Anastasie Gains Confidence, A Community Finds Hope.
Anastasie Mukabaziga remembers the nights she lay awake worrying whether the next harvest would cover school fees or patch the leaking roof. Farming on the steep slopes of Gicumbi had always been full of effort and short on certainty. She was proud of her land, but the land rarely paid her back enough to breathe easy.
For years, she farmed her 1.5-hectare plot the way she’d been taught traditionally: by feel and sheer effort. Seasons drifted by in the same pattern: plant, wait, pray. Some years were kinder than others, but the gains never added up to a future she could plan. A single bad season could wipe out months of hard work and leave the household scrambling.
Everything changed when Anastasie joined a farmer training program introduced by Walisha. The change didn’t come from a miracle, it came from understanding. Trainers taught her modern, sustainable methods: how soil structure affects root growth, the timing and use of fertilizer, and ways to manage pests without hurting the soil itself. The lessons were practical and hands-on, and they turned instinct into technique.
The results were undeniable and measurable too. Anastasie recorded a 40% increase in yield; her most recent harvest reached 3.4 tonnes of wheat, a figure that would once have been unimaginable. But those numbers only tell part of the story. The harvest resulted in school fees paid upfront, seeds of higher quality for the next season acquired, and a roof that no longer leaked. And even more powerful, it bought something harder to measure: confidence.
And that confidence spread through the community; Anastasie’s fields have become a living classroom. Neighbours come to look, not just out of curiosity but because they want to learn. She shows them the techniques she learned, planting choices, soil care and pest management, and in doing so, is changing the trajectory of an entire community. She no longer farms just to survive; she farms so others can see what’s possible.
Anastasie’s story is about much more than wheat. It is about what happens when women farmers are seen and equipped; when knowledge meets land, families gain stability, and communities gain leaders. She is part of a quiet revolution of women turning barren slopes into productive, dignified livelihoods.
There are many more farmers like Anastasie, ready to step into the same future. And you can make it happen for them by adopting a famer today.
With a one-time gift of $99 or a monthly donation of just $9.95 you equip Walisha to provide seeds, training, and support for women and communities across Rwanda.
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