Meet the Communities

The Genocide in 1994 devastated Rwanda and traumatized the population. World Dance for Humanity is bringing help…and hope…to 28 Rwandan communities struggling to survive and create a sustainable livelihood for themselves.

These communities are organized as government-sanctioned cooperatives. Each co-op was formed by people with something in common who decided to pool their labor in an effort to stay alive. As you will see below, the profiles of these groups are quite varied. There are groups of widows, orphans, former sex-workers, unwed mothers, AIDS victims, poor farmers, and members of the previously warring ethnic groups (Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa) – all of whom now depend on each other to survive – with the help of World Dance for Humanity.

We provide donations of LIVESTOCK (goats and cows) for basic survival, TRAINING in agriculture, business, and leadership, EDUCATION STIPENDS for students who would otherwise never have the chance to attend school, and support for SMALL BUSINESSES managed collectively by each co-op. The key to these ventures is that the ideas and planning come from the co-op members themselves. Justin Bisengimana, our Rwanda Program Director, works with the leadership of the communities all year long to develop and implement their plans. The business plans are being carefully vetted by the finance people on the WD4H Board. We are working with each community to monitor income and expenses.

A note on Never Again Fellowship: Never Again Fellowship is a group of eleven cooperatives (identified by an * in the list below) focused on reconciliation and forgiveness among the formerly warring Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups, and on integration of the Twa (Pygmy) people, a historically marginalized minority within Rwandan society. In 2008, 12 people made the courageous move to overcome the trauma they still bore and decided to stay alive by pooling their efforts to create a sustainable collective economy. Goats for Life and World Dance for Humanity have donated many goats and cows, giving families the means to survive. There are now 5,000+ people in Never Again, divided into 12 Cooperatives. Each is working hard to create a sustainable livelihood through agriculture and livestock and has planned for a business venture to sustain the community.

Please contact Janet Reineck if you would like to know more about the communities or contribute to the work we are doing in partnerships with these communities.

Click on an image to learn more about each community:

ABADACOGORA

“Those Who Never Give Up”

• Widows and orphans on the outskirts of Kigali
• Founded in 2013 by 40 members
• Current population: 415
• WD4H Donations: Goats, Farmland, Student Sponsorships
• Business Funded: Goat Farm, Crop Reselling Store

The Abadacogora Cooperative is located on a steep hillside on the outskirts of Kigali. Established in 2013, it is made up of 40 households comprised mostly of Genocide widows and their children. They banded together, each giving a small amount of cash to start businesses selling charcoal and livestock. In 2013, World Dance for Humanity gave 40 goats and funding to build a shed for the animals. This yields fertilizer for their gardens and the sale of goats supplement their very limited income. They are hoping to fund a small business of buying and storing food during harvest times to sell in Kigali during when when food is scarce.

ABAGARUKANARUMURI*

“Those Who Return With Light”

• Single mothers in the Kayonza District
• Founded in 2013
• Current population: 484
• WD4H Donations: Goats, Farmland, Family Planning Project, Student Sponsorships

Abagarukanarumuri Co-op was founded in 2013 by six young women. It is entirely made up of single mothers, of whom 80% became pregnant while still in high school, forcing them to leave home and drop out of school. They decided to come together to create a new family after being rejected by their families. The co-op now has 60 members from 56 households, with a total population of 392 people.

When we met the Abaga women in August of 2019, we listened to tragic testimonies of those who had become pregnant while in their teens. Most of them had been forced to quit school. Many had been abused by family members and forced to leave their homes. All were ostracized by the community and cast adrift in poverty and shame. We have given them goats, cows, mattresses to sleep on, and are helping them finish high school. In August 2019, Janet raised the funds for her 65th birthday to buy the Abaga women a piece of land so they can begin farming on a larger scale.

The number of young women becoming pregnant out of wedlock is directly linked to the level of poverty in Rwanda, as young women have sex in exchange for basic necessities like food and clothing. Kayonza, the district in Eastern Rwanda where Abaga is located is one of the poorest regions and has one of the highest rates of unwed mothers. This has increased dramatically due to effects of COVID – with poverty on the rise.

