Women’s Cooperative in Kimisagara

Women’s Cooperative Savings Bonus

A women’s cooperative has an opportunity to obtain a $400 savings bonus from AWHI. The women’s cooperative must first save $400 as a group before receiving the savings bonus. This incentivizes the women to save a portion of their weekly business profits. This is in addition to their personal savings.

Our local leader, Bishop Theophile and the local pastor determine whether a cooperative has the ability to save the $400 in a reasonable amount of time and without added stress on the cooperative.

The cooperative will receive advice from Bishop Theophile and the local pastor on how the cooperative, as a whole, can best utilize the blessings of a savings bonus.

Women’s Cooperative in Kabuga

The Gasarabwayi Women’s Cooperative receives the first savings bonus in 2020. Rosa, the group’s President is seen here with AWHI President and Founder, Heidi Kittredge.

History of the Savings Bonus

Our founder, Heidi has been traveling to Rwanda since 2011. She spent the majority of those years visiting the village of Gasarabwayi in Eastern Province of Rwanda learning about the women’s cooperative and its challenges. Originally, it consisted of a few women with fledgling small businesses.

In 2019, Heidi proposed the idea of a savings bonus to the group’s President, Rosa. Heidi offered to match whatever amount the women’s cooperative saved within a year through donations. In only eight months, the cooperative welcomed 19 new members and saved over $1000 USD! As most of these women earn an average of $4.25 USD per week, this was an amazing accomplishment! Rosa also changed the old cooperative into a savings cooperative.

In May 2022, Heidi returned to Rwanda and met with 7 women’s cooperative groups, 2 in the city of Kigali and the rest in rural villages. Through generous donations, she was able to offer 6 of the groups a savings bonus.

The Impact of a Savings Bonus

Savings bonuses have been used in various ways:

  • In Gasarabwayi, they used the savings bonus to help women and their families during the Covid Pandemic.

  • In Kimisagara, they used the savings bonus to help new women in their group grow their businesses with a microloan.

  • The savings bonus can also be used to buy business equipment such as sewing machines or towards rent for business space.

  • The savings bonus also allows a woman to buy school uniforms for her children, seeds to plant crops and other family necessities.