Unity is strength. Until recently, Theophile Nikuze would have brushed this off as one of those many adages society keeps reeling off.

But with firsthand experience of how working together can impact the dreams of a farmer, Nikuze has a testimony to inspire others like herself when she compares the past when she worked as an individual for many years and the few years since she and other few members founded a cooperative.

Nikuze, 47, a mother of seven, says she used to live hand-to-mouth, which made raising her family difficult.

"We used to live in extreme poverty because of using rudimentary farming methods which resulted in low yields,” she says.

Nikuze says it is how most of people, especially the vulnerable rural women in her neighbourhood, lived.

"We were the most vulnerable and lived a hard life, our children used to suffer from malnutrition,” she says.

However, in 2012, Nikuze and her neighbours founded a savings cooperative where they saved some money to pay community-based health insurance, Mituelle de Santé, and buy other basic necessities.

"Through the cooperative, we raised funds and bought proper beddings as we used to sleep on mats, we also bought domestic animals to rear. Some of us have goats while others have pigs,” Nikuze says.

"Previously, we could not express ourselves as women and we were marginalised in the society. We depended on our husbands, and our role in family promotion was limited.”

Acquired financial support

The Hagurukana Umwete farming cooperative that Nikuze started with friends to improved their livelihood – one of the 50 cooperatives in Muko Sector in Musanze District – comprises 30 members.

The cooperatives were founded years back and members worked together to improve their livelihood through various activities such as arts and crafts, livestock and farming.

It was not until last year that the cooperatives secured support from Action Aid International through Faith Victory Association (FVA).

The support was meant to help them put more efforts and work together to further improve their living conditions, according to the project managers.

Members of cooperatives say the financial support came along with hands-on skills on how to improve the productivity of their farms and work on other art and craft projects.

Currently, each cooperative is engaged in modern farming, with members saying that although a year is not enough to register good benefits, the future is promising.

The three-year project will see Rwf527 million spent in supporting farmers in both financing their activities and in capacity building.

"We were given 36 pigs and we have managed to buy a plot of land where we practice modern farming. We have been trained on how to plant vegetables to fight malnutrition and every member has vegetables in their homes,” Nikuze says.

Besides, they wish to own cows in the near future.

"We are no longer dependent on our husbands. Through our cooperative, we can save and manage to buy basic necessities. We pay our own health insurance, buy clothes for our children. Life has changed so much for the better,” she says.

We started from scratch but in the few years we have been at it, we have managed to achieve a lot and are still working harder together to get more.”

Other women in various cooperatives in the area also said their lives have improved since they started getting support from the project.

"The project has helped us graduate from absolute poverty, though we still have a long way to go. We are grateful and optimistic for a bright future. We deal in banana seeds multiplication and we make baskets and other art and craft products,” Christine Musabyimana, the president of Hugukirwa cooperative, said.

"Today, every member of our cooperative sleeps in real beds, not straws and mats, and we all have domestic animals and are self-reliant. The cooperative helps us come together to discuss how to develop ourselves.”

Local leaders also hailed the project for supporting vulnerable women fight poverty.

"Most of the women were vulnerable, but they were trained on how to work in cooperatives to improve farming methods and engage in savings,”said Jean Pierre Munambaraga, an agronomist at Cyuve Sector.