Scheme set up to help women coffee growers in Rwanda

Congratulations are in order for over 800 Rwandan women who have recently completed a twelve-month course devoted to learning about modern and viable coffee growing practices.

The programme, run by a non-government supported entity Sustainable Harvest Rwanda, is hoping to break down gender barriers, inequalities and other roadblocks that often stand in the way of women being fully recompensed for their work.

Despite being the backbone to a blossoming and crucial industry that has long been central to the country’s economy and culture, women are rarely rewarded for their labour and often end up taking a back seat.

“In Rwanda, women have become a driving economic force,” commented Marcus Young, the director of business operations of Sustainable Harvest Rwanda.

“Our goal is to foster partnerships that maximise opportunities for women enrolled in our programme to learn new skills, access jobs and connect with new global markets so they can thrive financially; contributing to their families and ultimately creating a more stable and prosperous future.”

One person to benefit from the year-long course is Jeanne Murekatete, a coffee farmer based in the Kayonza district of the country.

“These days I am more than just a housewife; I am also a coffee producer, member and president of a cooperative and a coffee specialist,” she told members of the local press.

It is hoped that over the next couple of years to project hopes to improve the livelihood of around 3,500 low-income women farmers by teaching them the basis of transparent trade, increase their harvests, create business relationships with international buyers and improve the sustainability of their farms and local communities.

“There is no doubt that Rwanda is moving in the right direction,” remarked Claudine Mukeshima, another rural coffee farmer who enrolled on the course. She believes that this forward step is turning into a leap by equipping many women workers with the knowledge and skills required to improve.

“The benefits can already be seen,” Mukeshima added.