In a small village in Ngoma, Rwanda, Alphonse and Vestine live with their eight children. The village is small but lively, with many banana trees growing seemingly in every little spot around the small colorful houses. The weather here is always around a comfortable 68 F, during the rainy or dry season. The sun always sets at the same time around 6 p.m. But life is far from easy in these parts.
While the children run in and out of the small mudbrick family home, Vestine holds the youngest daughter on her lap, while Alphonse tidies up the room and tends to the fire for their family meal. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Alphonse used to stay far away from family chores, using the little money the family had as he pleased, and refusing to care for his large family together with his wife. Left alone to parent and care for eight little ones, maintain a large household with almost no budget, and without any say in decisions that reflected heavily on the family, Vestine was growing exasperated and angry. As food was scarce, her milk supply decreased, and she found herself not able to nurse her infant daughter. She was ready to leave Alphonse and try to build a better life for her children all by herself.
When experts from Sugira Muryango, a USAID-funded activity, came to Vestine’s village to check on the children, they categorized her infant daughter as severely malnourished. When they sat down to talk to Vestine, it became clear what the causes of this problem were. Sugira Muryango came up with a comprehensive plan to help this family stay together and thrive. The plan included providing infant formula to help the youngest member of the family grow and thrive, ensuring regular home visits that would teach the family about proper nutrition and hygiene, and help them budget for nutritious meals. They worked hard to rebuild trust among them, and stick with the plan. Through a number of sessions organized by Sugira Muryango, Vestine and Alphonse learned about good parenting, resolving conflicts in a peaceful way, and about working together as a team raising their children. Family unity is among the core values of Rwandan society, but financial difficulties often put this commitment to a difficult test. As the family was working together, learning and overcoming challenges, Vestine noticed positive changes in her husband. Alphonse was more involved in the family chores, engaged in play with their children using home-made toys he had made himself, and being more present and available as a father and husband. He started involving his wife in decisions about the family and their budget, and thinking about the prosperity of his family. Little by little, the family was recovering and growing closer together.
In a while, their little daughter recovered from malnutrition. Vestine and Alphonse borrowed money from the village savings and lending association, and invested in egg-laying chickens. This way, they always had good protein to feed their children, so none of them would be malnourished again. Together, they modeled good communication for their children, and they started reading books to them. Sugira Muryango connected the family to another USAID-funded activity called Uburezi Iwacu (Homes and Communities) which provides books and safe, inclusive reading spaces for families throughout Rwanda. These efforts showed great results pretty fast: Vestine and Alphonse’s children began to speak more and were able to count and read in both English and Kinyarwanda. Their older children were able to join a home-based early childhood center and continue learning.
Today, Vestine and Alphonse have a safe and strong home where their children can grow and thrive. They took out a loan from the village savings and loans association, and bought a cow and two pigs, planning to start a little business for steady income. They kept the family together, overcame some of the most serious challenges, and worked hard and in unity for a brighter future.
