How one man is transforming the lives of housemaids

How valuable are house-helps in our day to day lives? That is a question that many people never ask themselves. All one thinks about is employing the next maid and hoping that they do their duties as assigned. But not Lyhotely Ndagijimana. Seven years ago, he launched an organisation that focuses on helping house-helps to build a future by equipping them with various skills since most of them have little or no education. The organisation, which he called Association for Defence of the Human Rights (ADBEF), is based in Kimisagara in Nyarugenge District and has over 500 beneficiaries. Some of the beneficiaries of the organisation pose for the camera. Equipped with his degree in Sociology, Ndagijimana started finding ways to help maids to develop a savings culture, educating them on their rights and being their voice in circumstances where abuse has been reported. “Maids usually mind more about the present and less about the future, that’s why when they get their salaries they spend them on material things. I came up with this organisation to give them the necessary skills to help them prepare a bright future,” he said. Some of the beneficiaries now have bank accounts while others use mobile accounts for their savings. Lyhotely Ndagijimana, president of Association for Defence of the Human Rights. (Courtesy) Ndagijimana explains that maids come to his office with various issues, including sexual and physical abuse, especially by their bosses, and their employers’ refusal to pay them their salaries. ADBEF with help from the Police and the National Commission for Human Rights, helps the victims by doing advocacy for them until they get justice. Ndagijimana is proud of the maids for their ability to change their mindset since it’s usually the major area for one to develop. Housemaids, some who are as young as 20, during a morale boosting session before a training session. “Helping maids helps the society in general. For instance, when a maid is sexually abused, she most of the time becomes ashamed to go back to her family and could end up on the street as a prostitute. In the end, this brings about a whole lot of different other problems. What we are trying to do is foresee a problem and try to solve its root cause,” he says. Liza Ishimwe is a 21 year old maid who had been in the profession for over two years. She says that in all those years she had no penny to her name because the thought of her being able to plan for her future had never really crossed her mind. “All I focused on was my clothing. I didn’t know that the amount I make a month would turn out to be something big and really useful,” she says. With help from the association, she has so far saved Rwf60,000 on her account and has bought two goats which her mother helps to rear. A training session for the housemaids where they are taught about their rights and how to save. “There is indeed a huge difference in my life financially and, on the other hand, it’s also assuring that we have an organisation that looks out for us,” she adds. Ishimwe is now optimistic that someday, she will start up her own business. Béatrice Uwineza is a 25 year-old woman and one of ADBEF beneficiaries. She says that this organisation came in handy and has helped restore the maids’ dignity. “Maids deserve to live a decent life; for those who mistreat maids, I think they should reconsider their actions because maids are humans too. All the people are same, only the circumstances set us apart,” Uwineza says. She credits the organisation for helping her and impacting her life in a positive way. “I now have Rwf100,000 worth of savings on my account and I want to continue saving because I have plans of leaving my current job to start up a small business in the future,” she says. Some of the maids during a break from a training session. (Courtesy photos) Ange Nyirantezimana also appreciates the work of the organization because she now knows how to save. “I used to spend all my money in unfulfilling things like going out to have fun. The organisation has now trained us on different aspects and, as of now, I have saved Rwf120,000 on my account,” she says. The maids are trained three times a week and it’s done after midday when they are done with their chores so that it doesn’t interfere with their work. The organisation operates in Nyarugenge, Nyakabanda, Kimisagara and Gitega though it plans to extend to other parts of the city. In a recent interview with The New Times, the Director of Labour in the Ministry of Public Service and Labour, Alexander Twahirwa, blamed employers who mistreat their maids and requested that such cases should always be brought before justice. He urged maids to always work under cooperatives as this can be the best way to solve certain issues, including those of health insurance. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

Lifestyle

How one man is transforming the lives of housemaids