“We threw ourselves into the idea of growing and selling onions”. This is how Célestine Nibigira’s story begins, a Burundian woman who signed up to community micro-credit. Through ideas, commitment and hard work, her and her family’s lives have been transformed.
“We heard about and were encouraged to participate in community microcredit groups on our hill,” said Célestine Nibigira, a Burundian protagonist of the It can be done! project. The best way to sustainable and conscious development is to support the skills and ideas of local communities: Célestine and her onions have proved that change is possible.
Responding positively to the invitation to be part of a community micro-credit group, she discussed with her husband how to manage the money they received as a loan and in which activity to invest. “We threw ourselves into the idea of growing and selling onions”.
They bought the seeds and a few tools needed for agricultural production. The first harvest was good “so we decided to use the proceeds to buy a calf. This also turned out to be a great idea because thanks to the animal we now have manure to fertilise the fields, which we struggled to get before”. The calf cost 750,000 BIF (Burundian francs).
But Célestine and her husband’s investments did not stop there. The couple is now able to look to the future and plan: “We continued with the savings and credit activities in our second year of operation. Microcredit allows us to improve our family’s living conditions and is also a form of education on how to manage money effectively”.
Now she would like to be able to take a leap forward, with accompaniment and training from AMU and CASOBU (the local partner of the It can be done! project): “I would like to have access to bigger loans, making contacts, for example, with financial institutions that allow us to apply for larger loans. I am sure I can do more, because I have learned from this experience that it is possible. It can be done”.