Ignace and Jacquline happy in their home.

This Valentines Day we wanted to highlight a couple from Rwanda, Ignace and his wife Jacqueline. They have been together for over 20 years, and share four children—Sabine, Vivine, Evangeline, and Rodrigue. They are a happy family of six and if you were to see them today, you’d be surprised to hear of the rocky road they had to travel to get here. 

A few years ago, Ignace’s family was extremely vulnerable. Their main source of income was agricultural but they often had irregular crop growth. They could only afford to eat once a day, leaving the kids hungry, and susceptible to illness. The children attended school irregularly, with Vivian dropping out altogether due to poor health. 

Due to all the stress Ignace and Jacqueline faced, they found themselves at odds and always quarreling. The whole family was feeling hopeless, especially the children who could hear their parents arguing. It got so bad that Jacqueline couldn’t see a clear path forward—Ignace wasn’t able to provide sufficiently for the family and they seemed to always be disagreeing. Ignace was stuck on traditional gender roles and wasn’t considering Jacqueline's opinions or feelings. He saw himself as the lone head of the household and would sell items she cared about without asking and make decisions and not consulting her. She got so fed up she was considering a divorce.

The family as a whole was feeling the effects of Ignace and Jacqueline's broken marriage. They felt lonely and ignored by their community. 

Things were looking grim until FH got involved. 

Ignace knew things needed to change, but didn’t know where to start.

That was until he joined the Journey of Transformation training. This FH couples training helped him see his biases against his wife and change his hurtful behaviour toward her. 

He learned that the root of what was causing him and his wife to fight was poor communication, as well as a lack of respect for her. Before, he had seen her as just a house worker which made her feel unvalued. Now, Jacqueline is regularly consulted and feels like an equal in the marriage. She feels both loved and respected by Ignance. 

"Living in peace with my wife helps the whole family to live in harmony. We feel happy that our family is now appreciated and considered a model to the community of pulling together as a family."  – Ignace

There is a big difference in the family. Ignace and Jacqueline worked as a team to create a peaceful environment for their children and engage together in all family activities.

They worked on their farm to increase production and co-owned their animals! Thanks to farming and compost training provided by FH Rwanda, their agriculture production has almost doubled! They've also received garden training which showed them the easiest way to produce vegetables, which helped the family achieve a balanced diet.

Now Ignace and Jaculine's marriage and family serves as an example to the entire community! They often give lessons to neighbours that are going through similar conflicts they faced. They serve as peacemakers and teach families that through hard work and collaborations, couples can overcome their obstacles and stand stronger together! He’s also an avid activist for behavior change in the community and a model to imitate in case of conflict resolution. 

By being focused and involved in FH Programs, Ignace and Jaculine are happier than ever! They stand in church with their family in pride!

Their marriage story is reminiscent of a bible verse that all couples should hold dear this Valentines Day.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

This Valentine's Day Ignace and Jaculine will be together with their children, and remember where they started and how far they've come!

This Valentine's Day, help couples overcome poverty!

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