KAMONYI: UGAMA trains tailors cooperatives and provides them with modern technology sewing machines

On February 27, 2026, at Koperative Abibumbye, UGAMA  concluded a five-day training program for tailoring cooperatives under a project dubbed “GUHANGA IBISHYA BIRAMBYE: Empowerinment  of rural women organized for production, networking,and promotion of fair trade from their cooperatives in Kamonyi District.” With support from Vitoria-Gasteiz city council.

The training brought together three tailoring cooperatives from Kamonyi District and focused on good governance, sound financial management, quality customer service, and the use of technology in tailoring activities to increase productivity and meet market demands.

Participants noted that they gained valuable knowledge that will help them improve their work, strengthen their cooperatives, and uplift their families, emphasizing that their progress had been hindered by outdated sewing machines that no longer matched current production needs.

At the closing ceremony, UGAMA supported each cooperative with a modern electric sewing machine valued at 750,000 Rwandan francs, expected to improve efficiency and the quality of their products.

A cooperative representative said:

“The machines we had were slow and could not handle heavy fabrics. This reduced our productivity and kept us in poverty. The machines provided by UGAMA are a real solution.” cooperative representative said.

UMUHOZA Alexia District  Gender officer thanked UGAMA for its meaningful contribution and urged beneficiaries to take good care of the equipment and use it for its intended purpose.

“On behalf of the district leadership, we sincerely thank UGAMA for the support extended to these cooperatives.
The work you will do after this training will not remain at the district level but will represent the country as a whole. Therefore, be good ambassadors, share the knowledge with others, and properly utilize the skills and equipment provided. We will return to assess the implementation.”

The training leaves strong optimism that tailoring cooperatives in Kamonyi District will continue to grow and make a visible contribution to the development of the district and the country at large.

UMUHOZA Alexia, District Gender officer thanked UGAMA for its meaningful contribution to the cooperatives attended.