Living Together in Community
Senior 4 · English (Languages)
Living Together in Community
Lesson 1 of 5
35 min
Let's begin
Since 2006, Rwanda's Girinka programme has given cows to poor families, and every family that receives one makes a promise: the cow's first female calf will be passed on to another family in the community, often a neighbour. It sounds like a simple rule. But imagine that the neighbour chosen is the one your father has not spoken to for a year. The story in this lesson begins at exactly that point. It asks what a family owes its neighbours, what the young owe the old, and how people who share a hillside manage to keep sharing it.
A short story written by Ganzaa. The characters are imagined; the Girinka pass-on rule is real (see the credits).
1 The calf was born on a Tuesday, just before dawn, and by Tuesday evening Keza had given her a name. "You can't name her," said her little brother Byiringiro, who was ten and knew the rules. "She isn't ours to keep." Keza knew the rules too. Two years earlier the family had received a black-and-white cow through Girinka, and with it a promise: the first female calf would go to another family on the hill. She simply had not expected to love the calf so quickly.
2 The cell committee met on Friday and announced which family would receive her: Mutesi's. Keza's father, Gatete, said nothing at supper, which was worse than shouting. Everyone knew why. A year before, Mutesi's goats had broken through the hedge between the two farms and eaten half of Gatete's young beans. There had been hard words on both sides, and since then the two families had passed each other on the path as if they were strangers.
3 "Perhaps the committee could choose again," Keza said carefully. "My aunt in Huye has no cow either. The calf would still go to a family that needs her." Her mother looked at her father; her father looked at his plate. It was Grandmother Nyirahabimana, who had lived with them since Keza's grandfather died, who put down her cup.
4 "When I was a girl," she said, "nobody gave a cow to a stranger. A cow given was a friendship tied. You gave a cow to bind two families together, and the families remembered it for generations." She turned to her son. "Gatete, you have been angry for a year about beans. Beans grow back in three months."
5 Nobody spoke. Then Byiringiro, who had been listening with his mouth open, said, "Mutesi's roof fell in during the rains. Her children sleep at their uncle's." It was true. Keza had seen the broken kitchen wall herself and had walked past it without thinking. She felt her face grow hot.
6 On the last Saturday of the month, after umuganda, the whole village gathered at Mutesi's gate. In the morning the men of the cell had rebuilt her kitchen wall, and Gatete had carried more bricks than anyone. Then Keza led the calf up the path. Her hands were shaking. She gave the rope to Mutesi's eldest son and told him, in a voice that was almost steady, that the calf liked to have her neck scratched and did not like dogs.
7 Mutesi took Gatete's hand in both of hers and held it for a long time. Neither of them mentioned the beans. Three months later, when the calf had grown sleek and strong, Mutesi's son walked down the hill with a small pot of milk for Grandmother Nyirahabimana. "My mother says," he announced, "that a cow given is a friendship tied." Grandmother laughed until she had to sit down.
Definition
Key terms
Answer in full sentences. Questions 1 to 5 ask what the story says; 6 to 8 ask what it means; 9 asks what you think.
| Word or phrase (paragraph) | Word class | Meaning here | Use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| announced (2) | verb | made known publicly | The head teacher announced the results. |
| hard words (2) | noun phrase | angry, unkind things said in a quarrel | After the match there were hard words between the teams. |
| carefully (3) | adverb | in a way that avoids giving offence | She chose her words carefully. |
| bind (4) | verb | join closely; create a lasting tie | Shared hardship binds people together. |
| for generations (4) | prepositional phrase | over the lifetimes of many parents and children | The farm has been in the family for generations. |
| steady (6) | adjective | firm; not shaking | Keep the ladder steady. |
| sleek (7) | adjective | smooth and shiny, as a healthy animal looks | The well-fed calf had a sleek coat. |
Worked example
Reading between the lines: how the story shows a change of heart
The writer never says "Gatete forgave Mutesi". Trace the evidence instead.
Conclusion: the change is shown through actions and gestures, which is more convincing than a stated apology. When an exam asks how a character changes, quote one detail from before and one from after.
Tip
Three levels of question. Literal questions ask what the text says (find it). Inferential questions ask what it means (read between the lines, as in the example above). Evaluative questions ask what you think (judge, and support your judgement with the text). Before you answer, label the question; it tells you how much evidence and how much of your own view is needed.
Rwanda communities reaping benefits of "one cow per family" program, CGTN Africa (about 4 minutes, 2025). Follow one family in northern Rwanda who received a cow through Girinka; note two ways the cow changed their life and compare them with the story.
Practice
Key points
Sources and credits
Quick check
Why had Gatete and Mutesi stopped speaking to each other?
