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In the Rutsiro district of western Rwanda, Pélagie Vzayisenga cultivates 520 coffee trees on a small plot of 20 ares (2000m2), alongside vegetables, corn and beans. She is married with two children. She tells us about the advantages of working with the Kopakama cooperative.
“I used to process my coffee at home and sell it locally, at fluctuating prices. I had to wait for buyers. Sometimes no one came and I ended up losing part of my harvest.”
Everything changed when she joined Kopakama in 2011, a cooperative of small-scale producers of fair trade and organic certified arabica coffee, which now guarantees her an outlet for her harvest.
“Now I work even harder, because I know I have a stable and sustainable market.”
With a more constant income, Pélagie has been able to undertake major projects to improve her daily life. In particular, she renovated her house thanks to a bank loan, which she repaid in six months using earnings from her coffee sales. Today, she is building her future with confidence.
“In three years’ time, I’ll have a cow, for milk and fertilizer. I want my children to stay in school as long as possible.”