Handcraft making to increase incomes for Gatovu Model village residents

About this Project

Gatovu Integrated Development Program (IDP) Model village, located in Gataraga Sector of Musanze District, Northern province of Rwanda  is home to 312 people living in 64 households with semi-detached houses of four housing units each. The village was constructed by the government of Rwanda in 2019 to provide shelter for the poor and vulnerable residents of Musanze district who were living in areas putting their lives at risk or lacked decent shelter. Other than the shelter provided by the government, residents of Gatovu model village do not have land or any other source of livelihood. They survive on finding casual work in the community such as farming for other people or working on construction sites. 

Given that the model village is located in a touristic community with many tourists passing by the model village going to see mountain gorillas in the volcano mountains, residents of the model village especially elderly women and youth have decided to venture into craft making where they will be making a range of hand-made Rwandan crafts which they expect to sell to tourists and other interested Rwandan residents to earn income. They will be making products such as mats, baskets, bags etc. using locally available & eco-friendly materials. 

A $5,000 grant from World Connect Rwanda matched by $1,700 from their own contributions will be used to hire a craft making trainer to train them for a peiod of 2 months and to purchase materials for making the crafts. This project will not only provide income to the participants but also build confidence and cooperation among community members  laying a foundation for longer-term self-reliance