HTA-0566: Ejo Heza — A Brighter Future (Rwanda)

A. Story Identification

B. Content Summary

This documentary profiles USAID's Ejo Heza ("A Brighter Future") program in Rwanda, which reached 125,000 Rwandans across eight of the country's poorest districts. Henry narrates the film, which documents how the program deployed "Be the Change Volunteers" (BCVs) — community members trained to teach their neighbors — to address agriculture, literacy, nutrition, savings, and health simultaneously.

The film opens with program coordinator Waringa Kibe describing the enormous challenges: 90% of the population living on less than $2 a day, low-quality seeds, child malnutrition, adult illiteracy, and no savings culture. The solution was the BCV model — local people who know their communities intimately and teach through song, dance, and practical demonstration. The documentary follows multiple success stories: a 650-member cooperative that tripled its yield from 1.5 to 4.5 tons per hectare and secured a UN World Food Programme contract; smallholder Elevance Mukakariza who transformed from subsistence bean farmer to diversified cash-crop grower; entrepreneur Libel who built a café, solar charging station, hair salon, and grocery store from financial training; formerly illiterate orphan Valenz who became a driving instructor; and BCV Patricia whose nutrition classes and kitchen gardens transformed her village into the region's pride.

The statistics are remarkable: 3,300 acres improved, 85,000 smallholders trained, 40,000 literacy graduates (82% certification rate), 142,000 nutrition class participants, 11,000 kitchen gardens, 2,000+ savings groups, and 2,700 loans averaging $71.

C. Structured Metadata

D. Notable Quotes

"We found a solution right where the problem was."

"When I started business, you would not even have given me 500,000 Rwandan francs. I wouldn't know what to do with it or how to invest it. Now you can even give me five million, even a billion. Now I would know how to invest it properly."

"My life changed thanks to Ejo Heza. When I finished learning how to write and count, I realized that a good life would be possible."

"I was the kind of person who thought that after the training, I would just go home and sit around. But I'm not like before anymore. I have improved. I got lifted up because of what I learned."

E. Source Assets

F. Production Notes

Emotional Moments — Valenz's journey from illiterate orphan fetching water to survive, to driving instructor and father of four; Libel's astonishment at her own transformation; Patricia's village being announced on the radio as the region's pride.

Signature Henry Moments — "So many people, such a big area, and so many problems. But we found a solution right where the problem was." This is Henry at his narrative best — setting up an impossible challenge, then revealing the elegant solution.

G. Cross-References

H. Source Provenance

I. Archival Notes

Ejo Heza is one of Henry's most statistically rich documentaries — nearly every claim is backed by specific numbers (3,300 acres, 85,000 smallholders, 40,000 literacy graduates, 82% certification rate, 142,000 nutrition participants, 11,000 kitchen gardens, 2,000+ savings groups, 2,700 loans). This suggests the production was designed for donor reporting and accountability, yet Henry's narration keeps it emotionally engaging through individual stories. The Walmart Foundation partnership is notable — suggesting the program had significant corporate backing beyond USAID. The BCV model (community members teaching neighbors) echoes the PSP model in EFI (HTA-0565), suggesting Henry was narrating a coherent philosophy of community-led development across multiple organizations.

I. Video Review (V2 Upgrade)

Visual Description

Shot across multiple Rwandan districts (Nyagisozi, Nyanza, Gisagara, Huye, Taba Village/Mukindo). The documentary features lush green agricultural landscapes, adult literacy classrooms, microfinance bank interiors (Duterimbere MFI), nutrition training sessions with flipcharts, kitchen gardens, and vibrant community gatherings. Graphics are clean and informative, displaying program statistics (85,165 farmers trained, 37,196 literacy graduates, 142,066 health/nutrition training participants). USAID and Global Communities logos bookend the piece.

Story Structure (Timestamped)

Henry's Participation

Henry serves as one of three voice-over narrators (alongside Juste Kayihura and Tona Isibo) and is credited as the video producer ("Video by Henry Tenenbaum"). He shot and edited the entire documentary. The multi-narrator approach (using local Rwandan voices alongside Henry's English narration) gives the film authenticity while maintaining professional polish.

