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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Munderere Viateur is a man in his 40s. He is a farmer and livestock keeper living in the Ruganda sector, Kiyovu cell, in Karongi District. His daily work involves taking care of his livestock and crops, ensuring that nothing threatens their well-being. His agricultural activities are supported by funding he received from the SAIP project in 2020.
In his testimony, Munderere says that after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, he was left alone, having lost all his family members. He fell into drug abuse, but in 2012, he graduated from the Iwawa Rehabilitation Center along with others who had recovered and acquired skills to help them start their businesses.
He says:
“It was a difficult life as an orphaned child with no family due to the Genocide against the Tutsi. I turned to drugs because of trauma and the inability to cope with what had happened to me.”
The skills taught at Iwawa include farming and livestock keeping, carpentry, welding, electricity, tailoring, and more.
Munderere initially chose tourism but found it unfeasible due to various challenges, especially financial constraints. He then turned to agriculture and livestock farming.
He says:
“Tourism didn’t work out, so I immediately started growing vegetables and fruits. Due to the terrain of our area, the lack of water was a major challenge. I had to pay people to fetch water for irrigation during the dry season, and by the time they returned, the crops had dried out again.”
In 2020, he learned that the SAIP project was accepting agricultural proposals for funding.
“They required applicants to have land for farming and a willingness to work. Another key requirement was being in the low-income category because the project aims to improve the welfare of poor citizens and help them lift themselves out of poverty. I met all those requirements. I submitted my proposal, and fortunately, it was accepted.”
He goes on to say that SAIP provided him with high-quality seeds, unlike the low-yield seeds he had previously been using, which he planted unsystematically.
He says:
“They gave me plum tomato seeds, maize, fodder, and macadamia. This farming initiative helped me escape poverty. I have now planted 1,000 macadamia trees, and I own 13 cows and 100 pigs. All this was made possible by the capital provided by SAIP, which also helped me build trust with the bank. As a result, the bank granted me a loan to purchase dairy cows. I now have 13 of them. They also gave me a dam sheet to help with irrigation.”
How His Neighbors’ Lives Changed
Munderere says he doesn’t work alone. He employs 15 permanent workers, including some who have quit drug use. He hires over 100 laborers during the planting season to speed up the work. However, he has specific requirements for those he hires.
He says:
“Since SAIP helps us escape poverty, I also help others do the same. A worker must be honest, have health insurance, and contribute to a retirement plan with Ejo Heza. Once they meet these conditions, we work together, offer them entrepreneurship training, and give them small livestock to have a starting point.”
He adds that he helped his workers form groups like women’s groups, youth groups, and men’s groups, and trained them in saving techniques. This helps them meet daily needs, including fighting malnutrition and stunting.
How the Job Helped Workers Fight Malnutrition in Their Families
Musabyemariya Esther is one of the workers who says the job she received helped her combat malnutrition in her family.
She says:
“I started working with Munderere as a farm laborer. He gave us training on entrepreneurship and later helped us form savings groups. I was fortunate to become one of his permanent workers because he saw that I was committed to self-development.”
She adds that before working with him, her children suffered from malnutrition-related illnesses because they couldn’t get a balanced diet. The available food was often sold instead of consumed.
She says:
“I didn’t know that fruits help children fight malnutrition and stunting. Feeding them eggs was unheard of because I used to sell them to buy other things. But now I’ve improved my life, I raise chickens and pigs, and I earn enough money to hire help for farming and save with my group. Our living conditions have changed; there is no more malnutrition or stunting in my family.”
Munderere also says he managed to draw water from the marshland to irrigate his fields during the dry season. He farms on 10 hectares, 8 of which are irrigated.
Challenges
Munderere wants to expand his farming activities, but the main challenge is the hilly terrain where he lives, which makes it difficult to use farming machinery.
He says:
“I would be grateful to receive support in leveling my land to make it accessible for machines that would ease my farming activities. However, finding partners is also not easy because not everyone sees the investment potential in these hills. If I could get support to boost my farming, it would help a lot.”
Munderere estimates that the total value of his business is 200 million Rwandan francs.
Julienne Ntakirutimana is a Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Development in the Karongi district. She says that SAIP is contributing to the development of the district.
“SAIP has helped farmers access quality seeds and produce high yields. In addition to the farmers, families with dependent children have been provided with small livestock to help combat malnutrition. We had a high rate of child malnutrition, about 40%, but that has dropped to 21.8%, according to the MHC report published in May 2025. We are grateful to our partners.”
Regarding the youth from Iwawa, Ntakirutimana says they are being helped to implement what they have learned.
She said: “When they come, we help them find capital and we follow them. We connect them with partners and opportunities for their development. So far, we have not seen any returnees because we follow up day by day.”
SAIP activities in the Western Province are in the districts named Nyabihu, Karongi, Rutsiro, Ngororero, and Rusizi.
The Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Food Security Project (SAIP) is funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) through the World Bank. The project is implemented under RAB’s Single Project Implementation Unit (SPIU).
