Women & Families

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are central to AEE Rwanda’s approach to grassroots development. Each group typically consists of fifteen to twenty members of similar social and economic backgrounds who live near one another and commit to a group for life. Most groups are women-only, while others are men-only or mixed.

Group members receive training on how to save—even on a minimal income—and how to provide small loans from the group for income-generating activities. In the early stages, for example, a member might take a small loan to buy bananas from a farmer and sell them at a local market. The loan is repaid, and the profit remains with the borrower. As members’ incomes grow, so do the group’s savings and opportunities to start and expand small businesses.

Beyond financial benefits, these groups also build social capital. Members meet regularly over many years, fostering trust, mutual support, and community cohesion. Over time, SHGs are supported to form clusters, which allow them to pool resources for larger cooperative projects. As the number of groups and clusters increases, clusters come together to form federations. These community-based institutions advocate on behalf of their members to local and district authorities and become trusted partners of local governments.

With a strong and stable network of self-help groups—and their associated clusters and federations—communities are well-positioned to benefit from further development interventions.

AEE Rwanda knows from experience that financial and food security in Rwanda’s poorer communities is most effectively addressed when approached holistically. Households must have sustainable incomes to maintain progress and sufficient reserves to withstand both natural and human-caused shocks, which are not unusual within everyday Rwandan life.

AEE Rwanda’s foundational approach is based on supporting people to become self-reliant. Our programs target households with dependent children and youth struggling with finances, food security and the capacity to afford healthcare or access education opportunities.  focusing on establishing the income and food security essential for the wellbeing and flourishing of children. We provide disadvantaged youth with the vocational and life skills needed to realize their potential, become valued community members, and future parents. Our agricultural programs link farmers to export markets to broaden their opportunities.