Patricia Uzayisaba, a poultry farmer from Nyamyumba in Rubavu District, faced physical disability, which brought various challenges, including limitations to her personal growth as a young woman.
Naturally, as a young woman, she desired to look her best, improve her living standards, and expand her personal growth. However, she was often pushed aside.
After being dismissed by an employer because of her disability, Patricia Uzayisaba decided to start her own business by venturing into poultry farming.
Before embarking on this path, she frequently attended disability support meetings, youth gatherings focused on combatting malnutrition, and community service events. These experiences encouraged her to pursue entrepreneurship.
Patricia entered poultry farming professionally with a lot of determination, starting with just a few chickens.
The internet helped her solve many issues! This young woman built a wooden incubator that could hatch eggs with internet-based guidance, and she also grows a plant called Azora, which enhances the yolk color of the eggs.
She says she began with an initial investment of 450,000 Rwf. At the start of her project, she had 45 chickens, which have since multiplied to over 1,600.
“I started with 45 chickens that I bought from bicycle vendors. I raised them until they began laying eggs. I tested my homemade incubator, and it worked. I then bought an additional 120 chickens, and they continued to multiply,” she said.
Her chickens are fed a mix of factory-made feed and the Azora plant she grows, which results in vibrant yolks. To ensure proper care, she received training in basic first aid for her chickens and even hired a veterinarian for regular health checks.
Her project is environmentally friendly. Patricia dug a water collection pit for runoff from her house and another pit to store manure from her poultry farm, which she plans to sell to add value to her business.
Despite her progress, she faced significant obstacles, including initially struggling to find a place to work and secure clients and markets.
Now serving as the Secretary of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities in Rubavu District, Patricia continues to uplift people with disabilities in her area.
“I took 50 vulnerable people with disabilities and provided them with young chicks. When the chickens mature and start laying eggs, we share the eggs. When the chickens grow old, they return them to me for sale, and I provide new ones, helping them out of poverty,” she explained.
Patricia’s incubator now hatches up to 600 eggs.
Her revenue comes from selling hens and roosters to farmers, and chicken meat to upscale restaurants and hotels, earning her substantial income.
She has achieved significant milestones, including paying her university fees, and with support from Youth Connect, she purchased a plot worth 6 million Rwf, where she plans to establish a permanent poultry farm to stop renting.
Her dream is to expand her poultry business beyond Rubavu to all districts in Rwanda, eventually creating jobs for at least 200 young people.
Overcoming fear in her work has opened doors, and she has a passion for small-scale livestock farming. She shared this in an interview with KURA, encouraging young people who may hesitate to enter small livestock farming to consider it.
“What I’d say to young people who hesitate to start their own businesses, especially in small livestock farming, is that they should be courageous and do it because it doesn’t require much capital, isn’t too difficult, has a ready market, and develops quickly. Even with my disability, I managed to succeed,” she said.
