In the spring of 1994, Murebwayire Godanse fled the genocide in
Rwanda that killed many of her neighbors and friends. In August
of the same year, she returned to live in her home country,
later settling in the region of Mayange, located about 40 km
south of Kigali, the capital city. The years that followed her
family’s return were extremely difficult. The region suffered
from periodic drought and pervasive hunger to the point where an
emergency food relief center was set up in 2006. Godanse and her
husband did the best they could, raising their five children on
meager crops of maize and sorghum. Farming on nutrient-depleted
soils, using poor methods like scattering seed, and erratic
rainfall were the main reasons that Godanse was barely able to
produce enough food for her family to survive. She sought other
methods to make money. With small loans, she purchased bananas
and made juice to sell. Still, with her husband unable to find
work due to a childhood injury, Godanse could not earn enough
money to pay for