Family Empowerment
In Negash, a woreda outside of Mekelle, one guardian of a sponsored child has established a profitable craft business from which she has been able to save money and cover the family's necessities. She uses about 150 ETB (approximately $15) to purchase supplies to make a large canister out of yarn and grass. It takes about 1½ months to make a basket that she is able to sell to a merchant at a nearby market for 400 ETB (approximately $40), a sizeable profit. She explains that she has been able to set aside some birr (Ethiopian currency) in a savings account established with the help of her WHFC social worker. She is also able to purchase food and clothing and pay for her rent, transportation costs to market, education expenses for her child and other living expenses.
In Sidama, a family used WHFC sponsorship assistance to dig a well. They now have water to grow vegetables to sell at the local market, and community members have access to the family's water without charge. The family has also begun charging a small fee for the use of their carts and donkeys, a common means of transporting goods to and from markets.
Following her husband's death, Hulu faced raising three children on her own and caring for elderly parents with no real source of income. With the help of our sponsorship and family empowerment program, Hulu began a small business making and selling shiro (mashed chickpeas) and berbere (pepper spice) to area residents. With business thriving, Hulu has been able to invest in small livestock to help feed her family. Her children are able to attend school, and Hulu's goal is to open a small store close to home to reduce travel. She now earns an average of 500-600 birr per month, in a country where the average income is 1,500 birr (about $150) per year. Thanks to your generosity, Hulu has been able to establish a successful business and something rarely seen in Ethiopia — a bank book showing money in her account.
The construction boom in Awassa was the perfect opportunity for Genet. Thanks to a contractor friend of her late husband's and a loan from WHFC's Child Sponsorship and Family Empowerment Program, Genet began selling tea and snacks to more than 1,000 construction workers every day.
Before launching her business, Genet received 100 birr per month from her husband's pension. She now earns 1,000 birr per month (about $100). Business is so brisk that Genet runs out of inventory by the middle of the day. With a small loan she will be able to purchase more food and serve customers longer. Moreover, thanks to her connection with the contractor, Genet will be able to follow the workers when they start new projects. Her ultimate goal is to open her own tea room.
In the meantime, Genet's business has been so profitable that she's been able to do something unheard of for most Americans — pay cash to purchase a condo in one of the new buildings!
