7 Incredible Things YOU Did in 2016!

I could not blot out hope, for hope belongs to the future. –Lu Xun

See the dream. Be the impact. Feel the success.

The 2016 sun has set an incredible 366 times, shining a light on all the ways your gifts to Roots Ethiopia have turned dreams and challenges into success. As we begin what will surely be another year of work to create lasting change in Ethiopia, we thought we would bring you a year in review, by the numbers.

Here are 7 phenomenal ways YOU turned local ideas into lasting change:

15,000 students and their communities were enriched through Learning Resource Projects that focused on making the school learning environment the best it can be. Desks, chairs microscopes, books, shelves, concrete floors, chalkboards, libraries for public use, the list is long. The impact is broad. The local community is inspired.
More than 8,600 community members received temporary food support during the months following drought-related crop failures. In the darkest of days, these food staples allowed kids to keep going to school and families to stay strong.
113 librarians and 39 science teachers received intensive training in their field to become better leaders and to improve their innovative use of local materials as teaching tools.
11 rural schools were recipients of new books in the local language(s). 6,000 students can now expand their literacy skills and love of reading.
175 students attended school with all-inclusive School Sponsorships.
40 boys and girls participated in a new sports-based program designed to develop youth leadership skills. The program includes uniforms, sports equipment, and instruction.
Over 300 women and men built their own small businesses that sustain their families. 19 Self-Help Entrepreneurs were in place in 14 project sites for the small business owners to increase their capacity to earn income, increase their self-confidence, and work for social change.

These accomplishments all began as the dreams of small Ethiopian communities. You brought the resources, and you stood strong in the face of the serious challenges that threatened the livelihoods of so many. You gave monthly, or all at once or both. Your hope for better lives for Ethiopia’s poorest families was the thread that linked possibility to progress.

Thank you for an amazing 2016.

In 2017 we will see change, growth, and new opportunities. In partnership with your commitment, here’s to the hope for a better future for all of Ethiopia.

Warmly,

The Roots Ethiopia Board of Directors

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Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.

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SHE Leads! Almaz makes delicious injera

Meet Almaz, a local businesswoman and leader! She lives in Sodo, Wolayta, Ethiopia. Almaz‘s husband became gravely ill and their family lost their entire livelihood when he died. Like many families in Ethiopia, as a woman headed household she and her family suffered greatly from lack of work and no resources. Roots Ethiopia interviewed Almaz and learned she was well known in her neighborhood for making wonderful injera. Almaz was invited to join our Self-Help Entrepreneurs (SHE).

(Almaz and her son in front of their home)

Her SHE business start-up grant allowed her to start a small injera selling business right in her neighborhood, in front of her home. Almaz has created big change in her life! People come from all over the neighborhood to buy her fresh injera. She built a small outdoor kitchen outside of her home and she cooks and sells injera every day right off the mitad! Almaz and her 5 children feel confident that they can improve their lives with school, hard work, and savings and planning.

(Almaz’s kitchen and her stack of fresh injera – she has hired help to run her busy and thriving injera shop.)

Almaz‘s success is possible because YOU provided start-up resources she needed to unlock her potential and lead the way!

This year’s campaign to fund 30 more women in business is underway. You can be part of our continued work to promote women and small business success. Please consider a gift today. You can give here.

Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.

SHE Leads! Meet Lemelem

Lemelem is a leader! She is part of our Self-Help Enterpreneurs (SHE) in Areka, Wolayta. Before joining the women’s group her family struggled to meet the needs of their 2 children. Their only income was from her husband’s meager income as a petty trader. Lemelem had a strong business idea, but without startup capital, she was not able to realize her goals to be self-reliant.

In late 2015 Lemelem joined “Reheboth”, a local Roots Ethiopia SHE. She learned valuable business skills, refined her business plan, and began a small savings account. She saved 12 birr every week along with her team of women. Then, she joined a local ‘Equb’ (an informal rotating savings and credit association common in Ethiopia) and saved an additional 50 birr weekly. Crafting a savings plan and then sticking to it was difficult, but SHE social and economic strategies for success helped every woman meet their savings goal.

(SHE in Areka has over 20 members who meet once a week)

After a few months of establishing solid business knowledge, Lemelem received her start-up capital from Roots Ethiopia and she started selling plastic shoes in Areka and surrounding towns.

(Lemelem at work, summer 2016)

Lemelem is very successful. She has increased her savings AND provided material comforts for her family. She bought a bed for her family, is able to make sure her children eat regularly and is tending to her young children’s needs with healthy hygiene and nutrition. She’s looking forward to sending them to school when they are old enough. Lemelem says, “my family is happy, and my marriage is even stronger!” Lemelem hopes she can expand her business and open a shop.

