James Mills is a web developer in the North East of England and founder of Refresh Teesside »
Mike Hughes is the Head of Business for the Evening Gazette. He will be blogging on all matters of importance to Teesside businesses - and some that are just worth knowing »
Jez Davison, business writer at the Evening Gazette, is a regular blogger on all things business - particularly finance, entrepreneurship and the state of the Teesside economy » 
Karen McLauchlan is the Evening Gazette's deputy business and features editor - with special interest in all things industry, property and arts related » 
Jeremy Middleton is a venture capitalist and the co-founder of FTSE-200 company HomeServe » 
Deloitte, which has 23 offices across the UK including Newcastle, is among the country's leading professional services firms » 
ClimateNE & Climate Change Schools Project support the move to a low-carbon, resilient economy and help businesses avoid risk and realise commercial opportunities. Posts by Jen Atkinson, Krista McKinzey and Harriet Thew » This weekend Joan and I had the privilege of meeting farmers and handicraft makers amongst the thousands of hills that dominate the Rwandan landscape.
As we turn each corner between the coffee, tea (RwandaâÂÂs main exports) and banana plantations, the tin roofs sparkle in the African sun.
The sides of the roads are covered with people walking single file to trade goods in local towns, or travelling to schools and local businesses. However, driving deeper into the country, some of the pressures on the land become evident.
Rwanda now contains 850 people per square mile, compared with the world average of 107. In the highest part of Sub Saharan Africa, this puts immense pressure on the land. Almost every inch of the landscape has been cultivated (through mass deforestation), leading to soil degradation and often resulting in land slides and water catchment issues.
One of the local women we met told us about a devastating landslide that hit her village during the rainy season last year. Adelphine pointed to what used to be a group of houses and school now in ruins. Her children are now taught outside under a tree (to protect them from the sun) until the school is rebuilt. But the community has to raise the money first and she fears the rain may come again this year....
You see, the majority of the Rwandan population are subsistence farmers only growing food for their own family. This leaves them extremely vulnerable as they have no income when their crops fail or landslides engulf years of growth.
By supporting and strengthening handicraft businesses, our Shared Interest and COFTA project will help create off-farm income, which will allow many people like Adelphine to survive natural disasters. Our Big Lottery Fund project will also give her a sustainable livelihood.
Adelphine fully understands the impact that this will have on her, her family and her community. She has been making baskets for years (a skill passed down through generations) but the cooperative is shaky and they donâÂÂt seem to be selling many just now. As we are leaving she says: âÂÂThis project will help me trade my way out of this life.
âÂÂI can be proud as I support my family â I do not want your hand out â but your hand to help us I will take with a smile.âÂ?
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »