5^th October, 2022 - Villagers in Murambi Sector, Rulindo District, Kamubuga in Gakenke District, and Kansi Sector in Gisagara District, are very satisfied with the impact of the support received from Spark Microgrants. The graduation ceremonies held in the above sectors gave villagers an opportunity to celebrate the achievements that they attained over the past three years. At the events held on 14th, 15th, and 21st respectively, villagers shared how the Facilitated Collective Action Process (FCAP) has changed their lives by enhancing their ability to implement their pathways and increasing their savings.

One of the Community Based Facilitators (CBFs) in Murambi Sector said that the first part of the support provided by Spark MG was a series of training sessions that provided village members with the skills and knowledge to choose and implement their own projects. “The first thing we are proud of is the FCAP training we got from Spark trainers and community-based facilitators (CBFs). It gave us the opportunity to create saving groups based on the goals we set and helped us achieve them," he said. “We had a small saving group and we were giving each other money. After a while we had to split the money we collected, each of us getting about RwF 30,000. It was nothing for the members. The FCAP meetings gave us the opportunity to plan effective projects and this was achieved.  We started with goat and sheep farming projects and after starting our project COVID-19 came and we wondered what we will do to overcome that. In August 2021, Spark MG stepped in and they offered financial support to help us overcome the impact of Covid-19”, a CBF highlighted.

Marie Claire, a village member from Murambi Sector said Village members used to work in small groups and had no goals. “Members of the community used to save money and share the profits, but there was no end to it. Our goal was to eat and get treatment, without any step forward . "When Spark Microgrants settled in our sector, we welcomed the idea to work together as a community despite various challenges”.

Albert, Spark's Program Director, urged the villagers to ensure the sustainability of the project achieved so far. “After investing over RwF 200 million to support village projects, it would be a shame if you don’t continue working together to achieve shared goals and strengthen the culture of savings. Anything gained in the past will be wasted”,  Albert told the villagers, adding that “If you manage to save about  Frw 35 million in 3 years, it is clear that you can always achieve more without waiting for someone. And what is needed here is the collaboration that Spark MG is striving for and that villagers are encouraged to own as a community”.

Theoneste of Mbatabata Cell, Kamubuga Sector said their agricultural activities were not productive before Spark MG and few people had domestic animals at home. “When Spark started, it was an opportunity to show the benefits of working together as a community and how we can generate more profit. They taught us how to save a lot of money starting from Frw 100 brought in the group by each member. They gave us grants to buy livestock such as sheep and cows and other group members received chickens that now produce eggs for their families. In my family, we are now adding eggs to have a balanced diet, which has helped address nutritional issues. Villagers also benefited from the sheep farming project. This does not only provide fertilizer for agricultural activities to increase yields but also to bring more cash income to the community. We were able to obtain fertilizer and milk to feed our children”, Theoneste noted.

Epiphanie of Mbatabata Cell, Kamubuga said the agricultural production in her two fields before the Spark project was between 50 kg and 100 kg.
“After implementing selected projects with the help of Spark MG, I was able to procure fertilizer and increase crop production from 200kg to 300kg. Among other benefits, I was able to buy the forest for RwF 300,000 from the dung and sheep I sold for Frw40,000. Also, compared to the situation before the project, I can easily get daily meals and easily cover other basic needs," she proudly says. Epiphanie also said that as a woman, she is proud to have gained so much knowledge and skills through the FCAP process. “Before the FCAP meeting, I didn’t have the confidence to speak in public and had to stay at home alone. Now I go to village meetings to express my thoughts, and I can also save money and care for my family. I can also contribute to my family’s well-being and get what I want without waiting for my husband to take care of all my personal needs” she emphasized.

The Executive Secretaries of the three Sectors thanked Spark Committees for their assistance in mobilizing villagers for government programs.
“At first, health insurance was not part of villages’ plan. We discussed how urgent this goal was and they quickly understood. They worked with all village members and loaned them money to pay for their health insurance, which allowed us to go from 0.7% to 76% in a very short time”, the Executive Secretary of Murambi Sector noted.