SHE LEADS! We are so honored to share Lemelem’s story! Become a part of a woman’s story and donate to our annual campaign!

Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.

Sports Project Gets Vulnerable Ethiopian Youth Up and Running!

We are proud to announce the Shone Youth Sports Project in Ethiopia.

This project was inspired by an amazing young boy who adored sports. In his honor, the project will be instrumental in helping children in his home village of Shone, Ethiopia have the opportunity to participate in organized sports. The project has been underway for a few months and has been a great success.

The Shone Youth Sports Project is a community-based initiative designed to assist vulnerable young people to become involved in sporting activities, develop their personal skills, and gain positive insight and motivation for education. The project provides material assistance to both boys and girls with good sports skills who would otherwise not be able to pursue their passion for soccer due to severe poverty. The project design is organized to help these young people engage in nurturing activities that will assist their self -confidence and community connections. The ultimate goal of the project is to leverage organized soccer to help mentor and guide these young people.

School sports programs motivate children to enroll in and attend school and can help improve academic achievement!

40 young people (25 boys and 15 girls) were selected in Shone, Ethiopia (Hadiya Zone) for this project. The youth are now playing soccer together – outfitted fully with uniforms, equipment, a certified coach, and regular playing time. The teams are organized to compete locally and outside of town against other organized soccer teams.

Sport can cause positive shifts in gender norms that afford girls and women greater safety and control over their lives!

We are so excited about these teams and their future on and off the field!

Participants, volunteers, and coaches acquire transferable life skills which increase their employability!

Please email us at info@rootsethiopia.org for more information about the Shone Youth Sports Project.

To support to our community-based projects in Ethiopia, please set up a recurring donation to our general fund. Your continued support allows Roots Ethiopia to continually strengthen our commitment to vulnerable Ethiopian communities.

Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.

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Roots Ethiopia & h2 Empower Partner in Ethiopia

This post is contributed by Marcie Frehner, member of the 2014-2015 Volunteer Travel Team with an emphasis on arts and literacy. Marcie has been essential in developing the Roots Ethiopia/h2Empower Partnership and has developed a delightful friendship with the Founder of h2 Empower.

Roots Ethiopia’s work with schools started by supplying tables, chairs, desks, and textbooks to schools in need. Over time, with donor support and a lot of hard work, Roots Ethiopia began to do more. There is a natural continuum to working with schools. First students need a place to be, they need supplies with which to work. The next step is to use these resources most effectively. Along the way, Roots Ethiopia always asked, how do we empower the local community to use these new resources best? How can we support school leadership to manage resources and use them to make the most impact in their schools and their communities?

In 2014 and 2015 I was part of the Roots Ethiopia’s travel team, finishing every evening of work in Hosanna. Every night we gathered in the hotel restaurant and briefed each other on our day. In 2014, Meghan Walsh, Roots Ethiopia’s Founder, found herself at a table next to another woman having similar conversations. They introduced themselves and shared their passion for being in Hosanna, SNNPR. It turns out this woman, Helen Boxwill, was the Founder of an organization called h2 Empower. Helen and Meghan strongly share the belief that the best way to support sustainable improvements in Ethiopian education is to empower Ethiopians to help Ethiopians. A partnership was born.

Helen has been an educator for the past 30 years, she has taught kindergarten through high school, been a Director of Language Arts and then Principal and Coordinator of a family literacy program. She spent one year as a volunteer in Ethiopia, teaching at the Hosanna Teacher Training College. While there, she worked with female students, local teachers, and set up a library system through the town, winning the Teacher of the Year Award from her sponsoring agency. Read more about Helen’s incredible accomplishments here!

Roots Ethiopia and h2Empower, came together at a time when Roots was strategizing how to best support teachers and schools with new resources. h2Empower shared their knowledge and experience to bring us to that next level.

h2Empower’s vision is to “empower the lives they touch through supporting access to high quality education for all, helping communities develop sustainable improvement in quality of life and increasing connectivity to the global community so that all individuals can reach their highest potential for their families and our greater society.”

The h2 Empower vision compliments the goals of Roots Ethiopia perfectly!

Roots Ethiopia’s Board of Directors has voted to help fund h2 Empower’s work over the next few months (the work is well underway and we will be updating you over the next few weeks) in the following areas AND Root’s Learning Resource Project schools are FULLY included in this exciting new phase! The collaboration includes:

Librarian Training

Training provided by Code Ethiopia and h2 Empower.
8 days in Hosanna.
Includes 103 schools from the Hadiya Zone and all of the Roots Ethiopia LRP’s.
Training sessions will be focused on 3 different groups to address unique needs: Primary/Secondary/College. Trainers are highly qualified Ethiopian library and literacy leaders.
Training sessions will include experience at Hosanna’s first Community Library — which includes a children’s library, a student library, and a computer lab!

