Rwanda Youth Voice for Change signed a contract with The Result to assess the sustainability of pottery and poultry cooperatives in Masoro and Buyoga sectors, Rulindo district of Rwanda

Posted: Jun 18, 2025

Following the implementation of Community Empowerment Project (CEP) project of Rwanda Youth Voice for Change under the support of SUYANA Foundation aimed at increasing food, income, health, and education security for 240 households in Rulindo district, mainly in MASORO and BUYOGA sectors by empowering indigenous and most vulnerable people through integrated social, educational, health, and economic interventions. One of the milestones of the project was to establish 8 poultry and 8 pottery cooperatives in Masoro and Buyoga sectors of Rulindo District. Based on the project review, in the last 12 months since their inception, the poultry and pottery cooperatives face numerous challenges which threaten their economic sustainability. Operating at a loss and supported by the project grants, they will only be able to survive project exit at the end of 2027 if they improve their business model and therefore their profitability. Therefore, for the proper readiness of the project sustainability, the project initiator signed a contract with The Result to conduct an assessment of the sustainability of pottery and poultry cooperatives in MASORO and BUYOGA sectors, RULINDO District. During the implementation of the project, we applied a mixed-method approach. This design combines quantitative data from cooperative members and qualitative insights from stakeholders, enabling the triangulation of information. The approach provides both measurable indicators of cooperative performance and a deeper understanding of member capacities, motivations, and market interactions, ensuring a comprehensive analysis and actionable recommendations. Above all, in order to enrich our understanding and generate practical recommendations, we conducted a cross-check with two similar pottery and poultry businesses in neighboring sectors. This comparative analysis aimed to identify key performance gaps, successful practices, and contextual differences that may explain the relative sustainability of these enterprises. Such benchmarking sought to support the formulation of actionable, evidence-based strategies tailored to the local cooperative context in Masoro and Buyoga. Some of the analysis performed included product analysis, market analysis, customer analysis, price analysis, SWOT analysis, market projections and competition analysis, financial management, book keeping.