Alphonsine Nshimirimana is a female lead farmer who lives in the Province of Ngozi, Mirango Hill. She owns three plantations of 390 trees.
In 2016, Alphonsine joined the Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), which helped her change her life positively. Thanks to the training she had on good agricultural practices and financial literacy, she was able to invest around 10$ (18.000 BIF /1$=1780 BIF) in the Association only one year after joining it, which allowed her to gain around 33$ (58 800 BFI) as profit.
“I managed as well to build a new house knowing that my old one was about to collapse – all thanks to the income made out of coffee and the profits gained from the VSLA,” said Alphonsine.
Being part of the VSLA allowed her to get a loan with acceptable interest rates. She was able then to easily buy seed potatoes and a fertilizer. Moreover, thanks to the generated revenue, Alphonsine and her husband bought a cow.