Uwayezu was born and raised in Gisenyi under the influence of an alcoholic family, where defeatism was the norm and big dreams were shattered. She witnessed her parents fighting every day. Uwayezu dropped out of school because her parents could not pay her school fees. She decided to move to Kigali to hustle.
She got a job as a maid at the age of Fifteen. With a sorrowful voice, she said “I loved to study and was eager to work hard and go back to school again”.
But things turned around for her. She was once sent to the shop by her employer but on the way, she picked up a purse that had an ID and other documents of someone whom she had seen before at the shop where she always goes shopping.
She called him and handed over the purse of which he decided to give her five thousand. During that time, he lured her and took advantage of her, and told Uwayezu that he wanted to introduce her to his family because she had been so good to him.
After the introduction, he showed her where he stays and locked her in the house for three days. During that time, she got pregnant and had no option but to stay with him.
The tragedy started when this man became a drunkard and a womanizer and would beat her up and refuse her to go anywhere. When she was six months pregnant the man took her to visit the family members at Kibungo, unfortunately, they did not welcome her, they poisoned her and became blind. However, the husband took her to Tanzania and she recovered her sight. fearing for her life both decided to come back to Kigali.
when they returned to Kigali, because of the uncouth behaviours of this man, he was jailed for two years for fighting and removing someone’s ear. At that time, Uwayezu survived by fetching water for people for a small fee to live with her tween kids. Despite the challenges, struggles, and disasters one of her children passed on when the husband was still in jail, and no assistance from both families.
She strived and persisted and gained great expectations and resilience after joining Women for Women Rwanda. Her husband who was released from jail used to stop her from working or even talking to other people. But by joining the Women for Women Rwanda program she gained self-esteem and started saving and selling secretly. She sold different vegetables to survive and when she got a profit, she saved in 6 saving groups and this amounted to 210.000 FRW. She had a dream to buy a piece of land that she had identified for 300.000RWF but her husband promised to add and during that time he took the money and disappeared with it and cheated her that he used the money to treat his mother.
Though she incurs a lot of responsibilities she is determined to reach her dreams and expand her business and buy land.
“I appreciate Women for Women Rwanda for training us, especially bookkeeping, I regularly save my money, and through the lessons learned, I believe women should work hard and pursue their dreams” said Uwayezu
She gained momentum and she is now selling different items through her sales she buys food and takes care of her children. Through selling at least 85.000RWF is collected on monthly bases and she is able to save in the VSLA.