Characteristics, behaviour of a transformed society

Professor Abiti Joyce Befu, MG 66, and MEGA-1 has commanded us, ordered us, to tell the story of cooperative societies or Saccos in Rwanda. You know her word is law, at least to us. We were in Rwanda the other day, the other year, almost decade ago.

We attended two events at Rukomo and Rurenge. Something has remained indelible in our minds. At Rukomo we had found 70 men and women attending classes on small and medium business management.

Of the 70, 29 were women. We decided to find out from the women what motivated them to attend training amidst so many men. Our guide and interpreter called one woman for an interview.

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Q: It’s nice to see you in the training. What are you learning? Trainee: Bookkeeping, call it accounting for small businesses.

Trainee: It is free. They have given us food, learning and writing materials. Trainee: I see.

Here, we don’t believe in receiving allowances or money for incidentals anymore. Each participant you see here has come on his or her own. We believe that’s our contribution to the training.

Everybody in this workshop understands the value of the course. We need information and knowledge, which lead to attainment of lifelong kills, which, in turn, lead to empowerment. Therefore, it makes no sense to expect to be paid for being taught such skills.

I walk approximately 30 kilometres every day to come and attend this course. Q: Strange. Very strange.

In Malawi, no such course can take place without the trainees being paid, accommodated, fed and transported. Trainee: I guess Malawians need to change. We, in Rwanda, have changed.

At Rurenge we visited a soya and maize farming cooperative society. We were welcomed by a group of people who looked poor, at least from their dressing and their blank faces. The chairperson, a brown, tall and slender man, briefed us on the history of the Cooperative Society and its successes.

He took us around the place for us to appreciate what he was talking about. “You mean, you built this shed on your own?” We asked, rather puzzled.

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