New doors open for cooperative COAMA is a maize cooperative located in Rugarama sector, Gatsibo District, Eastern province. It started in 2007 and has 125 members (75 men and 50 women). It faced many financial and managerial challenges during the first years of its existence. It experienced cases of mismanagement and there is one former chairman who is embezzlement. being prosecuted for When SPARK started its support in 2015, many members had left and the cooperative was about to close its doors. With dynamic proximity coaching of CSP coach Francis Shyaka, confidence among members returned. Today, the cooperative is back on track. Members who left are coming back, and the management committee is trusted. “We really appreciate how SPARK advised us and helped to build confidence in the cooperative”, says Jean-Bosco Simbavura, chairman of the cooperative. CSP helped in with matters of production and assisted in establishing connections with various buyers. “We also appreciate advocacy actions SPARK carried out in order to connect us to Micro Finance Institutions and to local authorities”, says Jean Bosco. “This contributed to a new image of our cooperative”, he adds. Jacqueline Muteteteri, a member of the cooperative, appreciates the progress so far achieved. She adds that being a member of the cooperative is profitable. She personally got small loans that helped her to cover some emergencies. And she knows she is not the only one. She acquired skills, increased production and bought a piece of land. When the CSP program closes down, the cooperative is set to continue to work in capitalizing past experiences. “We do still need advice, but we are able to continue the good job already done”, Jean Bosco said. “Another challenge is to integrate more young people in the future, as the current members are often older people”, he concluded. 36
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