Girls Empowerment Training

h2 Empower will train gender club advisors and officers in order to develop concrete ways of changing attitudes towards girls and developing a culture of inclusion for all in the school and workplace.
Each school has a gender club serving girls to help them complete their education.
gender training includes developing girls sports teams, addressing girls empowerment, and discussing issues such as FGM, puberty, and early marriage.
Each and every government office has a gender officer to advocate for the needs of women.
They will use a curriculum developed by FAWE: Forum for African Women Educationalists. This curriculum has been adopted by the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia.

Your recurring monthly donation help Ethiopians to continue to develop the skills to educate their communities in profound and sustainable ways.

Sisay’s Life is Under Construction in Ethiopia

Sisay, a young girl from rural Ethiopia, is building a beautiful and inspired life day by day. She has been in the Roots Ethiopia School Sponsorship Program for three years and recently sat down with Tilahun, our Program Director in Ethiopia to share the power education is having on her life.

My name is Sisay. I am 17 and a Grade 8 student. I am a double orphan. I lost my Father in 2004 and my Mother in 2010. I live in Doyogena town which is located 25 km south of Hosanna together with my three siblings.

After the death of my mom in 2010, I passed through many desperate times. Even though there was something to eat at home with the support collected from neighbors, continuing my education was a serious problem. I was using one book for two subjects. I was not able to buy a uniform. Many times teachers chased me out from class for not taking notes due to a lack of pen. All my clothes were torn and most of the time I was wearing my elder sister’s shoes.

At this point in time, Roots Ethiopia selected me for a School Sponsorship. This was in 2013. It was at this point that my schooling situation totally changed. A lack of school materials is now unthinkable. I am wearing clothes like children from well to do families! My school performance has improved. I am one of the most promising students in the best private school. I attend class seriously and I want to be an engineer.

After completing my schooling I would also like to help vulnerable children who are suffering from lack of care and support. I am a symbol that your support is not in vain. Like the construction happening behind me, the same is true for my life.

Join the #SendMeToSchool Campaign and support 175 students and th

eir families in Southern Ethiopia!

$21/month will send one child to school,

$42/month will send two children to school, and

$63/month will send three children to school in Southern Ethiopia.

#SendMeToSchool

Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.

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#SendMeToSchool Interviews Mekdes, an Ethiopian Dreamer

Our Program Director in Ethiopia recently traveled to Sodo, Ethiopia to interview Mekdes, who is twelve years old and in the third grade. Her father died three years ago. Mekdes lives with her mother and five brothers and sisters. When her Dad was alive, he supported the family with jobs in agriculture and animal husbandry.

What was your life like after your Father’s death?

After my father died we rented our land to survive, but it didn’t take long until we had to give up our portion of the land. I didn’t have a chance to learn and I couldn’t even think about school even though I am highly fond of learning. It was so hard to get back and forth to school. My family didn’t have anything to eat. Getting clothing and teaching materials was a very difficult issue. Our life was getting worse and worse. Two of my brothers went to the streets to beg, but the girls remained in the house doing nothing. To tell you the truth, it was so scary to even think about the life before being enrolled in Roots Ethiopia’s School Sponsorship program.

What has life been like since your School Sponsorship?

I am now able to go to school. I am looking forward in life and becoming happy. I can get educational materials timely and sufficiently. God blessed us in amazing ways after the aid of Roots Ethiopia. A nearby neighbor came to our home and said “I see what Roots Ethiopia did for you. My heart is so touched that I have decided to pay for your electricity to help you study.” Now reading is fun with light and I will get better and better!

How do you spend the money we give you for food?

We buy 25 KG of maize with Ethiopian Birr and the rest of the money will be use for cabbage. Thank God that the money for food is enough for the whole family, for a whole solid month, not for only me. In former times we often skipped meals, but currently we get our lunch and breakfast timely.

What do you want to be in the future?

I want to be a Medical Doctor. I love science courses and I spend most of my time reading about Science.

Any final words, Mekdes?

I want to thank my entire community for selecting my family and giving us this chance. I used to have nothing. Now I am a dreamer.

Join the #SendMeToSchool Campaign and support 175 students and their families in Southern Ethiopia!

$21/month will send one child to school, $42/month will send two children to school, and $63/month will send three children to school in Southern Ethiopia.

#SendMeToSchool

Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.

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Hygiene and Sanitation Initiatives in Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s ambitious plan (<—really good article from The World Bank) to end exposure to communicable diseases caused by improper sanitation and hygiene practices in rural areas is something we care deeply about.

