Bahoneza – Kinyarwanda, Rwanda Welfare, Social Welfare, Rwanda People, Nutrition and Diet, Rwanda Habitat, Living in Kigali

A sixty (60) year elderly man François Xavier Habiyakare, a residence of Tabagwe sector- Nyagatare District is reported to provide milk among his neighbours in a move to join the Government in the war against malnutrition; a social development he is proud of.

The old man was given a cow in local health advisors programme called “Gira inka Mujyanama. According to the cooperative Habiyakare was given an expectant cow that is now giving him about 10 litres of milk a day of which he sells 2 litres and the remaining 8 litres is distributed among the neighbours to fight malnutrition and kwashiorkor among the children.

During the celebration of the achievements of the health advisors of Tabagwe sector on the 31stAug.2012, Habiyakare gave them an example of a woman who recently gave birth in their village and he promised to provide them with one litre of milk per day.

Since this cow is milked 5 litres in the morning and 5 in the night, Habiyakare gives the morning milk to children, who bring grasses to the cow and for the evening and the milk in the evening he sells the 2 litres and remains with 3 litres for his family of 8 members.

He is grateful for this cow for providing good health to his family and his neighbours and he was able to get the 24.000francs to pay for mutuelle de santé medical insurance for all members of his family thanks to this cow.

Apart from improving the social welfare of his family members and his neighbours and being able to pay for the medical insurance of his family, Habiyakare says that this cow has boosted his farming production.

With the manure the cow provides, his production has increased tr4emendously as in the garden he used to get 1sack of maize production, he was able to harvest 5 sacks of maize production this time after using manure. Habiyakare intends to take good care of this cow to make other small projects that can develop him.

The administrative of Gatsibo District council has continued togive cows to the 1994 genocide against Tutsi survivors in Girinka program on behalf of FARG so as to ensure their social welfare.

On the 8^th.June.2012, about 12 cows were given to people in Kiramuruzi, Murambi, Muhura and Gasange sectors and were meant to replace cows that were rejected by district administration  because they never fulfilled the required criteria like having 50percent of the type of cows with enough milk production like Friesian cows, being pregnant and having more than 250 Kgs as the veterinarian of Gatsibo district Dr. Erneste Nsigaye explained.

Gatsibo district prepared to give out 25 cows in 2012 and in 2011, 40 cows were given out to the poor and genocide survivors and they were asked to take good care of those cows by feeding them well, drugging them on time and finding them good and clean kraals and to give to their neighbours when they multiply.

Those to get cows are chosen in their villages depending on the most poor among themselves, this will improve their social welfare with time as cows will increase and rotate among people to the extent that everyone will own a cow. Eating habits will be good, good production in farming through use of manure, and a change in economic statuses.

People who are not yet given cows were asked to remain patient as the program is still in process and only pregnant cows are being given so they will give birth soon and be rotated around.

Cette productrice de confiture se nomme Nyirantwari Henriette, vit dans le secteur Cyanika, district de Nyamagabe.

Pour produire cette confiture, elle se sert des plusieurs fruits comme les fraises, les prunes, la papaye, les goyaves et autres fruits. Elle s’approvisionne auprès des agriculteurs de la vallée entre Nyamagabe et Huye qui vendaient leur production à l’ex coopérative Configi spécialisée dans les confitures et jus de fruits.

A l’instar de la confiture, elle fabrique des jus à base des ananas et prunes. Elle vend sa production dans les alimentations des villes de Huye et Kigali.

Elle a débuté ses activités en 2000 après avoir achevé ses études universitaires dans le département « Food Sciences » au KIST.

Elle déclare : «  J’ai commencé par produire des jus et je les vendais aussitôt car je n’avais pas du matériel pour la conservation. Petit à petit j’ai pu montrer mes produits dans les expos. Au bout d’un moment, j’ai commencé à fabriquer des confitures ».

De par ses modestes moyens, elle n’est pas en mesure d’écouler ses produits hors du pays. « Pour augmenter la production de la confiture, cela demande beaucoup d’investissements et je n’ais pas cet argent. Il faudrait trouver des bouteilles où mettre mes produits, acheter les fruits avec les agriculteurs car ils ne peuvent pas vendre leurs produits sans qu’on puisse les payer… Alors que souvent, on ne me paie pas tout de suite lorsque j’écoule mes produits » a-t-elle indiqué.

Elle signale que les produits venant de l’Uganda sont moins chers que ses produits d’où cette aptitude des consommateurs de ne pas acheter sa production. Car le litre de confiture de sa production se vend 4000frs rwandais et est directement comestible.

Malgré tout, elle garde espoir que ses objectifs de développement seront atteints. A cet effet, depuis 12 ans qu’elle fabrique de la confiture, elle est parvenue d’acheter du matériel d’usine d’une valeur de 7 millions de francs rwandais. D’autant plus qu’elle a fait progressé seule puisqu’elle est veuve depuis 1998.

Nyirantwari projette d’agrandir son usine, en acquérant un véhicule essentiel dans l’écoulement des produits. Elle envisage de s’attaquer à la fabrication des biscuits car elle s’est déjà procuré le four nécessaire a la fabrication des biscuits.