Signature Moments

Valens Nzeyimana's transformation from illiterate orphan to driving instructor is the emotional centerpiece — Henry's editing builds this arc carefully, showing the classroom, the driving school, and Valens's pride. The statistics graphics (reaching 125,000 vs. goal of 75,000) provide satisfying proof of impact. The kitchen garden sequences show Henry's eye for visual storytelling — lush greens, careful food preparation, healthy children.

Production Credits (confirmed from video)

- Video by: Henry Tenenbaum

- Voice-overs: Juste Kayihura, Tona Isibo, Henry Tenenbaum

- Program: USAID/Ejo Heza

- Organization: Global Communities

Transcript

[00:10] In Kinyarwanda, the language of Rwanda, Ejo Heza means a brighter future. This is the story of USAID Ejo Heza, which has meant a brighter future for 125,000 Rwandans. I'm Waringa Kibe, the program coordinator for USAID Ejo Heza Program. The challenge was great five years ago when we started this program. We were to work in eight districts of Rwanda, some of which are the poorest. About 90% of the population living on less than $2 a day, planting low quality seeds, so the yields were expected to be low season after season. Even though you increase agricultural yields, there was still the issue of malnutrition among the children because of lack of knowledge about balanced diets. And there was also the issue of adult literacy. They didn't know how to read and write. You can have a bag of improved seed, but you don't know what it is saying or how to plant it. And even if people made a little money, they didn't have the culture of saving or the skills to work with institutions like banks.

[01:18] The goal of Global Communities through the Ejo Heza program was to reach 75,000 people and improve their livelihoods. So many people, such a big area, and so many problems. But we found a solution right where the problem was. I am the change. Be the Change volunteer. I am the change. I am the change. I am the change. These are people right from the community who are trained and then they train their neighbors. They live in the same community. They know that it hasn't rained, so people are suffering from a lack of food. They know that in this household, it's facing malnutrition.

[01:56] And the BCVs are remarkably good teachers. Ujene Miragire is a great teacher. She is a Be the Change volunteer, or BCV. And with song and dance and practical demonstration, she is passing on the basic skills that are the keys to prosperity for her fellow farmers. The farmers have learned better farming methods and how to cultivate in the right time of the farming season. So we have reduced malnutrition.

[02:28] The success of USAID Ejo Heza's training can be seen in the transformation of the land. About 3,300 acres of farmland have been improved, and over 85,000 smallholders and 44 cooperatives have received training. Among them, this 650-member cooperative in Yagesozzi, where the crop has literally soared. Before Ejo Heza, we were harvesting 1.5 tons per hectare. Today, we got to 4.5 tons. They're building a new drying shed for post-harvest storage, all with the leadership and training from 20 BCVs who are members of the co-op. By increasing yield, quality and reliability, the cooperative has now signed a major contract with the United Nations World Food Programme. It means a new steady income stream for the members and their families.

[03:20] That combination of agriculture and business training has also brought prosperity to smallholders like Elevance Mukakariza and her family. She used to be a subsistence bean farmer. Now, thanks to USAID Ejo Heza, in partnership with the Walmart Foundation, she's growing cash crops from beets to bananas. Now these bring in money. We eat them and sell at markets. So we afford school materials, we can afford health insurance. So our household has changed and that has led to a better life with my husband.

[03:52] And this is the latest addition to her business. Elevance is now a BCV. She's also a role model and she's showing the entire community how manure can improve yield. And it must be working because her crop is abundant. She chooses her planting based on market demand. For example, bananas always sell well, and Elevance grows lots of bananas. You'll even find them on sale at this nearby store, which happens to be owned by Elevance's daughter, Monica. The integrated approach of USAID Ejo Heza means the whole family is benefiting. For me, my mother made a huge change in my life. Because when I finished studying, getting a job, it was very difficult. But she gave me the money to open this shop. Now I'm able to earn money each month. My monthly profit is 60,000 Rwandan francs.

