Back home in Rwanda, I have a tomato farm

By Emmanuel Dusabimana

Time flies. It is now three years since I left home in Rwanda to pursue my undergraduate studies at Gulu University in Uganda.

During this period, I have tried to undertake a number of projects back home such as piggery and poultry farming, which did not succeed largely because of poor management skills of the people who were handling the projects. But that failure did not discourage me. I’m currently working with my brother to grow tomatoes.

I chose to invest in tomato business because it is a highly profitable enterprise, easy to manage and my brother who helps me at home has some experience in tomato growing.

The tomato project sits on 2.5 acres. Last harvest season, we earned a 60% profit and now we are sure of the continuity of our project. Because of this success, we plan to expand the acreage of the farm in the new season if we get additional resources.

Covid-19 and online learning

When Uganda closed institutions of learning, it did so simultaneously with the shutting of its borders. Consequently, many countries shut down their borders as one of the ways to limit the spread of COVID-19.  So, we could not travel back to our home countries nor continue with physical learning.

Since we were under lockdown, I had to keep myself busy with online learning. This has given me a chance to read extensively about some of the things I had learnt in the lecture room, hence deepening my understanding of the complex topics. I have even taken online courses that are not related to my degree but I am optimistic that the skills I’ve gained from these courses will be helpful to me in the future.

I have also attended several informative webinars where I was able to interact and share ideas with other people all over the world. I extend my appreciation to the MasterCard Foundation and RUFORUM which ensured that we stayed connected by providing us with internet throughout this period that we have been at home.