Women, often seen as one of the most vulnerable groups in society, are not just recipients of development benefits. They are also active members in development activities and agents of change in their communities. In Musanze, their activities not only improve the lives of their families and local communities, they serve as a driving point to protect the area’s rich environment and biodiversity, and to make sure that mountain gorillas and other wildlife are safe and co-exist in peace with humans. The 209 million dollars in revenue in 2008 from ecotourism and gorilla trekking indicates that their contributions are critical to Rwanda’s growth and development.
Conflict between Humans and Nature: Survival in Poverty
Rwanda’s rich environment is not only for ecotourism. Biodiversity brings natural resources that provide for the daily needs of people in rural areas. Protection of biodiversity is often not a priority when people can hardly manage to provide the means to meet their family needs. Amongst those who rely heavily on the environment to make their living, a majority grow crops, while others hunt animals. Locals have even been known to let wild buffaloes enter their fields and raid their crops so they can shoot them for their meat. Others construct beehives in the National Park forest for honey production, and cut wood to produce charcoal, which serves as a major energy source. While these activities are often prohibited – particularly around national parks – to protect the forest and natural environment, local people continue taking risks to be involved in them – all for their living needs and their families.
Women as Strong Drivers in Conservation and Development
In the beautiful backyard of Volcanoes National Park Headquarters in Kinigi, women proudly sit with Rwandan traditional baskets in their hands. They are a strong driving force behind improving the lives of local village communities and protecting the environment and biodiversity surrounding their villages.
As active members of the cooperative formed under a community development project by the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) and in partnership with Volcanoes National Park, women come to this worksite twice a week to weave crafts as an alternative income source. These women have other traditional, yet critical, roles to play in their communities, such as taking care of children and the elderly, growing crops and fetching water. Yet their twice-a-week weaving activities can significantly change their lives, both materially and spiritually, and protect the forest and biodiversity. Their work contributes to the protection of mountain gorillas and promotes ecotourism to an international audience.
From learning about the forest and biodiversity to learning business management and weaving skills, they have built their own solid ownership of their cooperative activities. Their empowerment no longer demands outside help and sympathy. “My days have been changed since I joined this project”, one weaver concludes. “I feel more empowered now and strong inside. I am now an independent person. Before, I was weaving baskets under trees in the middle of nowhere. I did not have good skills, but I had to do it to make money to support my family. My family had no food, no clothes, no soap and no iron roofing sheets. I was not able to pay for my children’s school fees. We did not have health insurance.” Having never had the means to enjoy these basic needs, their situation allowed them little pleasure, only survival. Now, they have been empowered – not only materially but mentally and spiritually. Being part of the independent women’s cooperative, they go to their communities and teach other women about the importance of the environment and natural resources. They organize workshops on their own initiative to tell village communities about ecotourism and what it can bring to their lives. They train other women in weaving skills and help communities become empowered as a whole.
Once having to struggle to make ends meet, risking their lives with illegal activities such as cutting wood and hunting animals, women are working towards harmonization with the environment with the help of this community development project. Now, they are helping their own communities through this harmonization and protection of biodiversity and the mountain gorilla. Their drive helps generate ecotourism and directly contributes to Rwanda’s growth and development.
Photo= Women in the basket weaving group proudly show their own beautiful baskets at their workshop site in the Volcanoes National Park. (Photo©Kadae.C)