Graduating from the University of Rwanda, Bovine Ishemaryayo studied ICT and has launched a software called “e-Saving” which he had designed himself. The software will help to provide help to vulnerable youths especially street kids, young mothers, orphans and job-seeking secondary school graduates in rural areas to link up with Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) in the country.
The 23-year old who is also an orphan graduated in 2017 and has created eight saving groups made up of 200 youths in the Kigali city suburb of Kinyinya in Gasabo District just barely four months after her graduation.
She has developed the software to be accessible from both smartphones and non-smartphones with links to the SACCOs database.
In a statement, she said “This has benefited both SACCOs whose clients are able to easily make deposits as well as saving groups as they can save via mobile phones and also withdraw using their phones”.
She added that the platform hopes to cover all sectors in the country and is working towards achieving this by creating 45 ICT clubs across different secondary schools. According to her, the platform also has future plans to implement income-generating ideas that will help the users of the platform and SACCOs.
Ishemaryayo has also encouraged youths in the Kinyinya to identify their skills which will also enable them make money to save. She mentioned that the youths could focus on modelling, knitting, handcrafts, graphics designs and all other form of skill that can serve as income generators.
Out of the eight savings groups that has been created, one group, Bandebereho uses its savings to open up a business that provides online services and retails airtime. While another group which is made up of young mothers has bought two sewing machines from their savings and an entertainment group has also bought two guitars.
Ms Bovine is confident about the success of the platform and has stated that local SACCOs looking at utilizing the services of the platform will be charged a fee which will go into future investments.