Kansi Sector Executive Secretary said families in his sector are able to meet basic family needs such as medical insurance, household utensils, and clothing. “Our Sector has now 557 cows generating a net profit of over Frw32 million. We also have 26 motorbikes that have earned over RwF 11 million so far. All this helped Kansi villagers to address community issues and improve their sense of community connectedness,” he explained at the graduation ceremony.

Local leaders encouraged villagers to continue working together, act on the goals they set, and promote transparency and accountability in all their actions. Alexis, Inyenyeri representing Bucyaba Village, Kamubuga Sector, said members have built a village office at 12 million. “The facility was built using savings and in-kind contributions from the community. Two more community houses are under construction in two other villages. They are expected to help create new business opportunities for the local community and improve their social and economic well-being”, he said.

The Program Director at Spark MG, Albert said the graduation ceremony is an opportunity for the villagers to show what they have achieved and how far we have come with the villagers who have benefited from the project. “There are many great achievements in the districts that are graduating today. We work in rural areas where people are engaged in agriculture which provides work and income to villagers. Most of the projects that villagers chose to undertake are usually related to livestock such as cattle and pig rearing. “They have the opportunity to keep these animals in their homes, which contributes economically to several factors. They harvest manure to fertilize the fields and increase agricultural production. It's also contributing to an increase in the number of people and households eating two to three meals a day that wasn't the case before," said Albert.

Among other things, villagers have set up savings groups, with each group having a purpose, such as meeting basic family needs, paying for health insurance, or household items. He said the project has improved social cohesion among villagers, and improved citizen engagement and participation in other village programs. “People were not attending meetings, but following Spark’s model, FCAP the number of people attending meetings increased.  Another factor is hygiene: when people come to meetings, they make sure they're clean and properly dressed," he said.

The FCAP model significantly contributed to Women’s participation in meetings and leadership committees. “We see at least 45% of women leading the process, and statistics show that about 60% of participants are women. During meetings, we encourage women to speak up and express their thoughts without fear, explained Albert, the Program Director. Regarding the sustainability of project outcomes, Albert called on district and sector authorities to ensure monitoring and follow-up of various projects through existing structures at various levels. “This is not only about monitoring and follow-up, but also about being transparent and accountable for everything community members do, and ensuring that the funds and resources they provide at the village level are managed in a transparent manner”, he urged local leaders adding that “this is a way to encourage beneficiaries to think beyond what they see in their village, know their needs and make sure they know how to address them”.

Aimé François, the Deputy Mayor in charge of Economic Development in Gakenke District, thanked Spark MG for its support in helping village members overcome various economic challenges they faced prior to the project, saying that the district and sector authorities are committed to helping villagers ensure the sustainability of what they achieved. “We are working with sector staff, especially veterinarians and agronomists, and the FCAP Committee to put in place a follow-up framework that will help us share information and know how to address public concerns in a timely manner”. He said the project has helped the district achieve most of its performance goals not only in the Kamubuga Sector but across the district.
“Citizens who keep cattle cannot ask for health insurance. Knowing the importance of insurance, they decided to pay for it themselves" said the Deputy Mayor.

A total of 29 villages in Murambi Sector, 29 in Kansi, and 36 in Kamubuga received support amounting to Frw634 million from Spark Microgrants to implement their chosen projects. During the Covid-19 period, Spark MG provided support of Frw927,000 to each village in order to help them cope with the effects of COVID-19. Villages have been encouraged to work together to save money. Village members in the three sectors have saved over Frw85 million that help villagers in their social and economic activities.

In the three sectors, 188 CBFs and 12 SEDOs followed different training programs under the FCAP model. The FCAP training process was completed successfully in all villages. In Murambi Sector, members of different villages showed that after the FCAP process, the CBFs and FCAP leaders had demonstrated the ability to lead them well in this process, and relying on their strong facilitation capabilities, they elected them to be leaders of their villages or to lead them in other village programs.

Across the three sectors, 188 CBFs and 12 SEDOs have completed various training courses based on the FCAP model. This is the same for all villages, having completed all planned training as part of the FCAP process.