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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Consolée Ufitamahoro wakes up at five in the morning every day. Her main activity consists of a small 2-hectare farm located at Bunyogombe, a remote rural village from Ruhango district in Southern Rwanda.
The 32-years-old mother never envisioned that her efforts in gender equity would pave the way for women workers in her remote village to pursue prosperous lives.
“Women are now playing a vital role in conflicts management and behavior change, contributing to current national efforts towards improving gender equity because of the PRISM project in its component of Gender Action Learning System (GALS),” she said.
GALS, at its core, is a community-led empowerment methodology that champions inclusion and gender equality. It provides a platform for both men and women to engage in critical reflection, open dialogue, and collaborative planning, enabling them to challenge traditional gender roles and power dynamics.
The success story of GALS in Ruhango district is a testament to its profound impact on families. In the past, economic conflicts were a common occurrence, often stemming from unequal access to resources, decision-making imbalances, and a lack of mutual understanding. However, GALS has served as a bridge, connecting family members and fostering a sense of shared responsibility.
Ufitamahoro says how GALS helped her to work as team with her husband, and how before joining GALS, she had two unknown saving groups.
“My husband could not give me money to buy food or clothes. I decided to go to the saving groups and keep it for myself without him knowing, and me I could know how he manage his money as his wife. This kept our family in constant poverty due to our lack of cooperation.”
Through GALS workshops and training sessions, couples have learned to identify their shared goals, develop joint household plans, and manage their finances collectively. They have discovered the power of open communication, active listening, and mutual respect, which has led to a significant reduction in economic disputes and an increase in household harmony.
One of the most remarkable outcomes of GALS has been the shift in gender roles. Men, who were once solely responsible for financial matters, now actively participate in household chores and childcare, while women, who were previously excluded from decision-making processes, now have an equal voice in shaping their family’s future.
How GALS helped Ufitamahoro to improve livestock in her family
In 2022 the PRISM project established in Ruhango district and Ruhango sector, Bunyogombe cell the village Ufitamahoro started with this project.
“The PRISM project provided me 10 chickens to breed, they lay eggs and we eat them, and sell them and save the money. I have now added the pig and the chickens are still laying.”
The goal of Ufitamahoro is to build a smart house and to buy a big land.
Jean Marie Vianney RUSILIBANA, is a Vice mayor in charge of economic development in Ruhango district. He says that before PRISM project they have many families living in conflict.
“We had many families living in conflict, gender-based violence and property were the main causes of family conflict. GALS helped us to change the perception of these families, now they live well and work together to develop the family as a couple. We would like this program to be extended to other parts of the country because it has helped us.” Said Rusilibana.
PRISM provided 9640 chickens, 375 pigs and 864 goats for vulnerable families.
The milestones achieved at 100% are highlighted in red color while the under track are in green. Also, the opportunities used at 100% are in red while those partly exploited are in green. This is the same for challenges met 100% in red and those slightly met in green. The lines in blue-red show how the journey in achieving the milestones was.
GALS (Gender Action Learning System) aims to give women as well as men more control over their lives, catalyze, and support a sustainable movement for gender justice. Women and men develop their individual visions for change, with achievable targets and road maps to move towards these visions, based on analysis of their current situation, past and ongoing achievements and opportunities/strengths and challenges. People draw their diagram plans in locally available notebook diaries, which they themselves buy. They continually review and track their own progress as a process of reflexive learning based on their own planning needs.
