A community of historically marginalised people living in Nyabageni village in Musanze sector, Musanze District, is slowly but surely emerging from a dark past.

The community is at the foot of the Gahinga volcanic mountain, and the inhabitants were previously scattered across the Volcanoes National Park before being resettled in the village.

Between 2012 and 2013, under a partnership between Rwanda Red Cross and the government, 20 modern houses were constructed, piped water brought to the community and goats and cows were distributed to the families to help improve their livelihood.

Some households also received solar power systems to light up their houses.

Research institute GSDRC defines a marginalised population as a group of people that is excluded from full participation in society. Marginalisation includes the withholding of political rights, economic opportunity and social integration.

In Rwanda, many efforts have been made by the government and different social actors to civilise various groups of people, particularly those that traditionally inhabited forests.

A peek into the past

Emmanuel Ndisanze, 45, is a resident in the village and among the people who were resettled in the village.

He told Sunday Times that his ancestors had lived in the forests for generations and knew nothing about civilisation.

"Their daily livelihoods revolved around hunting, which we also inherited,” he says before thanking the government for helping them to turn a new page.

Ndisanze says they now have access to public infrastructure like roads, schools, markets and health facilities, among others.

He says while still in the forests, they lived in houses they dubbed, ‘Kiramujanye’ (loosely translated as ‘it has taken him away’).

Kiramujanye were small grass-thatched houses without doors. Dubbing them ‘kiramujanye’ came from their experience with wild animals, especially hyenas that used to come during the night and prey on the occupants.

"Our lives were insecure. These animals would have finished us. We used to fetch water from a cave called Nyabageni. Imagine sharing water with animals,” he said.

Nyabageni cave is located about a kilometre from the village, according to Ndisanze, explaining that the village was named after the cave.

"However, today we live in good houses that we didn’t dream of owning. This is a gesture of love we can never forget. Our lives are secure and we are now focused on the development of our families and a bright future of our children,” he said.

Another resident, Jacqueline Nyirambabazi, observed that they used to be scattered and led socially and economically unproductive lives.

She is happy that they were given farming land and they have been able to start a savings cooperative which they expect will be a foundation for attaining development.

"We hope that as days pass by and the more we get training about cooperative management, we shall go further,” she says.

"We have also embraced the culture of hygiene and safety in our families. We are also fighting malnutrition among our children. Our children are in school, thanks to the school feeding programme,” Nyirambabazi adds.

Youth empowerment

With support from Rwanda Red Cross, youth from historically marginalised families in Nyange sector were trained in vocational skills and supported with start-up materials.

The Atelier Umugano, a cooperative for young boys, produces furniture from bamboo trees while the Atelier de Couture et Trecotage, a cooperative for girls does tailoring.

The cooperative of 15 young boys received training from a Chinese firm and they mainly make home and office furniture.

Innocent Dusabimana, the president of the cooperative said that grouping them together has empowered them to develop faster.

"Our families depended on pottery and most of us did not get a chance to study. We are blessed to have been selected for this support,” he says.

He affirms that in the eight months of operation, the cooperative has brought a tangible impact into their lives with some members now being able to buy domestic animals and saving some money.

Dusabimana says their target is to improve locally-made products and reaching international markets.

Immaculée Nyirabatware, a member of Atelier de Couture et Trecotage, said young females had been empowered to be self-reliant.

"Young girls in this region have been growing up thinking about marriage. We now concentrate our minds on work. Though it’s just the beginning, now I can afford basic items to use at home. I plan to buy some domestic animals for my parents,” she says.

Musanze District mayor Jean-Damascène Habyarimana said tremendous efforts had been invested into up- lifting that category of people from extreme poverty.

"We encourage them to join cooperatives so that they can support each other. We have observed that some people who were engaged in both farming and off-farm activities have already demonstrated ability to grow,” Habyarimana says.

"The only challenge we still face is a poor mindset among some people who are still stuck to their traditional lifestyles,” he adds.

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