Jean Baptiste Gatete and Daphrose Nyirabahenda, residents of Karama Village, Ruli Cell, Shyogwe Sector in Muhanga District, are expressing their gratitude for the support they received through a loan of 100,000 Rwandan Francs from the VUP (Vision Umurenge Programme), which has helped them start to lift themselves out of poverty. This family is targeted under the National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation (NSSG), a government initiative aimed at helping citizens sustainably escape poverty.

In June 2023, the family began thinking about what they could do to get out of the extreme poverty they were living in. Among the various programs designed to help citizens sustainably lift themselves out of poverty, they decided to apply for a VUP loan of 100,000 RWF, repayable over two years with an interest rate of 2%.

The Gatete invested this money in vegetable farming, growing a variety of vegetables which, they supply to Gitarama market. Since starting this agricultural activity, Nyirabahenda Daphrose, Gatete’s wife, says their household has started making tangible progress and has now reached a promising level.

“Growing vegetables means our family no longer lacks vegetables for home consumption, which helps us fight malnutrition. Also, the money we earn from selling vegetables helps us escape poverty. We managed to buy roofing sheets and built a small house to add to the one we already had. We bought a pig, which has since given birth to six piglets. In general, we are slowly but surely progressing”, she says.

The family has one child, a 5-year-old, and they demonstrate that they are continuing to work toward improving their lives. They acknowledge the progress they have made since joining the program to help families escape poverty.

Nyirabahenda adds that in addition to farming vegetables in a rented field in the valley, they have now also started growing vegetables and fruits near their home, which help them improve their nutrition. However, the family acknowledges that there is still a journey ahead before they can sustainably graduate from poverty as envisioned by the program, and they are requesting for continued support.

 “If we were lucky enough to receive another loan, this time a larger one like 200,000 or 300,000 RWF, it would enable us to expand our vegetable farming and accelerate our development.”

Although it appears that this family could be transitioned out of the support program, Nyirabahenda believes that they are not yet ready to graduate from assistance and is asking to be accompanied for at least two more years.

The local authorities of Shyogwe Sector confirm that the family could potentially graduate from the program. They note that this is one of the families in the Sector showing great promise, and that it is among those who deserve to graduate as provided by the  NSSG.