From conflict to bumper harvests: one couple's journey through the Gender Action Learning System

Soon after sunrise in Rwanda’s Ngoma District, Vestine and Jean-Claude walk from their home to their garden, holding hoes in their hands. The married couple work efficiently – and happily – side-by-side, tending to their beans and maize crops. It's a renewed partnership and a product of the Joint Programme on Rural Women's Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE) programme approach.

When asked about the past, Vestine recalls a disrupted domestic life "characterized by conflict, poverty and lack of confidence in my personal decisions," which caused the couple to separate temporarily.

The Gender Action Learning System (GALS), a key methodology used by the JP RWEE, enables women and men to critically reflect on their relationships and household gender dynamics and jointly plan livelihood strategies. 

As part of the wider JP RWEE programme activities, Vestine enrolled in trainings on agricultural productivity held in the Terimberesake cooperative where the JP RWEE also provided solar-powered irrigation equipment. She reported learning a range of new skills during the training sessions.

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