One Hundred Women Reject Sexual Exploitation for Employment

At the invitation of Regina Pacis’ Fr. Conselateur and with leadership training by PICO-Rwanda, very poor women in Kigali have organized for self-employment through a co-op.

Cooperative Abanyamugisha (which means blessed ones) is an organization of 110 women who have supported themselves and their children through any means necessary, including unlawful practices. These vulnerable women are between the ages of 18 and 50 years old and live in poor neighborhoods of Kigali. Fr. Consolateur at Regina Pacis, Kigali’s largest Catholic parish, along with several parishioners who are members of small Christian communities, saw the need to support the group, learning that they are challenged by the consequences of the 1994 genocide. The women and their children share psychological scars from rape and trauma; HIV-AIDS; lack of education; poverty and unemployment; being widowed and responsible for young children; and being orphaned and left to care for younger siblings.

Through leadership training provided by PICO-Rwanda, the group identified interests and skills in marketing, hairdressing and cleaning. They met with the Mayor and Vice Mayor of Kigali, where they got an agreement to provide 15 million Rwf to start the co-op. They also negotiated an arrangement with parishioners who recently built a new market to provide space at reduced cost for the co-op.

Cooperative Abanyamugisha just signed a contract with the market owner, but challenges in getting to the market, getting paid, managing personal finances, managing the co-op, etc. are daunting. Despite this, they are already organizing to provide daycare, education and health care for themselves and their children.  One of the women commented, “For the first time I feel like I am a real person who can speak for myself.  We are all committed but we are still worried about how we will take care of our children or get them to school while we work.  We need your prayers and support.”