By Rose Mukagahizi
Esther Mukamurigo, a resident of Kabagari Sector in Ruhango District, is proud of how her life has changed with the support of the PRISM project. After receiving 10 laying hens from the project, she was able to move out of extreme poverty. What started with a few chickens gradually helped her acquire a goat and later a cow. Today, she is also helping others improve their lives by giving them chickens to raise.
Mukamurigo speaks highly of poultry farming and says, “Chickens are very valuable animals. They do not only provide eggs and meat, but they also give manure.”
She explains that before receiving support, she was living in very difficult conditions and surviving through extreme poverty. Later, she was selected among the beneficiaries of the PRISM project. Together with 29 others, they formed a group of 30 people. Through the project, they received different trainings, including lessons on how to fight poverty, and she was given 10 chickens.
She raised the chickens with great care. As they grew and started laying eggs, she sold the eggs at the market. From that income, she was able to buy a goat and eventually a cow.
She says, “When I look at the value these chickens have brought into my life, I see that they helped me become an entrepreneur. I raise chicks, grow them, and sell them at the market. This helped me increase my capital. I have already supported my fellow group members as well, and now I have reached a level of raising 600 chicks. My goal is to reach 2,500 chicks.”
In addition to this, she says that her cassava harvest has greatly improved because of the manure from the chickens. She also explains that in the past, her family rarely had eggs or milk. But now, that problem is gone, because their meals no longer miss eggs or milk.
Mukamurigo is also happy that she has reached a point where she can employ others. Some people work for her in the fields and she pays them. She has also started saving money, something she never imagined before.
Her efforts are appreciated by her neighbors, including Eustache Munyakazi, one of the people she has already supported with chickens. He says that many people now want to learn from her example.
The Vice Mayor of Ruhango District in charge of Economic Development, Rusilibana Jean Marie Vianney, praised the PRISM project for its important contribution to helping the district achieve its targets. These include making Ruhango one of the leading districts in reducing child malnutrition. The district reduced the rate from 39% to 22%. He also noted the project’s role in helping many residents move out of poverty. According to figures published by the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), Ruhango ranked among the top districts in the country in helping citizens overcome poverty during the first phase of the program.
PRISM is a project jointly implemented by the Government of Rwanda in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), through the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), and carried out under the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).
