Isôoko Community Development
Isôoko Community Development empowers women & youth through wellness, entrepreneurship, and skills for sustainable livelihoods.
Mission
Our mission is to cultivate inclusive growth and opportunities for women and youth through improved health and wellbeing, literacy, and entrepreneurship.
About Isôoko Community Development (ICD)
Isôoko Community Development (ICD) is a local non-profit organization working at the community level to uplift the livelihoods of people trapped in cycles of social and economic inequality.
We empower women and youth in the Masoro community through improved literacy, access to health and wellbeing services, and entrepreneurship programs.
Our work contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:
- No Poverty
- Zero Hunger
- Good Health and Well-Being
- Quality Education
- Gender Equality
- Decent Work and Economic Growth
Our main facility, the Isôoko Community Center, has served 12,113 beneficiaries since its inception, 60% of whom are women. The center includes sports facilities, a computer lab, a library, and office spaces, supporting a wide range of educational, recreational, and community development activities.
Our Interventions
Women Empowerment Program –
Mutima W'urugo (MWU)
We believe that the rise of a woman is the rise of a community.
The MWU program has impacted 7,294 women and is designed to empower vulnerable women with the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to become agents of socio-economic change in their communities.
Key program components include:
- Self-awareness and goal setting
- Saving groups
- Nutrition and hygiene education
- Maternal and child health
- Entrepreneurship training and access to finance
Youth Empowerment Program –
Imbaraga z' Isôoko (IZI)
Masoro Sector is located in a mining area where many families depend on the mining industry for their livelihoods. While mining provides economic opportunities, it also presents challenges such as limited access to education, mental health concerns, and difficulties for youth in securing stable employment and housing.
The IZI Youth Program addresses these challenges by creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment that fosters youth leadership and sustainable community development.
Key focus areas for out-of-school youth include:
- Self-awareness and goal setting
- Saving groups and entrepreneurship development
- Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights education
- Entrepreneurship training
- Access to finance
- Vocational training
- Job placement opportunities
Sports and Wellness Services
The Isôoko Community Center serves as a hub for physical, mental, and social wellbeing through sports and wellness initiatives that strengthen resilience and promote healthy lifestyles.
Activities include:
- Trauma-Informed Yoga Club
- Basketball Team
- Football Team
- Cultural and entertainment activities
- Girls' Room and counseling services
Digital and Literacy Services
The Isôoko Community Center provides learning opportunities that equip community members with essential literacy and digital skills for both personal and professional development.
Programs include:
- IT Lab and Digital Literacy Training: Practical computer and digital skills training
- Library and Reading Club: Access to books and a community-led reading culture
- Literacy and Numeracy Program: Foundational reading, writing, and basic mathematics skills
Tûuza Mubyeyi Project
The Tûuza Mubyeyi Project supports vulnerable mothers participating in our programs by providing childcare and early learning services for their children while they focus on their socio-economic development.
The program ensures children receive safe, nurturing, and educational care, allowing mothers to dedicate time to training, business development, and income-generating activities.
Through this initiative:
- 302 women have established income-generating activities and businesses.
By reducing childcare burdens, the program enables women to build sustainable livelihoods while strengthening family wellbeing.
Tûuza Mubyeyi Centers
- Tûuza Mubyeyi Nyamyumba Center
- Tûuza Mubyeyi Kivugiza Center
- Abahizi Nursing Room
Fundraisers
Official fundraiser
Give to Gain
We begin in Masoro because this is where Isôoko Community Development operates.
This is where we walk alongside women and girls every day.
But what is happening here reflects a reality across many rural communities.
Women’s wellbeing is under pressure. Many women are carrying silent battles.
Financial instability.
Caregiving responsibilities.
Social expectations.
Unaddressed emotional trauma. In Rwanda, 23.2% of women experience common mental health disorders.
More women are learning to name anxiety and burnout
but access to consistent, community-based mental health care remains limited.
Awareness is growing.
Support systems are not. Menstrual health is not just biological.
Hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle can significantly affect emotional wellbeing.
Up to 85% of women experience premenstrual symptoms.
Some experience severe mood changes linked to depression and anxiety.
When emotional pressure meets financial stress, distress deepens.
Menstrual health directly affects confidence, stability, and daily participation. In Masoro, many vulnerable women and girls earn between 0 and 1,500 RWF per day.
The average cost of sanitary pads is 1,000 to 1,500 RWF .
Nearly 20% of schoolgirls in rural communities miss up to 50 school days each year due to lack of menstrual products.
This is not only about hygiene. It is about dignity.
Education.
Opportunity. We have identified more than 1,000 women and girls facing this challenge.
This March, we would like to extend our support to 1,000 of them. This Women’s Month, we are responding holistically. We are integrating:
• Menstrual cycle education
• Mental health awareness
• Emotional regulation workshops
• Structured psychosocial support We will host workshops in schools, savings groups, and mining communities.
We will train community-based facilitators.
We will create safe spaces for open conversations about mental and menstrual health. And we are inviting professional counselors and psychologists to volunteer their time
to stand with women who need consistent, compassionate support. Because women deserve care that sees the whole person. We are fundraising to provide: Reusable sanitary pad kits 5 pads per kit, washable up to 120 times offering long-term dignity for 1,000 women and girls. And structured psychosocial support for 300 women , including: • Mental health screening and assessment
• Psychoeducation on rebuilding self-worth in times of stress
• Group therapy and emotional support
• Crisis-response referrals From 5,000 RWF , you can support menstrual dignity and education. From 35 USD , you can sponsor one woman’s mental health support. When a girl stays in school, her future expands. When a girl stays in school, her future expands. When a woman understands her emotional patterns, she regains confidence. When support becomes consistent, communities become stronger. This Women’s Month, under the theme “Give to Gain,”
We invite you to invest in women’s wellbeing emotionally, physically, and socially. Give what you can.
Volunteer if you can.
Share if you can. And help us build systems of care that last beyond one month.
- Raised
- $2,000
- Goal
- $20,000