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) status among pregnant, lactating women and children under five years.

From then up to 2021, the programme supported the eligible beneficiaries in acquiring vocational skills. They were supported to pursue the TVET trades of their choice by providing them with school fees, working with the training centers for their internship, and appropriately integrating them in community-related jobs through collaboration with the private sector and employers, but also enabling them with start-up kits for self-employment. The programme provided TVET and apprenticeship support to 1,805 adolescent girls and young women.

From 2022 to 2027, FXB Rwanda is implementing a reformed Igire - Turengere Abana programme with the goal of reducing vulnerability and HIV incidence among orphans and vulnerable children, their households, and adolescent girls and young women. In the last fiscal year, the programme has served 502 (100.4 per cent of the annual target) adolescent girls and young women with TVET support.

TVET support has impacted the lives of 2,307 people whom 70 per cent have developed economic opportunities and become economically self-reliant. The main trades pursued by adolescent girls and young women after being oriented by technical persons are hairdressing and tailoring.

Beyond the acquisition of TVET skills, the programme reached out to beneficiaries with services related to HIV prevention, care and treatment, violence prevention and response, and education.

Currently, the programme is being implemented in Huye, Nyanza and Rwamagana districts

For more information visit: https://www.fxbrwanda.org/