A 10 Month Check-in, VSLAs Around Volcanoes National Park Make Profits from COVID-19 Relief Funds | International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)

About 12 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) around Volcanoes National Park Rwanda whose income was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic received Rwf 16,900,000 ($17,000) from IGCP through the support of WWF UK. The beneficiaries who are largely park-edge associations that depended on tourism for a living received the financial support to boost their loan portfolio, increase their lending capacity and enable members to start up or boost their alternative income generating activities with the aim of improving household incomes. Ten months into the donation, the VSLAs boast of immense profit and transformed livelihoods. So far, the 12 VSLA’s have registered a profit of $ 6000 acquired from loan interests. “We have given out loans ranging from $ 100 to $ 200 at an interest rate of 5 %. This has helped us profit from this loan scheme and increase the shares of the members,” says Athanase Mukabizimungu, the Chairperson of Buramba VSLA, Burera District. The profits were invested in other income generating activities like agriculture, poultry, and small businesses.