For Matipaka, the last 16 years have been a struggle. For 14 of those years she had to care for her children while her husband, an army battalion commander, was away fighting. “When he was a soldier I was left alone to take care of the children. Often six or nine months would pass when we didn’t see each other. The longest we spent apart was one year.”
During these years Matipaka would survive by finding work where she could and eventually she had to sell the one asset the family owned. “We had 7 goats before he left but I sold them one by one just to survive.”
The return of Matipka’s husband didn’t spell the end of their hardship. Not only did they have to adjust to life back together but they still didn’t have a secure income. “When he was unemployed life was very difficult, we just sold a little flour here and there. There were times when he was difficult to manage, difficult to live with.”
CARE’s ‘Hope Tomorrow’ project is working with ex-combatants and provided Munyaneza, Matipaka’s husband, with training and equipment to start his own business. Munyaneza explains how the project has helped the whole family “The project gave me four months training which included mechanics. I now have a driving licence and can repair tyres. I have also been able to buy four goats and some chickens and ducks. I can now send my children to school and feed them”
Life is now improving for the family but it is also good to see that Matipka is no longer facing the daily struggles on her own: “now when problems arise we can work together to overcome them.”
The project is working with ex-combatants to find viable ways to earn a living, through hairdressing, mechanics and livestock rearing. The participants are given kits to start their businesses and we have also worked with local authorities to get taxes waived for the first year so that the businesses are provided with the best start possible.