One of the primary ministries of RAJEDES is to draw alongside young people lacking employment and empower them with entrepreneurial skills. Recently they have been able to support a fresh cohort of beneficiaries, one of whom was Eric – who received a sewing machine.

Eric had been struggling with unemployment upon completion of his education. Sadly, this is a common problem for young graduates in Burundi. But Eric’s predicament was exacerbated by the fact that he was a husband and father who needed to provide for his family. Furthermore, as an orphan, he did not have anybody to support him.

In April of 2022, he was able to borrow enough money through a RAJEDES microfinance loan scheme to establish and stock a clothing stand, which gave him a leg-up to starting his small business. But he lacked practical skills, so he joined the Twese Mwiterambere Training Centre run by RAJEDES where he learned tailoring and clothing design skills to enhance his business still further.

Recently, Eric graduated and received his own sewing machine from RAJEDES, pictured below. Now Eric and his wife’s clothing sales business is successful and profitable, and they are able to design clothes which they produce themselves.

Eric is thankful to God, and to the ministry of RAJEDES for transforming his life. He is able to provide for his wife, his children and his younger brothers as a result.

As the business flourishes, they will be able to repay the loan to RAJEDES. This money will then be lent to another start-up or person in need. By using this model, a single donation is ‘recycled’ and impacts multiple beneficiaries. It also establishes exemplary business skills of saving and loan repayment for these young entrepreneurs.

Eric writes, “May God bless RAJEDES who gave me training and access to credit. Today I am happy with my own job, and my family is happy with me”.