Help Rural Ethiopians Improve Access to Water

Building Resilience Against Drought

Alongside our water work in Ethiopia, CHF forms community groups and associations to help build resilience against conditions that cause drought to be so dangerous.

In February, CHF visited an Asset Building Group (ABG) that we formed three years ago. The purpose of the ABG was to provide rotational lending and savings capacity to community members within a localized, manageable setting. This particular ABG is composed of 14 women whom CHF organized three years ago and provided each with 30 chicks and an incubator. The group is now thriving, saving and lending among its members and meeting monthly.

Some members continue to raise chicks and sell the eggs; others have borrowed from their profits to start small shops. All members have used their profits to buy or trade up to sheep and goats and now have a considerable asset base. The initial activity (provision of the baby chicks) allowed for group savings that were then used to increase assets and provide individual opportunities for these women. Since begin set up the group has flourished on its own and has attained the kind of food security intended by the program, and provides an excellent example of the sustainable development that CHF aims to undertake, helping reduce the vulnerability of agrilcutural communities to drought and famine.

There’s also a whole lot of chickens running around…

Links:

• http://www.chfinternational.org