As soon as COVID restrictions lift, the women of Abaga we will be launching a Family Planning Outreach Program with this co-op. These women, in partnership with local health practitioners, will go out to other co-ops to educate young women about the consequences of premarital sex. They are the best ones to train others about the importance of preventing pregnancy, having lived it and suffered so much because of it.

ABAHARANIRAMAHORO*

“Those Who Strive for Peace”

• Women singers in the Kayonza District
• Founded in 2008
• Current population: 470
• WD4H Donations: Cows, Mattresses, Student Sponsorships
• Business Funded: Event Rentals, Pig Farm

Abaharaniramahoro was formed by a talented group of singers, some of whom also knew how to play musical instruments. As the co-op grew, thanks to donations of livestock and farmland, they knew they needed to come up with a business idea that would support the entire community.

The co-op members decided that their skills would fit perfectly with the local need for an event business, so with a grant from the Procter & Gamble Alumni Foundation, they now have a very successful Event Rental Business, providing services to weddings, baptisms, political events, funerals, and other large gatherings. Abaha is also one of the leading co-ops in our Permagarden and Cookstove programs. Their next enterprise will be a Pig Farm!

ABAKUNDANA

“People Who Love Each Other”

• Twa (Pygmies) in southwest Rwanda
• Founded in 2012
• Current population: 465
• WD4H Donations: Cows, Goats, Mattresses, Student Sponsorships
• Business Funded: Sewing Business & Workshop, Reusable Menstrual Pad Project

In 2011, this group of pygmies left their isolated forest life to enter into modern Rwandan society as farmers and entrepreneurs. A centuries-old life of hunting and digging clay to make pottery has been replaced by a new identity and a new way of life. The Abakundana Cooperative began in 2012 with 50 members – it has now grown to a population of over 400.

The World Dance visit to the Twa (Pygmy) community in the southwest corner of Rwanda in June 2013 was the first contact the Twa had ever had with “Muzungus” (foreigners). Our encounter was rapturous — dancing together, embracing, reaching into each other’s hearts and lives.

Working together with our Rwanda team, the co-op researched business opportunities based on their experience and the market demand in the Bugarama District, home to 4,000 people. They found that the existing sewing industry did not meet the needs of local consumers. The business they envisioned would offer high quality, affordable clothing (primarily dresses and school uniforms) and clothing repairs to meet the demands of low- to middle-income clients.

Thanks to a gift from the Geiger family, the Twa were able to purchase 8 treadle sewing machines and hire a professional seamstress to train the women. The machines were delivered in June of 2014 during a visit by the World Dancers. We watched them use scissors and thread a needle for the first time. After a year of training and practice, the Twa opened their Sewing Business in June 2015. The women are now proud seamstresses with a successful business. They also are one of our four co-ops working on a “Reusable Menstrual Pad Project” to provide this critical resource for local women.

Because of ongoing border tensions with nearby countries, we haven’t been able to visit Abakundana since 2016, but their sewing business is still going strong and their community is doing very well!

ABISHYIZEHAMWE

“United People”

• Poor farmers, mostly women
• Founded in 2011
• Current population: 311
• WD4H Donations: Cows, Goats, Bikes, Student Sponsorships
• Businesses Funded: Bakery, Grain Mill

Located in the remote mountains of northern Rwanda, this co-op was founded in 2011 by 25 poor farmers, mostly women, trying to survive by pooling their labor. There are now 149 members. Their land was decent, but they could never afford livestock or fertilizer. The community went to World Vision in 2012 for help but didn’t receive funding because they’re too small and isolated for the large aid groups to work with. They heard about the other Cooperatives WD4H is assisting and appealed to Justin to be included in our program. Our initial donations to the community included 30 goats and a cow in December of 2013.

Between 2017 and 2018, the community received three more cows: Jefferson, DeeJay, and Georgie – all donated by WD supporter Donna Eyman. Between the three of them, they have already produced 4 healthy calves!

