Upskilling: Starting a small business also helps others
Lenatha was able to start her own tailoring business, thanks to communal action
Alemshet Teshale
Lenatha Mukagasigwa lost both parents when she was quite young. She didn’t know what to do and would wander from house to house in her village in Rwanda looking for small jobs.
She wasn’t able to attend school and, at the age of 16, she fell pregnant. Fortunately, an old woman in her village took her in and gave her and her newborn daughter shelter. The woman could barely look after herself and already depended on charity from others.
Lenatha often felt all alone and hopeless since her casual jobs hardly brought in enough money for her, her baby and her kind guardian.
When the chance arose to learn tailoring skills from a benevolent old man, Lenatha jumped at the chance. Soon she was able to create all sorts of garments and cloths, but was not able to hire or buy herself a sewing machine.
All that changed when she stumbled upon ForAfrika’s Village Saving and Loan Association (VSLA) programme.
What are VSLAs?
VSLAs are savings groups that use members’ own savings to lend to each other. According to VSL Associates: “VSLAs have transformed marginalised communities worldwide, mobilising local savings, which provide members with a means to cope with emergencies, help to manage household cash-flow, build a capital base and, crucially, re-build social networks, solidarity and trust.”
Most importantly, they are “are local, self-managed, sustainable, secure and highly profitable”.
“Once I joined as a member, my life has drastically changed,” says Lenatha. “Not only I can afford for savings, I also got a loan and bought a tailoring machine. I no longer depend on working in neighbours’ lands, but now I can generate income from sewing. I don’t feel alone and hopeless anymore; I belong now in a group and I have hope for the future.”
She now dreams of teaching other young single mothers about tailoring, but she will need more machines.
Alemshet Teshale is Programme Manager in Rwanda
