Grace

Grace (33) is a single mother of an 8-year-old son and works as pointer, bricklayer and construction site helper in the construction industry in Rwanda. She is a member of the construction union STECOMA.

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

Becoming a union member to get work

Grace is originally from a village in Musanze district, the gateway to the gorillas and the Virunga volcanoes in Northern Rwanda. She had all kinds of jobs, but nothing could provide her with enough income. In 2014 she left for the Rwandan capital Kigali, about 94 km from home, in search of a better life.

In 2016 Grace attended a neighbourhood meeting of the construction union STECOMA for informal workers in the construction industry. “I had never worked in construction before but my neighbour persuaded me to join STECOMA. I hoped that becoming a member would help me get work in construction”, she says.

Practical skills programme for women

And it did. She was accepted for STECOMA’s practical skills programme for women and together with many other women underwent training in pointing, bricklaying and working as construction site helper. She also learned about her rights as a worker and the issues faced by women in the construction industry, which gave her self-confidence to work in the sector.  Grace is now officially certified by the government in the skills she learned during the STECOMA programme.

Finding jobs via the union

Her life improved tremendously when she began working in the construction sector. She finds jobs via STECOMA, which shares or passes on vacancy announcements to members. Grace currently has an average of around 12 short-term jobs in construction a year, with an average duration of around 2 weeks.  She has to deal with the insecurity of the informal sector in Rwanda, but despite this is able to provide for her son and herself.

The interview with Grace takes place at a construction site where she is employed as one of the helpers. She carries sand, mortar, water and bricks on her head from outside into the two-storey apartment under construction. When she doesn’t have any construction work, she fills the gap in her income with whatever casual jobs she can find, such as housework, cleaning, doing people’s washing and gardening.

Grace at home with her son. Photo: Jan Banning

Tackle challenges at work

Joining the union has given Grace new meaning to her life. “The union helps me to tackle the problems and challenges at work with the confidence that I am not alone.” Some of the challenges she has faced are sexual harassment at work and being asked for sexual favours by potential supervisors in exchange for work. Male colleagues are also confronted by corruption by supervisors, where they are harassed and asked to pay a percentage of their weekly wages in exchange for work, while women are asked to choose between sexual favours or a percentage of their weekly wages. There is also verbal harassment by some disrespectful colleagues who harass women at work. She says that sometimes things have gone so far that she was forced to quit her job and look for a new one. 

Trade union takes action 

Grace says the situation has improved because of STECOMA’s intervention at the construction sites where these problems occur. “Every time a problem is reported, the union intervenes and makes all the workers aware of the situation. The union also takes action if wages have not been paid.”

Status at home and in the community has changed

Grace is happy with her work in the construction industry. She says that it has made a positive impact on her life, because as someone who has never had any formal education, this is the first time she has made personal achievements, especially acquiring the skills needed to earn an income. Having an income has changed her status at home and in the community. She is a member of several savings organisations and through her work in construction she is able to borrow money, especially when she is out of work, which helps her pay the rent or make personal investments.

Proud church choir member in Kigali

On being asked what she is proud of, her eyes immediately light up: “Singing in the church choir. Something I’ve enjoyed all my life. My hope for the future is that I’ll get a lot of work, be able to carry on working hard and do what is necessary for my child’s education.”