Isambaza for Jobs and Better Nutrition
When she moved to Nyamagabe in rural Rwanda, Esperance found that it was impossible to find her favorite meal, fresh isambaza, in the local market. Unlike her hometown, this new place had no access to lakes or fish farms, and people here did not consume fish at all.
Although the neighboring districts, Nyamasheke and Rusizi, both had a considerable production of fish dominated by isambaza, there were limited incentives for local businesses to invest. At the time, fish was sold exclusively in hotels, bars, and other places predominantly frequented only by men, excluding those who need this nutritious food the most — women and children.
Esperance started buying fish from the neighboring districts and bringing it home for her family. When she had leftovers, she would sell the fish to her neighbors. “Women were laughing at me when I would ask how they managed to properly feed their children without such a low-cost and delicious animal source food like fish. Where I grew up, fish was an important food, especially for children. Here, people seemed to know nothing about the nutritional value of fish, and they didn’t know how to prepare it” recalls Esperance.
Having grown up in a fish-producing district in Rubavu, Esperance believed that she had the knowledge to venture into the fish business, which no other entrepreneur in Nyamagabe had considered. Defying the norms, Esperance took that first step. But challenges quickly piled up.
Transport and preservation were the first big problems. With fish being highly perishable, Esperance had to work fast and sell only small quantities. To keep fish from spoiling during transport, she improvised using jerry cans filled with water. Using some savings, Esperance rented a fridge so she could sell more fish, and keep the surplus from spoiling. In the beginning, her earnings were meager, but she was gaining the experience needed to trade in a new market.
To reach a larger clientele, Esperance recruited vendors — mainly women — on a commission basis. They went door-to-door selling fish and establishing a deep understanding of the local demand. Esperance was determined to teach and work with other women to promote the consumption of fish. She was working very hard to keep growing her business, but to see it really take off, Esperance needed help.
Through Feed the Future Rwanda Orora Wihaze activity, Esperances’ Hope and Fine Ltd. received a grant to improve business performance. Through this grant, the company received training, equipment and supplies to address their most critical business constraints. They purchased a cargo bike to transport their products within the district, opened new shops closer to customers, and received training on safe fish handling and preservation techniques, storage, food hygiene practices, marketing, nutrition and environmental protection.
Today, Hope and Fine serves between 1,500 and 2,000 customers per month. They went from selling 30 kilograms of isambaza and 130 kilograms of other fish at startup, to selling 350 kilograms and 600 kilograms, respectively. Esperance is now a proud owner of four shops, employing four permanent staff members, and working with 30 female fish vendors who sell isambaza and other fish directly to households. She attributes her success to Orora Wihaze’s invaluable support provided to her through business training, in-kind support, and the grant to grow her business.
Thanks to Esperance’s spirit and business, communities around Nyamagabe district now have a source of low-cost products to improve their nutrition. With her mentorship, a number of women have been motivated to scale up the distribution model that fosters last-mile access to fish products. She has trained 30 women vendors on improved cooking practices for isambaza and other fish, and the vendors pass these tips along to their eager customers.
Empowering women is theme woven into all of USAID programming in Rwanda. To learn more about our work for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, please click here.