Key points:
- Tailoring centers are popular across the conference, with trainees establishing their own sewing businesses after completing the training.
- Bishop Emmanuel Sinzohagera and conference leadership fully support women in church leadership and income-generating projects.
- Burundi women have formed Abundant Life Cooperative, which pooled their finances and will enable them to borrow capital to expand their ventures.
Women in the Burundi Conference have established income-generating projects to sustain their families and significantly contribute toward funding church programs.
At the United Methodist Women’s Center at Nyabugogo United Methodist Church, the women run a three-month tailoring course that is open to men and women from the community, regardless of their denomination.
“We initially only aimed to train women to sew clergy attire, school uniforms, shirts, dresses, trousers and shorts, but realized there was a need to include men and also enroll students who are not United Methodists,” said Pascaline Nijimbere, the Burundi Conference women’s president.
The center’s graduates are equipped with skills to set up their own tailoring businesses, which enable them to earn a living and look after their families.
Nijimbere said she was grateful to the church leadership for enabling women to fully participate in the church: “I appreciate the way women are included at all levels. We participate in all conference activities and areas.”
Tailoring projects are popular in the conference with several districts having set up their own training centers.
Kayero District women’s leader Kessie Bucumi said her members were engaged in farming maize, wheat and sunflowers, and rearing goats, pigs and chickens.
“We have almost 2,000 members in Kayero and the projects enable us to contribute to church finances and also uplift our living standards,” she said.
Bucumi explained that the district was given seven sewing machines by the conference and those women who underwent tailoring training were able to buy their own machines and set up income-generating projects.
“We are grateful for the Burundi Conference’s vision,” she said. “Our future is bright, and tomorrow we will definitely be greater than we are now.”
In Murehe District, the women farm maize, beans and rice and also rear rabbits, goats and chickens to fend for their households.
“We have built a hall where we meet and conduct our activities. We need more land for farming as we are currently renting the areas where we farm,” explained Joséphine Nizigiyimana, the district president.
“There is no gender discrimination in the church; women can be liturgists, preachers or anything they choose, just like our male counterparts. We also get a lot of support and encouragement from our pastors,” she told UM News.
Kinyinya District is in a rural area at the border with Tanzania and has over 3,400 members engaged in farming cassava and rearing cattle, goats and pigs.
“We are currently building a district women’s office where we plan to establish a tailoring school though we are yet to acquire sewing machines,” said Odette Nkurunziza, the Kinyinya women’s president.
“Our income from farming supports local church ministries but we need support to expand our projects,” said Nkurunziza, who expressed gratitude for help from the conference leaders as they implemented their projects.
Godelieve Manirakiza, the Burundi Conference women’s national coordinator, said the women were thankful for the conference leadership whose vision helped revive the women’s center when it was dying.
“There is unity within the women. We work hand in hand and understand our vision for empowering our members,” she said. “We plan together, implement together and also support each other.
“The way we are working can be seen in the how projects in our districts are organized,” she said.
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The United Methodist women in Burundi Conference have pooled their finances and banked the funds in order to allow those requiring capital to borrow. They formed Abundant Life Cooperative, which will enable women to obtain loans to fund their projects. Manirakiza reported that the cooperative currently has about BIF 12 million ($4,000 USD) in its account.
Women in leadership appreciate the recognition and support they get from their episcopal leader Bishop Emmanuel Sinzohagera, who has procured sewing machines for them and advised they form a tailoring cooperative.
After undergoing training, the women anticipated getting machines for solo business ventures, but Sinzohagera said he was not able to buy machines for individuals and had bought 10 for the cooperative.
“It’s a way of strengthening unity among people. When they work together, it fosters unity and fellowship,” he said. “The training embraces all people in the community and it’s a way of evangelism for the church.”
Sinzohagera explained he was exploring other ways to empower women and young people so they can be financially independent.
“Women and youth make up between 80 and 85% of our church membership and they need to embrace a spirit of hard work and not depend on donations, for God has promised to bless the works of our hands,” he said.
Chikwanah is a UM News correspondent based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digests.
