After a long day of studying for exams, Florence’s school day ends—and her work begins.
Instead of heading home, she races to her friend’s house to pick up freshly baked beignets, carefully strapping the warm, golden treats to the back of her bike. With each pedal, she navigates the bustling community markets, searching for customers. Once she sells out, her work isn’t over; she heads back to record transactions, debrief the day’s business, and prepare for tomorrow.
This isn’t the teenage life Florence had imagined—juggling school and a business—but she is determined to graduate from secondary school. If entrepreneurship is the path she must take, then she’s ready to roll up her sleeves and make it happen.
A setback leads to an unexpected opportunity
At just 17, Florence had to drop out of secondary school because her parents couldn’t afford the standard tuition costs. Living in a rural community in the remote northern parts of Rwanda, her story is all too common.
Like many others, her family was trapped in a cycle of poverty in a region where small-scale farming dominates the economy, leaving families vulnerable to the whims of nature and climate-related shocks. With few non-agricultural opportunities, painfully low incomes, and the added pressure of global inflation, escaping poverty felt nearly impossible.
“When I had to drop out of school because of poverty, I completely lost hope,” Florence recalls, her words reflecting the despair faced by many young people in similar circumstances. But then, an opportunity arose through Village Enterprise, offering Florence a chance to turn her life around.
“When I saw this opportunity, I thought to myself, ‘Maybe I will rise again,’” she reflects on this turning point in her life.
At 18, Florence enrolled in Village Enterprise’s poverty graduation program, a life-changing step that would equip her to reclaim her future. Through the program, she learned crucial skills in business operation, financial record-keeping, identifying market opportunities, and practicing weekly savings.
When the time came to launch her first business, Florence reached out to Francine, 22, and Veneranda, 24, both recent secondary school graduates. She initially felt nervous to approach them, worried they might hesitate since she planned to re-enroll and wouldn’t always be available. However, she was met with support.
“They showed her Ubuntu,” explains Eric Iragendanwa, their Village Enterprise Field Associate, referring to the compassion and solidarity that Francine and Veneranda extended to Florence.
Together, the trio forged a life-changing partnership that embodies Village Enterprise’s mission to equip vulnerable women and youth with the resources needed to lift themselves out of poverty.
Youth entrepreneurship in Rwanda: Building a business from the ground up
After noticing the absence of bakeries in their area, the three young entrepreneurs seized the opportunity to fill this gap. With a business grant from Village Enterprise and the guidance of their business mentor, Redempta Uwase, they started with only a few bags of ingredients and a small amount of oil.
The young entrepreneurs began selling popular Rwandan staples—donuts, beignets, chapati, mandazi, and samosas—traveling by foot or using motorcycle taxis to reach nearby markets.
Word about their delicious baked goods quickly spread, and they started receiving orders from distant villages eager to taste their pastries. Realizing they could expand their customer base, but facing transportation costs that would cut into their profits, the women devised an innovative solution. After pooling their savings, Florence, Francine, and Veneranda purchased a bicycle for 120,000 RWF ($93 USD).
And just like that, they created a mobile bakery.
Up and down, over hills and into valleys, the trio takes turns pedaling their bike to markets and villages across their area. Rwanda, known as “the land of a thousand hills,” lives up to its name—the terrain is relentless, featuring long, rolling hills that often end in swampy vales and steep slopes.
When asked about the challenge of navigating this rugged landscape with a bike full of baked goods, Florence simply smiles and shrugs. “I want to get out of poverty as quickly as possible,” she replies, undeterred by the uphill struggle.
This determination has laid the foundation for the young women’s success.
A business success story in rural Rwanda
Today, Florence, Francine, and Veneranda are a well-oiled team, managing their bakery and overcoming challenges together. While Florence attends class during school hours, she devotes her afternoons and weekends to assisting Francine and Veneranda with their business responsibilities. Their teamwork has led to the bakery’s success, allowing each of them to reinvest in themselves and their community.
At just 19, Florence has accomplished what once seemed impossible. A little over a year after being forced to drop out of school, she’s now back in the classroom, proudly paying her own tuition with profits from her bakery. She even bought a brand new school uniform, a testament to her hard work and resilience.
“I am proud of myself knowing that the future is in my own hands,” Florence says, her voice brimming with pride.
Veneranda also reflects on how far she has come. Once unable to secure the capital needed to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams, she now runs a successful bakery and also supports others in her community, helping them develop business plans and learn how to achieve profitability.
“Before Village Enterprise, I was living a miserable life,” Veneranda admits. “But I feel confident now. I’m comfortable speaking with people and selling our products.”
The three young entrepreneurs have used their profits to purchase goats and sheep, which will provide a cost-effective source of meat for their samosas. Beyond the bakery, they plan to breed the livestock, creating an additional stream of income.
The trio also benefits from their business savings group (BSG), which provides an essential safety net on their journey out of extreme poverty. Composed of 30 first-time entrepreneurs in the Village Enterprise program, the group meets weekly to practice savings and support one another.
By pooling their resources, BSG members can offer loans to help each other expand their businesses, invest in larger household assets, or cover emergencies. When Francine fell ill, she was able to borrow from the BSG to cover medical bills, and within just a few months, she had repaid the loan in full.
Raising others out of poverty
With a thriving business, newfound confidence, and a strong support network, Florence, Francine, and Veneranda are rewriting their stories and already planning their next steps.
They dream of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant near a local factory where workers currently have no food options nearby. This vision extends beyond personal success—they are eager to create job opportunities for other young people in their community.
“I’ve learned that if you see a business opportunity, take it,” Florence emphasizes. “We hope to expand our business to provide jobs for young people like us.”
With just two years left in secondary school, Florence’s determination remains unwavering. After graduating, she plans to pursue project management at university, further equipping herself with the skills necessary to elevate their businesses, profits, and community. She dreams that one day, when she has children, they will never have to worry about paying school fees.
“Thank you, Village Enterprise, for giving me a second chance to secure my future,” Florence expresses gratefully. “This business has changed my entire life.”
Florence’s journey exemplifies the transformative power of entrepreneurship. With support from Village Enterprise, she and her business partners are rewriting their life stories and also inspiring a movement of young women entrepreneurs rising out of poverty.
