In the Lalibela area of Ethiopia, a place known for its historic rock churches, most families live off the land. A typical family will eat much of what they produce and sell any surplus at market to gain extra income. It is a hard life and hitting a bad agricultural year means people will go hungry. Having money set aside for lean times can be a lifesaver for a family.
For 25 years, IOCC has focused on improving Ethiopian communities’ resilience during hard times. To do exactly this, IOCC, with funding from Bread for the World, has set up 10 women’s self-help groups in the Lalibela area.
These groups have 20 members each and provide the women with skills training, financial, and material support to start or expand their own businesses. They also give the women a critical social network – the chance to get out of their homes and discuss the challenges they face like supporting their families and educating their children, community affairs and explore new market opportunities.
Netsanet is the leader of her self-help group and oversees three others in her area. She received 25 chickens and added 10 more with her own savings. Netsanet’s little flock now produces around 25-28 eggs per day to feed her family, and she sells the surplus at the market.
“The chickens have helped me stand on my own and now I can provide for my children and build a better life for them,” she says. “Leading other women and earning an income has shown me my own strength and I feel proud of what I am now able to do for my family.”
Forty-year-old Nigistie is also a member of one of the women’s self-help groups who received 25 chickens. The mother of three is now able to save funds regularly thanks to egg sales. “This has given me strength and hope again because I can provide, and still look ahead,” she explains. “Each day, I am able to earn, save, and care for my family, and it has brought a real sense of stability and independence into my life.”
IOCC also works to improve crop yields of vulnerable farmers in the Lalibela area, such as the elderly. Eighty-one-year-old Rete has been working the land for most of his life. One of the crops he produces to feed his family of five is teff, a cereal used to produce Ethiopia’s staple injera bread. Thanks to the IOCC project, Rete now uses an improved teff seed variety that produces more grain than the standard seed.
“The quality of the teff seed I grow now is much better than before,” says Rete. “We have more to eat and more to sell. My family will no longer experience the food shortages we usually did before.”
