Kamonyi, Rwanda – October 1, 2024 – ARDE/KUBAHO is committed to enhancing community capacity building, particularly for women, through cooperative initiatives. Currently, the organization supports 40 cooperatives focused on sustainable farming and handicrafts, including 10 dedicated to women and 27 established by mixed-gender teams, where 70% of the members are women.
This past Tuesday, ARDE/KUBAHO, in collaboration with MEDICUS MUNDI, launched the first phase of the TUBEHO NEZA project. The kickoff event included discussions aimed at educating members from seven cooperatives about the project’s progress, which is set to conclude in December 2024.
Key topics addressed during the meeting included essential tasks to be completed, such as the construction of Ecosan toilets, menstrual hygiene management rooms (icyumba cy’umukobwa), and rainwater tanks at the offices of the seven cooperatives, situated across six sectors in the Kamonyi District.
The cooperatives benefiting from this initiative include:
- ITUZE Kigese (Rugalika sector)
- TUZAMURANE Gihara (Runda sector)
- KOABA Karama (Karama sector)
- COEPOKA Kayenzi (Kayenzi sector)
- ABIBUMBYE Kamonyi (Gacurabwenge sector)
- DUHARANIRUBUZIMA Gatwa (Ngamba sector)
- ABATICUMUGAMBI Kabuga (Ngamba sector)
Participants were given an overview of the significance of the three main activities being implemented. The Ecosan toilets, a waterless solution to sanitation, rely on nutrient recovery and recycling from human waste, ultimately providing organic manure for agricultural use. Following the successful construction of 13 Ecosan toilets in Ntebe village in 2019, members expressed enthusiasm for this innovative sanitation solution.
In addition to clean and sustainable sanitation, cooperative members were reminded of the importance of maintaining hygiene to maximize productivity.
Another focal point of the project is the establishment of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) rooms, designed as safe spaces for women to address menstruation-related issues. These rooms will be equipped with sanitary pads, towels, painkillers, beds, and washing facilities. Iturinde Chantal, an ARDE/KUBAHO staff member, emphasized the challenges women face during their menstrual cycles, often leading to absenteeism from work and daily activities due to the lack of appropriate facilities. The MHM rooms aim to alleviate these issues significantly.
Lastly, the project will address the pressing issue of water scarcity among cooperative members by constructing rainwater tanks at their operational offices, ensuring access to sufficient water for daily activities.
TUBEHO NEZA, a project sponsored by Medicus Mundi in partnership with ARDE/KUBAHO, COFORWA, and the Kamonyi District, aims to empower and uplift women from the seven cooperatives, enabling them to live their best lives.
