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| Immaculee fills baskets with her bountiful harvest. |
Immaculée is the mother in a female-headed household, a farmer, and a strong Cascade group leader. She provides for her four children through farming and livestock. This is her testimony:
“Before being involved in FH programs, our home experienced hygiene-related diseases. It was hard to eat a diversified meal. Due to poor nutrition, my family was physically vulnerable and not strong. Socially, my relationships with my neighbours were peaceful, despite the hard times I experienced following my husband leaving me in 2007.
“My children still had a beating heart following this conflict with my husband. Feeding the family, paying school fees, and buying school supplies was a burden. Emotionally, every day in my thoughts, there was a question of how I will overcome all these problems.
“I got involved in FH programs in 2015—I participated in the first awareness and [child sponsorship] registration meetings. My daughter, Jacqueline, was sponsored. I was selected to be a volunteer. I’ve now been a Cascade Group leader for eight years. Expenses in the purchase of school supplies were resolved due to FH [child sponsorship] support.
“I learned good hygiene practices, hot composting, and the development and rehabilitation of kitchen gardens. The most important knowledge I received that continues to change our living conditions for the better is good agricultural practices.
"The irrigation of the Nayandaro swamp by FH lets us use irrigation during the dry season. It has allowed me to increase my production. For example, I used 10 kilograms of seed to sow on an area of 13 acres and the harvest resulted in 150 kilograms. Before, the bean harvest was estimated at 50 kilograms on the same land. I really feel good to see that, personally, I have changed the way I use our land, and through this, increased production.
“My family has hope for the future!...Our nutrition has improved, especially through eating vegetables from our kitchen garden. My relationship with my children is good. Despite the absence of my husband, we can continue living in good conditions.”
“My family has hope for the future!...Our nutrition has improved, especially through eating vegetables from our kitchen garden. My relationship with my children is good. Despite the absence of my husband, we can continue living in good conditions.”
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Story collected by Pascal Bigirimana
Photos by Nestor Nkeshimana
