Agnes

Agnes (30) is a wife and mother of 4 children. She works as a bricklayer in the construction sector in Kigali, Rwanda. She is also a union leader on behalf of the construction union STECOMA.

Agnes at work. Photo: Jan Banning. Text courtesy of Hope Kabuchu

Journey in construction

Her professional journey in the construction industry has been a journey from stone to stone. After several years as a site helper she worked her way up to becoming a pointer in 2012 and trained as a bricklayer in 2013. She was one of the 250 women who took part in a seven-month bricklayer training programme run by construction union STECOMA.

Teenage breadwinner 

Agnes has been interested in construction from an early age. As a young girl, she was fascinated by how a building was built from the ground up.  As the eldest child, Agnes was obliged to drop out of school during her second year of secondary education because her mother fell ill and she became the main breadwinner in the household. She had to keep her younger brothers and sisters in school and grow food to feed the family. She looked for work on construction sites, where she often worked as a helper.

As fate would have it, the man she fell in love with and married was also a construction worker in Kigali. He taught her the tricks of the trade. Construction work appeals to Agnes because of her liking for practical work. “You don’t need any start-up capital, you use your brains and your energy and you see immediate results”, she says.

Finding solutions for situations encountered by women 

Agnes was elected union leader by her colleagues in 2015 because of her desire to represent women. However, she finds it difficult to find solutions for some situations encountered by women in construction. For example, owing to family responsibilities, it is difficult for women to take on jobs that are a long way from home,. Women in the construction sector also face discrimination: men are invariably given priority in recruitment processes and women are sometimes paid less for the same work.

Agnes at home with her family. Photo: Jan Banning

Union commitment to women

Agnes believes that the union is committed to helping women. Part of their job as union leaders is negotiating equal pay for women and pressing employers to give workers contracts. The union organises workshops on construction sites to make workers and employers more aware of the challenges women face in the workplace. Because construction is one of the sectors where very few women work, women have  benefited greatly from STECOMA’s commitment to encouraging employers to meet the 30% quota of women in the labour market, as laid down in Rwanda’s constitution.

The union also lobbies for the provision of private areas for women on construction sites, where they can have their own changing rooms and toilets. Because the union shares information on vacancies, it is easier for Agnes to find work. She also benefits from the certification programme. [link naar artikel over het certificeringsprogramma].

Self-confidence

Agnes strongly believes that the union has helped boost her self-confidence and that of other women. The union also provides a platform where they can exchange ideas with workers from different parts of the country.

Impact on private life

Agnes’ work in construction has improved the family income. As parents of four children, Agnes and her husband have many responsibilities and expenses. She tells us that she and her husband have pooled their savings and have bought a plot of land in their home village near Byumba in Northern Rwanda, where they hope to build a family home. They currently use the land to grow food for their own consumption and also to supplement their income.

Proud member of the union

Agnes is proud  to be a member of STECOMA and that she managed to go back to ‘school’ and acquire skills in a field she loves. Her hope for the future is that her children will receive education at the highest level.