[04:44] But making more money means knowing how to use it. So BCVs are also teaching responsible money management and savings to the many Rwandans with ambition and energy but limited financial knowledge. Old men used to hide money. Now, thanks to our training, they use savings groups. They are no longer old men who hoard money in a horn of their pocket or buried somewhere.

[05:11] Those new financial skills have meant a huge range of enterprises. For example, Thomas Tuyasenghi is using those skills to run a small business, selling mobile phone cards in a market. For others, it's just the first step. If you happen to visit the village of Gizagaira on a rainy day, you can find shelter and food in the Bell Nekuse sit-down café. Charge your phone? Her solar power charging station will top you off. Or you can get a new do from one of her employees at her unisex hair salon, which is next door to her grocery store, all located in the building that she owns. Yes, Libel is a successful conglomerate, all the result of her financial training with Ejo Heza.

[05:49] When I started business, you would not even have given me 500,000 Rwandan francs. I wouldn't know what to do with it or how to invest it. Now you can even give me five million, even a billion. Now I would know how to invest it properly.

[06:13] But even a brilliant entrepreneur needs capital. And banks had limited loan programs for small rural businesses or farmers. USAID Ejo Heza has been working with lenders, expanding programs for the newly knowledgeable entrepreneurs and growers. Ejo Heza, we decided to work with them because we realized that it is a way to reach many new clients and we have greatly increased the number of customers, especially from the savings groups. And this is the sound of a successful loan, a maize mill in Runinia, owned and operated by an integrated savings and loan group, or ISLG. It is one of over 2,000 that were created through USAID Ejo Heza. Members pool their small savings and through bank loans, cooperation, and hard work, this group is now a diversified enterprise. They rent out solar panels, run a cleaning service, and a beer distributorship.

[07:11] Over 2,000 savings groups have been established under USAID Ejo Heza. Beneficiaries and saving groups have received over 2,700 loans, averaging more than 54,000 Rwandan francs each, or 71 U.S. dollars.

[07:29] Valenz Nizia Mana hopes to be an entrepreneur someday, operating his own driving school. But for now, he's happy to work as someone's employee at the daunting challenge of instructing new drivers. It's a dream job for the formerly illiterate, impoverished orphan. My mother left us and we lived with my father. But he died when my brother and I were still small children. And I did small jobs here and there, like fetching water just to survive.

[08:03] Valenz heard about USAID Ejo Heza's adult literacy program, and he was taught how to read and write by a BCV at one of the 400 centers. Valenz became one of the 40,000 men and women to graduate from the program — that is an 82 percent graduation rate as certified by Rwanda Ministry of Education testing. For the former laborer, it was a remarkable milestone. My life changed thanks to Ejo Heza. When I finished learning how to write and count, I realized that a good life would be possible. I went to the driving school. After I got my driving license, the school offered me a job.

[08:48] For Valenz, literacy means pride, confidence, and income. It means a vegetable stall for his wife at the nearby market. And most important, for the formerly illiterate orphan, it means that his four children will have an education and a brighter future.

[09:16] My name is Patricia Nhat Gizana. I'm a Be the Change volunteer with the Ejo Heza program. I teach proper breastfeeding, how to prepare balanced meals, what is a healthy diet, and hygiene, because everything must be done hygienically. Patricia's classes in health and nutrition have transformed this village, where severe child malnutrition was endemic. Across the USAID Ejo Heza program, more than 142,000 Rwandans have taken nutrition classes like this.

[09:52] And Patricia's fertile, home-built kitchen garden is one of over 11,000 that were built by households with the support and training from Ejo Heza. You see them throughout Patricia's village, growing a balanced variety of nutritious vegetables. BCVs like Patricia and her husband have inspired their neighbors to create water harvesting systems, improve sanitation, and even tackle gender issues.

[10:17] Patricia seems amazed at how USAID Ejo Heza has changed her life. I was the kind of person who thought that after the training, I would just go home and sit around. But I'm not like before anymore. I have improved. I got lifted up because of what I learned.

[10:53] They make more money, they have better health, and thanks to our Be the Change volunteers and community groups, we have created cohesiveness and prosperity in the community. So all of them are transformations that will pass on to the next generations of Rwandans, long after USAID Ejo Heza has ended.