Ubuzima Healing Garden

“Ubuzima” means “Total Health for The Family” in the native language of Rwanda. This project been developed after surveying many options that could create new economies and jobs for our community and we have been working with traditional healers to identify the most powerful botanicals growing in the wild. We are successfully cultivating tulsi holy basil, oat straw, lemongrass, rosemary and mint on a farm now, and have have a partnership with a local hibiscus farmer. The herbs are for sale in fresh and dried form, unsifted, and also as cut and sifted tea blends for consuming at home and in local areas businesses.

This project is led by the district’s first women’s cooperative, called Umutuzo (meaning “Resilience” in Kinyarwandan), and our mission is to empower ourselves so that we may lift our families out of poverty and encourage our children to have greater opportunities. We believe in organic farming practices and have discovered some native plants that work well for natural pesticide control in our farm. It is our dream to expand the current offerings and modernize the facilities so that we can help more people, and to bring more awareness to the gifts of our country. We hope to create more jobs and open new markets in other regions of Rwanda, and to offer a seamless export process to meet the growing demand for our products around the world.

Umutuzo Women’s Cooperative came to be after having gone through the resiliency training and trauma healing programs delivered by Africa Healing Exchange. We learned new skills for overcoming trauma and managing stress, and become more determined and motivated to create successful enterprises, using our strong agricultural skills and community values. With help from 3 Mountains, we have developed the nation’s first herbal tea company and are now selling bulk herbs to other businesses. We had the opportunity to learn new skills and launch this new social enterprise to help our families and our fellow Rwandans. We are grateful to have the opportunity to share our success stories with consumers in North America. We want the world to know that there is so much more to Rwanda than the Genocide of 1994. We want people to know that they are never alone and we offer a community, rich with wisdom and unconditional love.

Please consider helping us expand our skills and business platform so that we grow this venture into a thriving local and international enterprise!