Access to affordable financing is helping climate entrepreneurs in Rwanda grow their businesses, create jobs, and improve the wellbeing of children and families. Through Kumwe Hub, Save the Children's child-impact investment initiative, ecopreneurs are expanding climate-smart solutions while contributing to more resilient and sustainable communities.
Jeanne d'Arc Mukantabashwa runs a commercial farming business across Northern and Western Rwanda. She grows vegetables and fruits using greenhouses and climate-resilient farming techniques that help maintain production during both dry spells and periods of heavy rainfall. Her produce supplies local markets and buyers across the region.
Like many early-stage climate entrepreneurs, Jeanne d'Arc faced a persistent financing gap. Limited access to affordable loans for climate-smart technologies, equipment, and working capital slowed the growth of her business, restricting opportunities for job creation, innovation, and wider community impact.
Kumwe Hub, Save the Children Rwanda’s child-impact investment initiative, invests in local businesses whose products and services improve outcomes for children, families, and young people, addressing social, environmental, and climate challenges among others. Through Kumwe Hub, Jeanne d'Arc and eight fellow ecopreneurs received low-interest loans to expand their climate-resilient enterprises.
"I took this loan because I wanted to contribute to environmental protection. When climate change affects farming, it affects all farmers. That is why I applied for the loan, to expand our green business," said Jeanne d'Arc Mukantabashwa, an ecopreneur in Rwanda.
The financing enabled ecopreneurs to strengthen businesses that generate both environmental and economic benefits, contributing to the wellbeing of children, families, and wider communities.
With support from Kumwe Hub in 2024, Jeanne d'Arc expanded her business operations across two districts. By 2026, the number of full-time employees had grown from 15 to 29, and she successfully repaid the loan in full.
"Because of the loan, we expanded our business, launched a new organic fertilizer project, and hired more casual workers. We have created employment opportunities for women and young people. The project also benefits children because when parents earn additional income, they can afford nutritious food and better meet their children's nutrition needs," she said.
Kumwe Hub's child-lens investing model is already delivering measurable results. Over the past four years, the initiative has invested more than USD 1 million, helped create or strengthen more than 150 businesses, supported the creation of over 120 jobs, and reached more than 50,000 children directly.
