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Speciose Ntamfurayishyali is a 48-year-old head of household in Karenge Sector of Rwamagana District in Rwanda’s Eastern Province. After she lost her husband in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Speciose became the sole breadwinner for her family, raising four sons. From 1994 through 2004, her family eked out a meager living, depending solely on the family land where they practiced small scale farming, which barely supported their basic food needs. The family lived in a tiny mud house; and Speciose struggled to pay school fees for her boys beyond primary school.
In 2005, Speciose joined “TERIMBERE MUHINZI” Cooperative (“Develop yourselves, farmers!”) that produces and supplies tomatoes to a tomato processing plant in Rwanda’s capital Kigali. In 2004, the cooperative received a $20,000 grant from USAID’s PL 480 Title II Development Activity Program (DAP) implemented by ACDI/VOCA. The grant assisted 120 farmers to access improved agricultural inputs, including seeds and fertilizer to increase production of tomatoes. In addition, farmers of TERIMBERE received training and technical support on improved tomato production techniques. All members of the cooperative significantly increased their productivity and earnings from the support provided by DAP. Speciose emerged a top performer in adopting the new production techniques, increasing her earnings from tomato production seven-fold in just two years.
”My own life and that of my sons tremendously improved after I joined the cooperative,” says Speciose. “With the increased earnings, I was able to expand and renovate my house, from a mud brick house to a cement house with an iron sheet roof and additional rooms. I also bought a new plot of land worth Rwf 1 million ($1,750) where I’m planning to construct a new house in the umudugudu (grouped settlement). I bought additional land and expanded my plantations up to 3.5 hectares (8.6 acres); and I have since acquired 2 water pumps worth Rwf 700,000 ($1,250),” Speciose continues with pride. “While some other community members have to sell a part of their land to be able to pay school fees for their children, I easily pay school fees for my 3 sons who are now in secondary school. I have paid dowry for my eldest son who is now married, and I am able to provide temporary employment to 10-20 workers per season. We now have access to health insurance. I am also able to deposit savings in the bank after each season and this has made me eligible for a bank loan. In addition to a cow received from the District, I own some goats, sheep, and poultry.”
Speciose has become a role model in her community. She believes that if women like her can get support through projects such DAP, they can greatly improve the livelihoods of their families. In 2008, Speciose received a Fresian-breed milking cow from the local government in recognition of her hard work. She is widely recognized as a citizen of high esteem and was elected as a sitting member in the gacaca court, a community justice system established for genocide crimes
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