For twelve long years after finishing high school with a diploma in accounting, Uwimana Josiane, a mother of three from Gahara Sector in Kirehe District, waited for a government job that never came. Each year that passed left her more uncertain about her future until one day, she decided to take control of her own story.
That turning point came when she joined a local women’s savings and lending group. Through this group, Josiane received training from Inades Formation Rwanda under the Joint Programme on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE) a project designed to help rural women gain financial independence.
“I had spent years waiting for a government job,” she recalls. “But the training I got from Inades taught me to think differently. That’s when I decided to start raising chickens.”
She began small with just ten chickens bought on a loan of 25,000 Rwandan francs (around $20). Some of the chickens died early on, but Josiane refused to give up. She used the little profit she had left to buy one-day-old chicks, each costing 1,000 francs. With patience, care, and determination, her small poultry venture slowly grew into a thriving business.
“A one-day-old chick can be sold for about 5,000 francs after a month,” she explains proudly. “Now I have many customers sometimes people come and buy up to 100 chickens in a single day.”
Her success has allowed her to employ three workers, all of whom are paid daily, while she earns more than 100,000 francs per month herself. But beyond the income, Josiane says poultry farming has taught her discipline and resilience.
“If you pay attention to your chickens, notice problems early, and consult livestock advisors, you can avoid losses,” she says.
Encouraged by her progress, Josiane has diversified her business by starting to raise ducks as well. She now owns 45 ducks, each worth around 50,000 francs an investment made possible by the profits from her first chickens.
The JP RWEE programme, jointly implemented by IFAD, FAO, WFP, and UN Women, has supported many women like Josiane with training, mentoring, and financial guidance. For many rural women, these opportunities have been life-changing giving them the confidence to create their own livelihoods and contribute to their communities’ development.
“Today, I’m proud to say I’m no longer waiting for opportunities I’m creating them,” Josiane says with a smile. “I’ve created jobs, I’m helping others put food on their tables, and I still have big dreams to grow my business even more.”
Across Rwanda, rural women like Josiane are the backbone of agriculture and livestock farming. They cultivate crops, raise animals, and trade in local markets sustaining families and driving community growth. Stories like Josiane’s show what happens when women are given the right tools and knowledge: they become engines of sustainable development, not only for their families but for the nation as a whole.
