Mbonimpa: "Little by little, our savings allowed me to start my business"

Mbonimpa and Solange have five children.  Mbonimpa has been a part of a FXBVillage in Rwanda since 2015, but Mobinmpa’s story does not begin there and he is proud to share his story.

Mbonimpa was one of the many people who returned from exile back to Rwanda later than most. In 1994, Mobinmpa was in exile in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was scared of returning to Rwanda due to the immense amount of negative information he received from the members of the militia in the Congo.

Mbonimpa’s fear stemmed from the possibility of Rwanda not being a secure and safe country to return to. After much consideration, he did return home to Rwanda in 2013. Despite his fears, Mbonimpa received a warm welcome and benefited from the reintegration programs for those once exiled by the state.

But despite the help Mbonimpa received, he still encountered difficulties adapting to a country he no longer knew. But, in what Mbonimpa describes as an act of God, he found FXB Rwanda.

“I found FXB Rwanda in 2015 and from the first days, I knew it was an act of God”, he explains. “I had five children to feed and the acclimation was not easy. FXB Rwanda supported me financially, morally and also in terms of knowledge. We received countless information (regarding nutrition , health, family planning and also saving and economic development). Since then, me and my spouse, we vowed to use this opportunity to the best of our abilities. The money we received from FXB Rwanda to develop income generating activities has helped us a lot.

We rented a field and cultivated vegetables that we sell at local markets. My wife also sells some food stuffs. We saved as much as possible, with my dream of becoming a welder. In fact, I received a training for that purpose from the state, but the skills did not serve me. I might have the tools, but they were not enough to start my welding business at that time.

Little by little, our savings allowed me to start my business and my wife continued to sell and grow vegetables.

Our children are at school, and they have health insurance, I have many projects for the future. And all of this is thanks to FXB. Now, I am a part of a savings and credit group, to which I contribute without any problem. I think that I will even increase my contribution now that I know the value of saving.

My family and I express our deepest thanks to FXB.”