By Heran Abebe | Senior Gender Advisor, Pathfinder International ET
Pathfinder International
Income Generation for Ethiopian Women
GlobalGiving Report
December 2013 – February 2014
BACKGROUND
Pathfinder International and its partner, the Addis Ababa Women’s Association, received funding from generous GlobalGiving donors to support low-income women to engage in income-generating activities (IGAs) to increase self-sufficiency and productivity. With the support of these donors, 97 low-income Ethiopian women have started their own businesses. Each woman was provided business skills training, in addition to information on issues like sexual and reproductive health, reproductive rights, family planning, HIV and AIDS, and harmful traditional practices. Beneficiaries are engaged in various types of businesses including poultry, small-scale restaurants, vegetable gardening, petty trade, animal fattening and dry foods preparation. Testimonials from beneficiaries demonstrated that GlobalGiving support continues to bring about positive change in the lives of these women and their families by providing household food security, the ability to send their children to school, personal satisfaction, and control over their own income.
UPDATE
As mentioned in our last report, GlobalGiving donors provided seed money to 15 women who lost their small dry foods preparation business—known locally as a Baltina shop—due to an accidental fire. This report period has seen significant progress made in recovering their business.
The storehouse where our beneficiaries kept their dry goods has been re-constructed with financial resources collected through the coordination of the Woreda administration. Community members and other charity organizations contributed towards the re-construction of the house. With a restored space, the beneficiaries have been able to re-open their business by purchasing the necessary materials such as cooking dishes, utensils, tables, and chairs with funds donated through GlobalGiving. Excitingly, they have seen an increase in their customers. Additionally, the Addis Ababa Women’s Association is coordinating with the Woreda Micro-Finance Development Office to organize the beneficiaries into a cooperative group in order to attain legal status.Attaining this status will gain them access to ongoing training and loan services. This office also helps the women secure their workplace and provides other relevant support like market assessments—all of these services help them to build a sustainable business.
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