The 1994 Rwandan genocide led to the loss of about 1 million lives and created some 800,000 refugees and displaced persons, devastating the social and economic fabric of the country. Currently 90% of Rwandans are engaged in subsistence agriculture, the vast majority of whom are women, growing just enough to feed their families but not enough to engage in trade.

As with much of the College’s work, this project had a strong focus on empowering women farmers, working with Tearfund and partners to train communities in a range of skills to set up and run successful co-operative enterprises. This range of skills will ensure they are not merely able to engage in their own work, it will mean they can develop more ambitious co-op organisations to have better access to bigger markets and opportunities.

Hear the difference our work is making

In February 2018 our colleague Andrea went out to Rwanda as part of a scoping visit. As part of her trip she recorded a video diary, which you can see below. In it, she talks about how the project hopes to improve the lives of those involved and make a real difference to the communities in which they live.

If you're inspired by Andrea's video, donate what you can to help us continue making a difference. Your support will ensure we're able to continue doing projects like this for years to come.

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