From One Pig to New Possibilities

In Rwanda's Burera District, women are turning agricultural training and livestock into opportunities to strengthen their families, grow their income, and build more sustainable futures.

For Berencile, one pig became the beginning of something much bigger.

Before joining the Burera livestock program, Berencile struggled to meet her household's needs and had limited opportunities to earn an income.

Through the program, she received a pig and training in proper livestock care, including feeding, housing, hygiene, and disease prevention.

She put those lessons into practice, and her pig eventually gave birth to 10 piglets!

Berencile sold six of them, earning approximately 180,000 Rwandan francs. With that income, she was able to purchase a goat, pay school fees for her children, buy food and agricultural supplies, make improvements to her home, and reinvest in farming.

She also kept two piglets to continue growing her livestock resources.

What began with one animal has become an ongoing opportunity for her family.

And Berencile's story is part of something much bigger.

Through our partnership with African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM-Rwanda), Rise Up Woman International supports the Burera Food Production and Educational Project, which equips smallholder farmers with practical agricultural skills and livestock resources.

From July through September 2026, 218 farmers received hands-on training in sustainable agriculture, including composting, crop rotation, water conservation, intercropping, and climate-resilient farming practices.

The livestock program is also continuing to grow. During the third quarter alone, 38 piglets were born through the community farming initiative and ALARM-Rwanda's pig pen.

One of the most meaningful aspects of this project is its pass-forward approach. As pigs reproduce, participating families are encouraged to share piglets with neighboring households, extending the opportunity to others in their communities.

For Siphora, this approach has become part of her own story.

After receiving a piglet and training, Siphora learned to use manure to create compost, improving the fertility and productivity of her farm. As her pigs reproduced, she was able to sell some to help meet household needs and pass a piglet forward to another family.

Her experience reflects the heart of this initiative: equipping families with practical resources and knowledge they can continue using and sharing.

Since the Burera pig farming project began in 2020, participating families have passed forward 110 pigs to 110 households, according to the project's cumulative records.

These stories are about more than livestock or farming.

They're about women gaining practical skills, families finding new sources of income, and communities sharing opportunities with one another.

For Berencile, Siphora, and other participating farmers, the impact continues long after the initial training.

And sometimes, that transformation begins with just one pig.