Kotutu
I never did get the Kinyarwanda spelling on that, but thats as best I could pick out form the scribbles in my notebook. It is the name of one of the most inspiring co-operatives we visited (and we visited a lot). It means, as the title of this post betrays; Live Together, Live Alive. It began in 2007 as a number of associations of people infected by HIV/AIDS coming together to create a new co-operative where each individual member could work to contribute his and her gifts and share in the positive outcomes. This co-operative has 176 members. They lead us on to a row of chairs and stools at the front of a large room filled with benches and about 75 people. Sitting down, we begin the familiar process of introducing our group, telling our names, our ages, and our marital status. Already one can tell that this is a spirited group. They have energy, they have passion and drive, sometimes they even have arguments with one another as to what the correct answer is (eg. how exactly did this all get started?). It doesn't seem like a group of people who are living on borrowed time, or with an internal clock which constantly counts down. Iriakim translates their fascinating and inspiring story of community support and hardwork. He lays out how they wrote proposals to World Vision for many different income generating activities, including the keeping of bees to harvest and then sell fresh honey.
The people then explain how the training about HIV/AIDS provided by WV has helped them understand better how to live; the fact that the part of the national health insurance that they need to pay is covered by WV doesn't hurt either. When we come to the topic of the building we are sitting in, they cannot contain their pride. This building, this beautiful large meeting area was built by them for weekly meetings. All the members contributed large amounts of money to fund its construction. CIDA and WV provided the remaining needed funds (and some materials), but the people in the co-operatives built it with their own hands. I have seen Rwandans work on construction - and I can imagine they were there everyday working much harder than you or I could. Before the conversation devolves (as it so often does) into a minefield of questions like 'Why is Canada so well-off?' or cultural exchange about birth control methods and how to maintain marital fidelity, they also explain that they grow crops together for food for themselves, as well as to store and sell at lucrative times. Furthermore, they have their own cows and goats (I believe the first of which were provided by WV), another valuable income source.
But after all this group discussion, people are asked to share their own stories; how has the co-op affected your life? A lady who was loud-spoken, excited, funny, and thoroughly charming throughout our previous discussion is the first to pop up. Lets call her Veridien. She has children. In 2004, she discovered that she was infected with AIDS. She recalls the traumatizing effect on her and her family. She expressed that there was great sadness in this time. Another lady, in the telling of her story claimed she 'felt it was better to die.' Eventually she was visited by the co-operative. She was accepted into that tight-knit community and encouraged by counsellours and friends alike. 'Life began to change,' she said. She received the training mentioned above, and even as her funds went to the co-op she received the benefits of food security and a supporting community for her family. Her children, with WV support are now able to return to attending school. Mom, with the help of the co-op, can run the house herself. The truth is, she can do much more than that. She is also the vice-president of the co-operative running a fruit tree orchard, which has been fundamental in creating further income generation and providing support for 100s of other people. Veridien moves, speaks, laughs, and hugs with confidence. She is living alive (the one in the yellow with the smile, in case you hadn't already picked her out).
