Amida Uwingabiye, female leader, businesswoman and driver in Muyinga Province: Photo by Arthur Bizimana, used with permission Amida Uwingabiye’s story is sadly not uncommon for Burundian women: she was thrown out of her home and abused by her husband for giving birth to a girl. She subsequently lived in poverty from 2003–2009. According to the Demographic and Health Survey in Burundi (EDSB III), published by the National Institute of Statistics of Burundi (INSBU) in 2019, around 36 percent of Burundian women experienced physical violence between 2016–2017. In fact, while 10 percent of women reported physical violence during pregnancy, 23 percent also reported sexual violence. Didace Ndayikengurukiye, a researcher in family sociology, explains the origins of gender-based violence in Burundi: Les violences basées sur le genre prennent racine dans la culture burundaise. Puisque nous sommes dans le système patriarcat, les normes de la société favorisent la gent masculine et discriminent discrètement la gent féminine. L’un se sent supérieur à l’autre. Ce comportement se répand surtout chez les non instruits habitant en milieu rural. Gender-based violence is rooted in Burundian culture. As we’re part of a patriarchal system, societal norms favor men whilst subtly discriminating against women. One acts superior to the other. This behavior is common amongst uneducated individuals in rural areas. Les femmes comme les hommes ayant atteint au moins le niveau secondaire et appartenant au quintile de bien-être le plus riche ont moins de risques d’être victimes de violences physiques et conjugales. As a victim of psychological trauma, Amida had lost all confidence before launching her own association in 2009 to address another major issue: poverty amongst homeless women. Between 2016–2017, the poverty rate for Burundi’s divorced, separated, and widowed women increased to 76.8 percent, while this rate for married women increased to 56.5 percent over the same period. With an average annual income of 186 euros (USD 202), Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world. More than half of the country’s population, that’s to say 51.4 percent, live below the poverty line. Thanks to the support of Janvière Nibaruta, a moderator for the Nawe Nuze (Come with Us) Care International Initiative, Amida founded the association “Garukira abakenyezi bahukanye n’inkumi zavyariye iwabo” (Standing by Divorced and Unmarried Women). This association brings together women from Masasu Hill in the Gasorwe commune of the country’s north-eastern Muyinga Province. She proudly recalls: Trois mois après le début des activités de la caisse d’épargne en 2009, j’ai contracté un emprunt de 15 000 Fbu (5.3 dollars américains) à la coopérative pour démarrer le commerce de légumes au marché de Gasorwe. Grâce à ce capital, j’ai réussi. En quatre mois seulement, je suis passé de 15 000 Fbu à 400 000 Fbu (140 dollars américains). Three months after the savings bank began operating in 2009, I secured a loan of BIF 15,000 (USD 5.3) from this cooperative to begin selling vegetables on Gasorwe market. I was successful thanks to this loan. In just four months, I had gone from BIF 15,000 to BIF 400,000 (USD 140). Pour m’approvisionner à Kampala, capitale de l’Ouganda, je touchais sur l’article à acheter et avec ma calculatrice, je montrais au vendeur le prix que j’aimerais payer. Le pouvoir de négociation avec mes fournisseurs d’habits était très mince, car je communiquais comme une sourde-muette, mais quand même, je m’y suis habituée. To stock up in Uganda’s capital city of Kampala, I would tap on the item I wanted to buy and show the vendor the price I wanted to pay on my calculator. My ability to negotiate with my clothing suppliers was pretty limited since I communicated like a deaf person. However, I got used to it even so. OBR m’a pris de court à cette époque en saisissant les marchandises d’une valeur de 7 000 0000 FBu (2464 dollars américains) et en les vendant à l’enchère quand je faisais la fraude. Amida now appreciates the importance of associations like the Burundi Association of Business Women (AFAB) and the Burundi Cross Border Traders Association (ACTF), which educate traders in the practice of legal trading by complying with taxation laws and regulations. What’s more, she calls upon these organizations to intensify their efforts and further educate business owners in this area. In 2016, Amida received business management and financial education training from Young Entrepreneurs’ Park (PARJE). She also won a competition as part of the “Campagne Narateye Intambwe” (I Stepped Up) project on saving and borrowing. For three months, she traveled across the country, using her experience as a lesson for other women.