Claudine : Rwanda

$75 of $2,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Jun 1, 2015

Claudine is 44 years old. She is married with six children aged between 7 and 21 years. They all go to school. She is a farmer and she has been growing maize for the past 6 years. Her husband is also a farmer. With the loan from Kiva, she would like to pay the workers who harvested her maize. The profits from the business will be used to pay school fees for her children and make savings for a better future. 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.