A lively market in the heart of Rugeregere
Every day on Rugeregere Hill, in Cibitoke Province (Burundi), a market comes alive with voices, colors, and smells. A cheerful and productive hubbub. A gathering place for local communities. The credit goes to the women of the “Dufashanye” savings and credit group (a term that translates to “let’s support each other” in Italian).
You see them busy weighing cassava, you see them bustling around the small tables where they display all their produce: chili peppers, eggplants, leeks, tomatoes. What else is this if not a concrete—and successful—example of grassroots, income-generating activities with a strong impact on the community?
The initiative born from community microcredit
These markets are one of the small successes born from community microcredit, made possible thanks to the savings shared by the women who are part of the “Dufashanye” group, but also thanks to the training and support offered by the “Si può fare!” project.
United for Trade
The choice to join together to create a small joint business is 
It was a decisive step in strengthening the economic independence of these women’s families and improving the purchasing options for those who live in these areas, who don’t always have nearby markets where they can buy basic necessities.
Local stores for a stronger community
Thanks to the creation of proximity sales points , the distances between the inhabitants of Rugeregere hill and the markets where they can buy food have been reduced, facilitating the circulation of goods and money.
“The speed of circulation of money has increased and has allowed the increase in incomes”, they say – with satisfaction –
savings group participants. And this change is already visible in the living conditions of families and, more generally, in the development of the communities involved.
Networking to look to the future
In Rugeregere, unity and the ability to network are transforming a simple market into an opportunity to look towards the future.