In the Wake of a Loss: A Young Mother's Journey
When life throws the hardest of punches, how does one young mother's resilience carry her over to a better future?
It was 2018. Giramata was living in Nyanza, the place tourists visit on their quest to see the last Rwandan king’s traditional royal palace and to admire a unique cultural treasure: royal cows. It’s peaceful living, in the midst of seemingly endless Rwandan hills. But, for Giramata, life was everything but serene.
She had just given birth to her first born child, who was immediately diagnosed with a severe heart condition. The father of the child abandoned them, and almost overnight she found herself in an impossible situation, fighting to survive and take care of her baby.
When all doors closed on her, Giramata found there was one program extending a helping hand. The Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe program funded by PEPFAR took her in, and changed the course of her life entirely.
The program offered more than just aid: Giramata received counseling and education on sexual and reproductive health, women’s rights, positive parenting and many more topics that enabled her to make better decisions for herself and her child. She received training in vital life skills, and learned about income generating activities, financial planning and saving.
Giramata's engagement with the program's Internal Saving and Lending Groups marked a turning point. It spurred her entrepreneurial spirit, and enabled her to start making money by selling vegetables and fruits.
Just when the future started looking more bright, Giramata suffered a tremendous loss: her child lost the battle against heart disease and passed away.
Her support group helped her overcome this loss. Giramata found herself needing to start all over - again. The ISLGs offered financial support through loans and encouraged her to explore a completely new trade - hairstyling.
With their support, Giramata managed to channel her grief into determination. She learned hairstyling all while managing her startup business. All the hard work finally paid off when Giramata inaugurated her own salon. Once her first loan was all paid back, Giramata turned around and took out another loan. With this one, she bought modern equipment and diversified services, including cosmetics and various hair braiding styles.
Giramata in her own salon.
November 2023, in Nyanza, Rwanda.
Lidia Muhawenimana
Today, Giramata's enterprise thrives, bringing in a steady profit of about US $80 (RWF 80,000) monthly. This unstoppable businesswoman has braved hardships and a personal tragedy, but has only come out of it stronger and forged her own successful path forward. She shares about her journey, inspiring other women in her community to take charge of their lives and livelihoods. As a successful entrepreneur and mentor, Giramata advocates for self-protection and independence among young women, sharing key lessons of sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and life skills she learned thanks to PEPFAR.
To learn more, contact Emah Ndengo at endengo@usaid.gov.
DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe) program for adolescent girls and young women is funded thanks to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. To learn more about the program, please visit www.pepfar.gov.
This particular project that helped Denyse is funded by PEPFAR, and implemented through USAID and our partner FXB Rwanda, a local organization.