Kula Is: The Renovation of Houses to Homes
For many of our fellows, visions of the future include improving and renovating their houses. We’ve seen that this often provides a foundation of security from which so many other dreams can thrive. For some, the process includes relocating entirely. During Rwanda’s rainy season landslides can be a danger in many parts of the country, and for homes that have often been built on very steep hills this can cause disaster.
Before joining the Kula Fellowship Program, Marie Rose and her husband Flavier lived with their children in a high risk area, but after experiencing a landslide they moved to a new region with the hope of establishing a safe home and future. They began building slowly, but still did not have a clear direction or vision for their house, career or family in general.
Upon beginning the program, the family began working with their mentor to chart a household vision and action plan, an endeavor that proved to be a significant spark. After all was discussed and set to paper, Marie Rose and her family had developed seven clear goals; improving their house with better flooring, walls and roofing, creating a home produce garden, covering their children’s school fees and all other basic needs, family planning, increasing their fresh fruit intake, rearing livestock, and growing her weaving business. They also thought through action steps to help achieve these goals including investing more in their coffee trees, increasing their savings, accessing local financial institutions, and ensuring that they were using best health practices at home to keep their family healthy.
With this plan in place, the family began seeing gradual change. Marie Rose attributes much of the progress to the self-esteem training early on in the program; she says it made her who she is today and gave her the confidence that she can make her dreams come true. Over the course of the fellowship, they saved enough money to renovate their home into what they hoped it would be, a beautiful place for the whole family; all of her children are now in school, they purchased goats, pigs and a cow to provide further sources of income, she now harvests fruits and veggies from a healthy produce garden she built at home, she’s planted other fruit trees to provide income, and she is steadily expanding her weaving business with help from a grant won in Kula’s business plan competition.
From this success, the family’s vision continues to grow. While renting new weaving equipment that can help support their business, they also plan to increase their coffee farm and play a bigger role as an example to their community. They express confidence that they will continue increasing their income and budgeting wisely to cover all their family’s needs.
At the core of it all is their home, in which they take immense pride.
It’s not just a structure, it’s a sign and a reminder that progress is possible,
that what was once unstable can become firm, and that a base can be planted to spur new creativity. From their planning, commitment and belief they have built a safe place for their family to grow and dream, secure in their day to day needs and hopeful for new ideas and opportunities to take root.
