PERSONAL BUSINESSES
Our future depends on us creating opportunities.
Rungano Ndota started by focusing on empowering youth through the cooperative businesses. Cooperatives are popular in Rwanda and we knew youth could combine to make them succeed. However, the youth surprised us! With their “spotting eyes” they quickly decided to use the knowledge of savings and business to start their own businesses.
Many of our youth started saving groups on their own. Using savings, they initiated small businesses so they now have “growing accounts” and can move to expand their businesses in the future.
The small businesses that our youth are doing will help make them responsible leaders at Rungano-Ndota and for the whole community at large.
PERSONAL BUSINESSES
Idris was one of the youth who inspired others: “Rungano-Ndota helped me start a small business selling food to casual labors. I work harder to improve life of my family but also give a hand to other youth”
Zainab
is one of the Rungano first class. Her “curious mind” showed other youth how to ask questions. “While I grew up, my mother weaved different crafts for family surviving but I didn’t care what she was doing. When I joined Rungano Ndota, I get encouraged to exploit surrounding resources and opportunities, and then I discovered that I can learn what my mother does and I do it for a business. I now help my mother to raise my nieces,” said Zainab.
Nicolas is one of the new youth joined in 2019 with impressive “spotting eyes”. ‘’When I joined Rungano Ndota, testimonies of other youth opened my eyes and I realized how my neighbour are good opportunity for small business. I can now inspire other youth.’’
Aisha was among first entrepreneurs in retailing business we had. “Rungano Ndota! HHH! They told me I am capable. They kept saying so, and I said maybe it’s true. Then I started working for someone; the purpose was to save as much as I can to start my own business. After one year I started selling clothes for women as my own business. I can now get basic needs for me and my relatives. So I AM capable!’”
Gloriose’s “patient pocket and spotting eye” made her a model to many youth. “I have given birth while I was a teenager. I had no family to take care of me. I didn’t go to school, and life was totally bad for me and for my child. In 2018 I joined Rungano Ndota. Since I joined, habit of saving was something I heard frequently from the Leadership Team. I started to save with the purpose to learn weaving and do it as business. Today I sell crafts I made and I can pay school materials for my child and health insurance for my family,” said Gloriose.
