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"Ejo Heza is Ejo Heza"
A Midterm Evaluation of USAID/Ejo Heza using the
Most Significant Change Technique
1. Saving & Lending:
2. Agriculture:
"Ejo Heza will develop skills and knowledge, which will enable low income households to make informed financial decisions, expand economic opportunities, and increase their capacities to attract and access financial services."
"To improve agricultural practices and farm management leading to sustainable increases in food production on rural farms.”
"Before I joined Ejo Heza and before the agriculture training, I had a production of 100kg each year on average. When, after using all of the techniques I learned from the training, I harvested 874kg in one single year, mostly because of the treatment of the maize after the field."
- Daniel, 56, Nyamagabe
Conducted by:
Anael Ngando
Carrie Beason Chandrasurin
Caitlin Kelly
Jillian Christie
Tiffany Law
2.2 Increase in Farmers' Financial Capacity
“If it had happened [before Ejo Heza], my child would have dropped out of school. I would not have had anybody to talk to who could give me the money right away. That is the advantage of being in the group. We are able to solve our issues better than those outside of the group. We are able to sustain ourselves because what Ejo Heza does is train us.”
- Mary, 43, Nyamagabe
"I acquired a loan of RWF 15,000. I bought a pig. It has now given birth 2 times, each time it gave birth to five piglets. So I sold those piglets all those times. One piglet is RWF 5000, so that’s RWF 50,000. With that RWF 50,000, I acquired land. Now we live closer to other people. When we couldn’t get the roofing, I took a loan of RWF 30,000 and we put a roof on the house. ”
- Philomene, 28, Huye
“Before Ejo Heza came, we did not know how to save money. We started saving RWF 400 per month. Our ISLG has 30 members. At the beginning, we started with loans in the amount of RWF 4000, with an interest rate of 10%. That money was used by members to conduct small businesses, income generating activities.”
- Verdiana, 40, Nyagosozi
"The most major impact that Ejo Heza has had on my life is not being afraid of loans. Now I can get a loan from the ISLG and take it to my activities in the cooperative. And if it’s not enough, I’m not afraid to take a pen and write a letter to SACCO asking for a loan. So the major impact actually is not being afraid of loans.”
- Eugena, 38, Huye
Methodology:
Most Significant Change Technique
“Since your involvement in Ejo Heza, what do you think has been the most significant change in your household/life/community?”
Background:
AU Research Team
"We learned about how to build a kitchen garden and how to grow vegetables which means that today we have enough food for our house... and we can even spare some vegetables to sell on the market and get extra money. The training about the nutrition helped us in the sense that we are able to prepare the food...because before we had all those kinds of foods or vegetables we need, but we didn’t know how to make it. But now we don’t have... malnutrition in the children...They asked to teach, to train at least 25 people each, that is 5 households. We spread the good news about nutrition in our community...So now we can see the change in the children. They are healthier they growing fast and they become a little bit fat. "
- Pierre-Celestin, 57, Nymirama
"Before I would go to the market to buy vegetables, but now as I cook any meal I can go to the kitchen garden at the back of my house and take some part there to cook... Since we started kitchen gardens, we can get vegetables near us."
-Francoise, 24, Huye
Overview
“Before the training of nutrition, we had another understanding of the food; when you eat rice and beans you feel like you have eaten the best food ever but after the nutrition training we know that rice and beans are not enough so we have to mix.”
–Jean Bosco, 41, Nyamagabe
"To ensure that the most vulnerable populations in the target districts are supported to attain skills and knowledge that lead to greater food security and greater understanding of the interplay between diet, nutrition and hygiene."
3. Health & Nutrition:
"I breast fed my child for six months. But because of dirt and everything the child fell sick every month or two, but now, after receiving those trainings from Ejo Heza about a full diet and about cleanliness, my child has lasted more than a year without falling sick."
-Clarine, 25, Nyamagbe
1. Increase Trainings
1. Increase trainings
2. Support BCVs
3. Facilitate SACCO lending
4. Share the report
5. Topics for further evaluation
“Literacy facilitates nutrition. If we are not able to attend the nutrition meeting we can send somebody else. They have to write all that they have been taught on paper. Because I know how to read and write, I can read that paper and learn nutrition still.”
–Jacqueline, 36, Nyanza
4. Literacy & Numeracy:
4.2 Strengthening of Business &
Financial Capacity
“Improved literacy, numeracy and financial literacy that contributes to improved farm management and access to loans.”
“Some of my students told me that learning how to write really helped them in their business. A student used to do business without being literate and people would steal from him, but now he does better. All the people in the group, they know how to do all that. ”
– Ferdinand, 25, Nyagosozi
“When I was going to the hospital to get treated for malaria I would sit in the dentistry ward and I don’t know where I am! Or sometimes I would go to the optical ward when I want to get my tooth removed! But now I can read and know where to go for the treatment area. I am no longer misdirected.”
– Annocieta, 60, Gisagara
5. Social Transformation:
“Basically, literacy removes a blindfold from your ignorance. When you’re illiterate, you are more ignorant of many things. It is like removing a blindfold, and then you start thinking.”
– Annocieta, 60, Gisagara
"It is shameful asking your husband for money everyday. Now, we feel like human beings. We can use our own head and our own hands to get the little money we want for daily use. The husband is the head of the household so he is supposed to provide everything the house needs, but it is better if we can help in providing those needs. Before we had a need of RWF 1000 you go an ask from the husband, but now we have another way. We go to the savings group and take the money we need from the savings group and you can start a system of paying back that money. "
- Odile, 23, Nyanza
"I have learned about my social life: how to live well with all people, not being lonely or isolated. I am happy because I have seen the change. I am not alone, I am not isolated...With whatever challenge we may be facing, we are able to help each other out. So in regards to medical insurance, those that are not able to pay, we make a list of them and we are able to pay for them. We believe in supporting each other."
- Cecile, 39, Gisagara
"When you are alone and you have a challenge, it’s not easy for you to find a solution or to know what to do. But when you are together as a group you can share ideas and what you don’t know you can learn it from someone else. That improves your life because you share with each other and you share ideas and you are able to move forward."
- Leonard, 37, Huye
"The [Ejo Heza] teachers met, and we decided that we shouldn’t sit by when a neighbor is not clean, if a child shows signs of malnutrition, or if they’re giving birth to more children than they can actually handle. I also told the teachers that we have to build kitchen gardens for our neighbors. We went and did that. And I told them to tell the people they built gardens for to do the same, to find someone to do that for."
- Jean Marie, 37, Gisagara
Thank you for your support.