How Anna’s dreams were turned into a reality through the CORE project

In the lively town of Rusizi, Anna’s future once seemed uncertain. Surrounded by the buzz of Rusizi town, where traders haggle in busy markets and motorbikes zip through crowded streets, 33-year-old Anna, a mother of two adorable children, often felt like an outsider to the hustle. Fresh out of high school, she had no job, no clear prospects, and no idea how to turn her life around.

“I had no source of income, no way to contribute to my family. Our family was living in poverty. It was a really tough time,” Anna recalls.

At the time, Anna was a young woman with no clear vision for her future. The doors to further education were closed, and the path ahead was shrouded in uncertainty. With no means to chase her dreams, her future felt like a distant, unreachable promise.

In 2015, a ray of hope entered her life. World Vision Rwanda launched the CORE (Creating Off-farm Rwandan Enterprises) Project, funded by The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), in her community, offering training and support to empower individuals to take control of their futures. Anna seized the opportunity with both hands.

“The training sessions were a turning point for me. They taught us about saving, setting financial goals, and the importance of planning,” Anna says.

Determined to change her circumstances, Anne joined a savings group, even though most members were older women. Undeterred, she started small, saving a portion of the transport money she was given to attend the training sessions.

“I didn’t care that I was sitting with women much older than me in the savings group,” Anna explains. “I had a vision for my future, and I knew this was the first step toward achieving it.”

Armed with new knowledge and discipline, Anne applied for a 50,000 Rwandan Francs loan and started a small business selling cassava and beans. Gradually, she expanded her business and increased her savings.

The impact of her efforts was remarkable. With her brother, Anna built a new house for their parents and siblings, offering them a more stable and comfortable home. Today, she and her husband, Florantin, are building their dream home, just a short distance from their current rented house.

“All that I have today is because of what I learned through the CORE Project. I am proud of the woman I have turned out to be. I am now building my dream a seven-bedroom big house, in partnership with my husband, I currently run a thriving business where I sell new children’s clothes. I can meet my needs and my children’s needs. I support my parents and other family members. I attribute all these milestones to the CORE project that empowered me, opened my mindset, and gave me the skills I needed to make it in life,” Anna says with joy.

Her journey has become a source of inspiration for others in Rusizi. Amid the town’s fast-paced activity, Anne stands as a shining example and role model in her community.

CORE Project, funded by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), was designed to respond to the challenges of limited access to market information and limited access to financial services for women and youth, with the overall goal of significantly increasing household off‐farm income for women and youth in the districts of Rusizi and Nyamasheke. The Project primarily targeted women, youths, and predominantly Persons with Disabilities cooperatives with interventions designed to address market failures and improve business competitiveness. Key interventions included the skilling of youths, women, and Persons with disabilities with vocational skills, and the strengthening of women and youths’ cooperatives.

Through the CORE project, jobs were created, and youths, women, and families were empowered among other achievements.