The Musasa ECD Center is in session!

Following last year’s Supporting Strong Women campaign, and several months of construction,  Dukunde Kawa cooperative’s Musasa Early Childhood Development Center has opened its doors for the school year!

Published 4 Feb 2025

Last week, Dukunde Kawa’s Managing Director, Ernest Nshimyimana, shared the delightful news and beautiful photos with us, which we wanted to make available to campaign contributors. A few days into the term, the center has been a resounding success, quickly reaching close to 90% capacity, with the cooperative now planning an expansion they hope to complete by September 2025. 

The center will have an even more significant impact on the life of the cooperative’s members in the coming months, as the coffee harvest begins and farms and washing stations are abuzz with activity. By having access to a center where their children are able to play, learn, or rest under the care of members of their own communities, the women of Dukunde Kawa will be better able to focus on their work at their farms, and leadership positions within the co-op.

This will be made possible because the entire Dukunde Kawa community has joined hands in supporting the initiative — extending to the carers of the center’s staff, such as Velene Twambazemariya (pictured left), daughter of farmer and Ramabgirakawa member Laurence Mukakabera, and Olive Kayitesi (pictured right), who is also a coffee farmer and co-op member. 

The colours of the beautiful uniforms worn by the children pay homage to the vibrant red of ripe coffee cherries and the clean, golden hue of well-dried coffee parchment, reminders of the specialty industry’s ability to bring people together, from opposite corners of the globe, for a worthy and enduring cause.

We are so delighted to see the facilities being used by the local community and enormously grateful to everyone whose hard work and contributions made this possible! You can access high resolution versions of the photos here.

You’re welcome to share these images with friends, family and extended coffee community. If you plan to post on socials, please tag @supporting_strongwomen and @dukundekawa_rw to spread the word far and wide — and thank you again for participating in Supporting Strong Women!