Through funding from the Good Gifts Catalogue, an initiative of the Charities Advisory Trust, we have extended our support to thousands of widows and orphans that are beneficiaries of our ongoing livelihoods program, enabling them to become more independent and self-sufficient.
Survivors Fund (SURF) aims to alleviate the impact of poverty on vulnerable survivors by strengthening their families to secure viable livelihoods. The funding from Good Gifts helps to set up income generating projects which empower communities to fight poverty and take more active role in determining their lives.
Many survivors have been supported through receiving livestock, agricultural materials, solar lights and cookers, meals for schoolchildren and much more. Good Gifts have just launched their new catalogue, in which there are many great gifts which have served to support survivors of the genocide, including donkeys, beans, bikes and even yarn. You can see more on their website here.
Beatrice is one of the many widows of the genocide which has received support through the Good Gifts project. She lost her husband and two children during the genocide. Before the genocide she sold second-hand clothes in village markets. The genocide destroyed her business. But with support from Good Gifts, Beatrice is now in business again, growing and selling mushrooms.
Though she lost all her family, she decided to take on two orphans who she supports. She earns about Frw 60,000 (£60) a month from her mushroom business. She sells the mushrooms to one of the supermarkets at a business center near her home. This business has helped her to join the local women’s business group of which she is the secretary.
“The business has empowered me to be more confident and I encourage other women not to give up on their dreams. I enjoy growing mushrooms because it does not require much time and hard work. I get time to do my other housework. The opportunity has not only liberated my time, but also generates a vital income.”
