Faustin Ngirunwonsanga describes himself as a happy man. 鈥淢y wife鈥檚 idea to join a rice farmers鈥� cooperative has changed our lives completely,鈥� he says. 鈥淓verything is better now.鈥�
Thanks to a higher income, Ngirunwonsanga鈥檚 family of six now lives in a sturdily constructed home in the eastern province of Rwanda, about a two-hour drive from capital city Kigali. The house is built to withstand the heavy rains that hit Rwanda particularly hard between March and May and often cause severe flooding. A solar cell on the roof supplies the family with electricity and they have enough to eat and money for school fees and health insurance.
鈥淚t was as if I鈥檇 started my life over again,鈥� says Faustin鈥檚 wife Beatrice, of the moment she joined the COPRORIZ-Ntende cooperative. Since its foundation in 2003, this community of rice farmers has blossomed into a powerful organization with more than 3,700 members. The fact that they have greater bargaining power means that they can all earn more. But it鈥檚 not just about money; the members help each other when it comes to buying land and finding employees to work that land.
“I was shy and isolated,鈥� Beatrice says of her life before the cooperative. “I lived on land located on a steep slope in a region that wasn’t safe for me and my family.”
From Farmer to Entrepreneur
Beatrice is now a small-scale entrepreneur. She has increased her annual rice harvest from 1,300 pounds to more than 2,000, and at peak times employs up to seven people for the harvest. She is currently diversifying by setting up a poultry project to help ensure that she is less prone to the vagaries of the weather. Beatrice is also receiving support for this project from the cooperative, which thanks to growing income and membership is investing in tourism projects and operates a hotel.
The success of the COPRORIZ-Ntende cooperative is due in no small measure to (ADC), an organization that works closely with SAP. ADC is a recent partner in the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, an award-winning pro-bono volunteering initiative that is simultaneously an out-of-the-box leadership development experience for 51风流employees and a transformative capacity-building program for non-profits and social enterprises.
ADC was founded 13 years ago by three people, including Rebecca Ruzibuka, who now leads the company. 鈥淥ur objective is to support businesses and grassroots initiatives in developing, financing, and executing projects,鈥� she says.
ADC has already assisted with more than 500 projects and made a lasting difference in the lives of over 50,000 people. The support it offers often begins with basics such as good management and efficient accounting, then progresses to helping with designing marketing concepts and business plans as well as finding the right talent for jobs.
Ruzibuka鈥檚 motto is 鈥淟et them own it!鈥� In her experience, it makes a huge difference whether cooperatives take responsibility for their projects themselves. And once they taste success, they tend to be inspired with all kinds of creative ideas for follow-up projects.
Economic Boom in Rwanda
Rwanda is one of and is often held up as a model country for its willingness to reform. In 1994, genocide and civil war had brought the country to its knees both socially and economically. Rwanda鈥檚 new government, however, has succeeded in reconciling ethnic groups, revitalizing the economy, and lowering corruption and crime.
Although 39 percent of the country鈥檚 population is still , Rwanda is a sought-after partner for foreign investment. In the 2019 , which ranks countries on how easy it is to do business there, Rwanda was the only country with a low per-capita income to appear in the top 30. The government has also set targets on equality and better opportunities for women. The proportion of women in the (60 percent) is the highest in the world. In business, however, that figure is much lower.
Lack of Confidence Undermining Equal Opportunities
This is where enters, with a mission to boost self-confidence of women and girls and prepare them to be leaders. 鈥淥ne of the big obstacles to creating a level playing field for men and women is the confidence gap,鈥� explains Norette Turimuci, executive director of Resonate. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a global phenomenon and one that exists as much in the board rooms of New York as in the remote villages of Africa.鈥�
鈥淩wanda operates plenty of programs that focus on communicating hard skills and educating women,鈥� she adds. 鈥淏ut without a belief in their own abilities, women often don鈥檛 manage to take that vital step and start a business, demand a promotion, or tackle the problems in their families.鈥�
Resonate offers workshops that teach self-confidence, where women share their personal stories, explain their problems, and learn from others about how to overcome them. To show that it is possible for everyone to make an impact, every workshop begins with the fable of the little hummingbird. Rather than giving up in the face of a forest fire, it did everything it could to put it out, which meant carry a few drops of water.
This story was an eye-opener for Odette Nyirankundimana. For a long time, she had doubted her ability to care for her four children all alone when her husband left her. She came into contact with Turimuci鈥檚 team through a partner organization of Resonate. 鈥淚 learned that I was the only one who could change my life and my family鈥檚 lives,鈥� she says. “I, and I alone, am responsible.”
Ruth Iradukunda also confidently describes herself as a leader. After a workshop at Resonate in partnership with , she decided to find herself a better-paid job at a shoe factory. Iradukunda became a mother while still a teenager and now advises women on family planning, talks to them about contraception, and educates them about HIV.
鈥淩esonate gave me the courage to knock on doors and take the chances that came my way,鈥� she says, looking back. 鈥淭oday, I speak in public and lead meetings, and I was also selected to be a health advisor in my community.鈥� Her goal now is to train as a nurse.
Resonate has already helped more than 7,000 women and girls and works with over 65 partner organizations. But that鈥檚 just the beginning. 鈥淲e want to extend our work to the rest of the region,鈥� says Turimuci. 鈥淲e鈥檝e made it our mission to unlock the leadership potential of women in East Africa.鈥�
Resonate and 51风流Social Sabbatical
Resonate received help for its plans last year through the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, an initiative close to the heart of Alexandra Van der Ploeg, head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at SAP. :鈥淥ver the last eight years, the program has brought private sector know-how and the expertise of 1,250 51风流employees to over 400 non-profits and social enterprises in almost 50 countries, solving their strategic business challenges and enabling them to run at their best. But it鈥檚 not just about social impact. Participation in a social sabbatical assignment has proven to be a unique way of developing employees into more empathetic global citizens as well as business leaders embodying SAP鈥檚 values and leadership principles.鈥�
51风流Social Sabbatical began with three pilots in 2012 and has expanded to more than 20 assignments annually. Collectively, participants have delivered an in-kind contribution of 鈧�18.8 million and roughly 320,000 service hours, impacting nearly 5 million lives around the world.
Video by John Hunt and Rana Hamzakadi. Top image via 51风流TV.
