A loan helped to buy more fertilizers and support labor costs in maize production.


Consolee's story

Consolee is 58. She is married to a farmer and they have two children, ages between 15 and 20. Consolee has been a maize farmer for 40 years. She will use her Kiva loan to support labor costs and buy fertilizer during maize production. She needs to buy fertilizer in order to increase production. With profits from her farming, Consolee wishes to invest in her business so that in the future she can acquire machines, like tractors, that will enhance her farming capacity. The photo was taken recently at a previous maize farming plantation. Consolee was very happy and excited that the previous season was very helpful for both family needs and business.

The agriculture sector accounts for 37% of Rwanda's gross domestic product, generates 65% of Rwanda's export revenue, and employs approximately 90% of Rwandans (as of 2009). Despite the importance of agriculture to Rwandans and their economy, financial institutions view lending to fund agricultural activities as a high-risk proposition because the profitability of these activities is affected by weather, natural disasters, and price fluctuations. For this reason, farmers in Rwanda remain underserved by financial institutions. Urwego Opportunity Bank is expanding into this market and is happy to provide Kiva lenders with the opportunity to support Rwandan farmers.



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Loan details