The long-term vision of this community has been to improve their farming by introducing more livestock and to start a bakery. There is only one bakery in the area, 3 hours away that brings bread to the remote Abishyizehamwe community once a week. The community researched the viability of building their own bakery and thought long and hard about how to make it successful. They saw a strong market for the product: their community of 3,000 people including 2,000 students at 3 local boarding schools they will sign contracts with for 2 deliveries per week.

The bakery was funded in 2016 by WD4H supporter Michelle Joanou – and has been prospering ever since! The community learned many lessons from Tubeho bakery which was started a year earlier, and in turn has helped Good Family, our student co-op, launch their own bakery. This cross-training is a crucial part of our Rwanda business program.

The next step in growing their enterprise is to acquire a Grain Mill. This will not only allow them to grind their own grains for baking, but also offer milling services to local villagers.

BAHO

“Live”

• Located near Abishyizehamwe
• Founded in 2018
• Current population: 355
• WD4H Donations: Goats, Student Sponsorships

The Baho Cooperative is one of our newest communities, having joined the WD4H family in 2019. The co-op is made up of poor farmers who came together in 2018 with the hope of expanding their farming enterprise. Baho has been working steadily with our Rwanda Team on their leadership and management skills, as well as developing a business idea to sustain the co-op into the future. Because of their location, they are fortunate to have the chance to be mentored by Abishyizehamwe, one of our veteran co-ops nearby that runs a bakery.

COKAWI

“Wake Up and Improve Yourself”

• Former sex workers on the outskirts of Kigali
• Founded in 2008
• Current population: 261
• WD4H Donations: Farmland, Irrigation System, Water Pump, Student Sponsorships
• Business Funded: Chicken Coop

The Cokawi Cooperative was founded in 2008 by 16 former female sex workers and orphans with HIV-AIDS. They pooled their ideas and energy to build a new life in the outskirts of Kigali. The co-op has grown to 183 members, relying on their goats, rabbits, and meager crops for sustenance. The Rwandan government gave Cokawi a 2.5-acre parcel of marshland to farm, but traditional methods of irrigation and draining are poor, and the crop yield is low, about 10% of what it would be if the land were well drained and fertilized.

Years ago, co-op members started looking into how they could improve the land to increase the harvest and create a viable goat and farm business. They arrived at a method of digging furrows and draining the land and so it can be readied for crops. They received a grant from a WD4H donor to convert the marshland to farmland and protect it from erosion. They used the funds to buy tools, hire an expert to help with technical aspects of the project, and hire some of the labor (all but two of the members are women and most of the members have AIDS). In 2017, the same donor provided funds to install an irrigation system to support the crops during the dry season (June to September).

In 2017 and 2018, WD4H supporters Starr Siegele and Larry Feinberg sponsored two intensive Permagarden trainings for our co-ops. Tom Cole, Permagarden expert, spent two weeks in Rwanda teaching representatives from each co-op the fundamentals of this simple, yet highly effective and sustainable, way of farming. Cokawi has benefitted greatly from these training, as they have the largest single plot of land in all our communities – which is now our largest (and most productive) permagarden!

COPAKIKA (Ubumwe Bwacu)

“Our Unity”

• Women Genocide survivors on the outskirts of Kigali
• Founded in 2007
• Current population: 427
• WD4H Donations: Cows, Goats, Mattresses, Permagarden Project, Student Sponsorships

Copakika was founded in 2007 by a group of female Genocide survivors who banded together in the hope of improving their lives. After forming the cooperative, they were received a plot of land from the government but were having a hard time making ends meet. We adopted them as a co-op in 2017 and gave them 70 mattresses – one for every woman who had been sleeping on thin mats on the ground. Many of these women suffer from AIDS and the mattresses have made a big difference in their lives. We delivered 60 goats to them on January 2018, which has given them manure for their crops and a small income. We are working on helping them develop a business that will sustain this large community.