Vestine Uwiragiye is living with HIV in Gicumbi. When she joined the group, her life situation was critical. She felt helpless and hopeless. Having joined the PHARP group for People with HIV, she received pastoral visits and counselling as well as moral support from the group. She began to regain hope. She was among the first beneficiaries of the pig programme:

‘I was very happy to receive the piglet, and cared for it as if it was a human child. The pig grew up and gave birth to ten piglets. I passed three on to other members of the group, according to the agreement, as this is a revolving project.’

Vestine sold the remaining seven plus the mother, and used the money to buy a cow. This meant she began to have enough fertilizer for her garden, and could produce beans, carrots, egg plants, onions and other green vegetables.

Her health and the health of her children began to improve. The cow had a bull calf, which Vestine sold. Using the money, she bought iron sheets and renovated her house:

‘Today, I am a different person from who I was before. Though I live with HIV, nobody can read it from my face. I am not helpless nor hopeless; I am self-reliant. I have a house, a cow, and a garden. I feed my children, and send them to school.’

Vestine pays her family’s health insurance, and she is hopeful she will live longer and see her children grow up:

‘I am very thankful to PHARP and the friends of OHFI for being a channel of God’s blessing for my children and me.’

Helene is one of seven siblings. Her widowed mother struggled to feed the children. She carried sand on her head for builders, to earn about 2 US dollars per day to feed her children. Her mother was becoming unwell and weak, and could barely continue the work. Helene, who was only in grade 5 in primary school, had to leave school to carry the sand instead. A few years later, she was assaulted and became pregnant. She now has a two year old girl. Learning sewing skills and being gifted with a sewing machine means she can earn better money in a much safer environment:

‘As I have been helped, I pledge that I will make sure that I have helped somebody else from this sewing machine.’ — Helene

‘I live with my two children. For me and my children to eat at least once a day, I worked very hard, but we remained poor, with nothing. With the support of PHARP-Rwanda, I’m now trained in peace building, conflict resolution, and entrepreneurship. I have all the necessary skills to help me in getting money for having food and clothes for the family. I’m able to pay health insurance for my children and some of my family. Thanks to PHARP-Rwanda.’ — Stephanie Dusabimana