Philomene attends her first self help group savings meeting
Philomene, 35, with her children (L-R) Ishimwe, 10, Jean de Deui, 7, and Claire, 2.
Philomene's husband Kanan, 32, is rarely around. He leaves very early to find work and often stays away as there is little food at the house.
Philomene with a finished pot.
Making clay pots is a traditional craft for Twa; however the demand for pots has largely been displaced by plastic and meta. She can sell her pots for only twenty or thirty US cents each.
Making clay pots is a traditional craft for Twa; however the demand for pots has largely been displaced by plastic and meta. She can sell her pots for only twenty or thirty US cents each.
Making clay pots is a traditional craft for Twa; however the demand for pots has largely been displaced by plastic and meta. She can sell her pots for only twenty or thirty US cents each.
Making clay pots is a traditional craft for Twa; however the demand for pots has largely been displaced by plastic and meta.
A set of clay pots dry in teh sun, ready for firing.
Philomene firing the pots she made this day. The pots are placed on a fire and covered with dry and green grass. Firing takes about an hour.
These pots were once used by everyone to store water and cook food, but they have been rapidly replaced by metal and plastic.
Philomene stands in the smoke from the green grass placed on top of the pots during firing.
Philomene stokes the fire under the pots during firing.
Philomene with two of her three children, Claire and Ishemwe, a year on from joing her self help group.
A year after joing her self-help group, Philomene is still making pots, despite it being unprofitable.
Philomene and her daugher Claire sit with Philomene's group, a year after she joined.
A year after joining her self-help group, Philomene sat for a portrait. She brought the basket to signify the shop she one wants to open.
A year after joining her self-help group, Philomene sat for a portrait. She brought the basket to signify the shop she one wants to open.
Two years after joining her slef-help group,for the first time in her life, Philomene has bought a newly made dress. The jacket is a second hand import, but she is very proud of it.
She has stopped making clay pots and now sells avocados at market.
Immaculate and Philomene walk away together, off to the market.
This easy familiarity is new, developed through their membership of teh same self-help group - overcoming economic and ethnic differences.
Philomene, in orange, arrives at the meeting of her Kasebuturanyo self-help group.
She is now the group's accountant, something she says that she could never have imagined: going into a bank and talking to the people there.
Philomene tells that when she joined the self-help group she was worried that she would not be trusted or accepted. Now she is the accountant for her group and is responsible for taking the group's savings to the bank in Nyamagabe. Before joining her self-help group this would have been unimaginable.
Philomene leaves teh self-help group meeting, three years on.
Philomene with her pig.
Philomene is now expecting her fourth child but says she is not concerned, she can afford the extra child.
Philomene's husband is renovating their small house.
For many years, Philomene's house has been in need of repair. Her family are now able to do the work on it.
Philomene's stands with pots she has made, ready for firing.
Philomene has resumed making traditional pots, but now also sells avocados at markets, has a pig and raises rabbits.
Philomene is now expecting her fourth child but says she is not concerned, she can afford the extra child.
