Project Launch: 12-22-23

Manihira Sector in Rutsiro district, western Rwanda is home to 19,386 people. There is no vocational training center in the entire sector. Youth who need to learn skills must travel about 3 hours to the neighbouring sectors, which is difficult for them in terms of cost and travel time.

Women and girls in the sector especially teen mothers have limited income opportunities in addition to the mental health challenges that they face in the community due to early pregnancy, such as stigma and rejection from their families and the community associated with early pregnancy, dropping out of school, solo-parenting of their young children with no support from the fathers of their children or their families, poverty and lack of basic necessities for themselves and their children.

In 2019, World Connect provided a $5,390 which constructed a vocational skills training center that was equipped with 5 sewing machines. These machines have to date been used to train 30+ women and girls from the community who are earning income from fashion design jobs and are sustaining their families.

Due to the high demand from women and girls to learn fashion design skills, the community is seeking for a $5,842 grant to purchase 12 additional sewing machines to increase the number of available machines to 17. These machines will be used to train atleast 30 women and girls every 6 months (60 women and girls per year), who will acquire valuable skills that will be used to earn income from sewing jobs in the community.

These women and girls will be able to double their daily and weekly incomes, affording them the basic necessities for their families such as food, clothing, health care and school fees for their children.