From Poverty to Independence Through Tailoring

NIYIGENA Marie Chantal, born in 2001, is from Juru Sector in Bugesera District and trained in tailoring at Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera. As the eldest of five children, she grew up in severe poverty where access to food was a daily challenge. She completed only five years of primary school before dropping out to help her parents on the farm. While still young, she learned about the free training opportunities at Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera, applied, and was accepted. She chose to specialize in tailoring, completed six months of training, and undertook a two-month internship. After training, she secured employment at a local tailoring shop earning 15,000 Frw per month. She immediately joined a savings and lending group, through which she obtained a loan to purchase her first sewing machine, forming the foundation of her own business. While continuing to work at the shop, she rented a workspace for 3,000 Frw per month and steadily saved money. Over time, she established her own tailoring shop, which now operates with three sewing machines—two rented out and one personally owned. She is fully self-reliant and supports both her parents and siblings. She has also financed her own wedding and is now married, building a life with her husband. In her words, she expresses gratitude to Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera for providing free knowledge, stating that she has transformed her life away from the conditions she was born into.