When Pacifique Havugimana and 10 other colleagues were released from Iwawa Rehabilitation Center in 2013, they were encouraged to engage in income generating activities.

They thus formed a cooperative called "Ubuzima Bushya Iwacu” engaged in carpentry and welding in Kacyiru, Gasabo District.

In 2016, they approached Business Development Fund (BDF), which supported them with Rwf10 million worth of equipment. Fifty per cent of the money was a grant.

They are supposed to pay back Rwf7.5 million by 2021 when interest rates are factored.

The joint support of five machines, the cooperative says, greatly facilitated production, improved quality and efficiency in their business.

Previously, their business operations used to be conducted manually.

"When we started, each member contributed Rwf40,000 as capital share but those who want to join, we will ask them Rwf200,000 because our roots are growing firm,” he said.

Under their arrangement, a member of the cooperative can also secure financing on his/her own but contribute 10 per cent of their income to the cooperative.

This is the route that Havugimana—who makes chairs, cupboards, beds, chairs and other home furniture—would later opt for.  

In April this year, though the cooperative, he secured a loan of Rwf500,000. He will only pay back half of that amount as BDF has allowed to pay the rest.

The loan helped him to acquire more tools and raw materials that he was previously lacking.

"I have doubled my production and quality in my business has improved,” Havugimana said, adding that his income has since increased from between Rwf150,000 and Rwf300,000 from between Rwf50,000 and Rwf100,000.

Havugimana and his colleagues have also managed to overcome drug addiction.

The 32 year old is now married with one child.

He says that he has now set his eyes on working so hard to construct his own house.

Cooperative’s vision

According to Ramadhan Munyankuyu, the Vice President of Ubuzima Bushya Iwacu cooperative, their goal is to raise money so they can buy their land and relocate their cooperative workshop by next year.

They also seek to increase the number of machines that they have.

"We were used to manual tools but after we got automatic machines from BDF to handle planks, the work became easy, the production and clients have increased. Each member of the cooperative has a business and they contribute 10 per cent of their income to contribute to cooperative development,” he noted.