With 343 inhabitants per square meter, Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa. While 81,7% of the Rwandan population lives in rural areas, its enclave at the heart of the Great Lakes region and its rugged topography have aggravated land pressure, in itself not unrelated to the conflicts of 1994. The demographic situation is all the more critical in that economic development is unable to ensure reasonable living conditions. Poverty is extremely widespread: 84% of the population lives on under 1,50 € a day.

Agricultural policies are mainly concerned with the promotion and valuation of exports (tea, coffee), to the detriment of practices enabling inhabitants to provide food for themselves. Although the Rwandan government has set up occasional programmes for the development of small rural enterprises, access to energy, production, training and commercialisation remains inaccessible to the poorer populations. In reality, most government initiatives are concentrated on urban areas, in particular Kigali, the capital city. Rural populations, without support, have no means to develop activities which might help them rise above a purely subsistence level; 14% of them have absolutely no resources. As an aggravating factor, rural economy has been severely affected by cheap Chinese imports. Thus, huge difficulties exist, in terms of employment and income, for the inhabitants of rural areas and in particular for young people. Education, professional training schemes and employment all constitute a major challenge in a country where 44,9% of the population today is under the age of 15.

Financial insecurity in Rwandan rural populations is such that it is vital that employment and revenue-generating activities be created. This project, set up jointly by Duhamic-Adri and Adenya, and to which Frères des Hommes lends its full support, aims to reduce poverty in the rural environment by the reinforcement and development of new joinery workshops. With over 20 years experience in Rwanda, we fully understand the positive impact of a project such as this one: it proposes a real alternative to farming, which is itself insufficient to meet the urgent needs of rural communities. Spread over the districts of Nyaruguru and Huye, in southern Rwanda, this project will directly concern 955 people. Indirectly, the project will benefit the 250000 inhabitants of both districts, via a chain of results. Trained crafstmen will teach other craftsmen, and hundreds of people will benefit from the jobs created by these workshops: transporters, service staff, managers of small businesses, etc.

1. Enable access to wood supplies
An increasing scarcity of wood, and policies for the management of natural resources have meant that the poorer populations and independent joiners have no access to the wood they need. We wish to ensure the development of traditional joineries in rural areas by the creation of a central wood purchasing service and of a drying unit, and by actions in the defense of rural crafstmen on a local and national level. The creation of a credit fund will also allow us to support new workshops which are currently not in a position to buy wood.

2. Improve production capacities
For many years now, the craft industry has been identified as the sector most likely to be developed, but the hardships of employment have remained a major problem in enticing young people. Furthermore, production is not always sufficiently profitable to ensure a decent living wage. The purchase of two mechanised units, equipped with a slicer, circular saw, and planer, will simplify the basic operations, and make this trade more attractive and productive.

3. Reinforce the management capacity of the workshops
Our partners’ local experience revealed that the management capacities of these craftsmen were insufficient. We propose therefore regular training in inventory management, human resources, treasury and accounting. As these workshops are often family-run, with the men working in production, it is principally women who take these management training sessions. This reinforces their role in the enterprise and in the family. The people who train in this way are the future teachers of other craft workshops.

4. Develop the marketing of craft products
To ensure a decent wage for these craftsmen, it is important to promote the direct sale of products, at local and national markets. Two aims of of this project are to accompany these craftsmen in the canvassing of new sales venues in Rwanda, and to assist in the winning of public contracts. In order to achieve these aims, we will be launching a programme of communication and targetted diffusion towards the different types of market (public institutions, urban clients…).