Lauren Werner, our Board Member and team photographer also holds an MD from Wake Forest University and an MPH (Master of Public Health) from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is passionate about becoming part of the solution that improves sanitation and hygiene for Ethiopia’s children.

“I am interested in promoting the clear connection between sanitation and education success. I personally believe sanitation is a better solution to school attendance than food programs, excluding food insecurity times like we have now. I also want to see the maintenance of the latrines become an IGA.” – Lauren Werner

Lauren contributed this valuable overview of what Roots Ethiopia is doing to improve hygiene and sanitation in Ethiopia:

Roots Ethiopia works school by school to address sanitation and hygiene needs where we work (nine schools).
Roots Ethiopia is partnering with local health educators to understand local health beliefs and behaviors. Change must come from within the communities themselves.
Diarrheal illnesses spread quickly in schools due to poor sanitation and hygiene practices. Adequate latrines, a source of clean water, and a well-placed hand washing station are the first steps in prevention of diarrheal illnesses.
Our goal is not to achieve ODF (open defecation free) areas, but to support safe and effective hygiene practices that will, in turn, prevent illness so that kids can attend school.
Latrine construction and maintenance must be done properly so that they function far into the future. This is one of our major long-term goals that is not always addressed in the World Bank Sponsored or government funded latrines, which are built, but if they fall into disrepair then they are no longer used.
Girls are missing school due to inadequate facilities, especially when they are menstruating. Gender-specific latrines can help address this issue so that girls can go to school throughout the month.

Lauren Werner is running the Twin Cities Marathon on October 4th, 2015 to raise money to support Roots Ethiopia’s latrine initiatives in Ethiopia. You can support her “Run For The Potty” fundraiser on Razoo by clicking here: https://www.razoo.com/story/Run-For-The-Potty

To learn more about our hygiene and sanitation plans in Ethiopia, please email us at info@rootsethiopia.org.

Let’s Build Latrines!

A Connected Community Supports Job Creation in Ethiopia

On Saturday evening at The Prairie Cafe in Middleton, Wisconsin over 100 people gathered to support Roots Ethiopia’s commitment to job creation in Ethiopia. Artful Giving included art created by women in support of women. Proceeds from the event benefited SHE which currently provides market jobs to over 200 people in rural Ethiopia! The evening was an enormous success with many pieces of art being sold and proceeds going to our work.

The main words used to describe the evening were connected and empowered. Old and new friends of Roots Ethiopia had a lovely time admiring and purchasing the artwork that linked the attendees to the lives of rural Ethiopian women.

The crowd was treated to luxury chocolate donated by Vosges Chocolates out of Chicago!

A traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony was also part of the evening!

In order to get a true feel for the intimacy and power of the evening, you need to hear from the artists themselves. Read what each of them had to say, and then enjoy some more pictures from the lovely night!

“I am grateful and elated to have the chance to empower women through my art jewelry and S.H.E.. I love the idea of women empowering women!” Chris Callahan, CMC Studio

“To bear witness to life in Ethiopia and be able to express it through my art has been an honor. It is my intention to share parts of what I have witnessed and experienced in Ethiopia and be able to empower women through S.H.E. With every brush stroke, I was connecting to a country I love, the birthplace of my daughter, to our Ethiopian family and to the vulnerabilities that exist in their community with the hope of being apart of a solution to ending poverty. This series of art emerged after traveling to Ethiopia to work with Roots Ethiopia’s school enrichment project. Some pieces speak to a different aspect of life and culture in Ethiopia, while other pieces were an expression of the hope I held onto during our adoption process and the same hope I witnessed while visiting Ethiopia.” Jennifer Rikkers, Jennifer Rikkers Art

“As a photographer, my inspiration happens at the same time the photograph is made. One memory I have is of a woman sharing that she was unwelcome in her community when she was homeless and without a job. Now that she has her own shop selling things, she is welcomed and included once again. When I took her picture, she was serving us injera with such beaming pride, it was a moment that made me realize that it was her own work that saved her life.” Lauren Werner, Lauren Werner Photography

$27/month sponsors one small business for an Ethiopian woman. These grants are intended to alleviate poverty by empowering families to develop the means to generate sustainable income, year after year.

Join Roots Ethiopia to Create 30 Businesses in 30 Days!

Each year we run a campaign that adds 30 new small businesses to our Self-Help Entrepreneurs (SHE) network in rural Ethiopia. Over the next 4 weeks, we plan to add 30 new businesses in 30 days. We believe that putting these businesses into action will enable 30 Ethiopian families to end their own poverty. Roots Ethiopia has 211 existing small businesses in rural Ethiopia. It is remarkable!

Support a Business Now!

This year, we are excited for you to meet Zinash. Zinash is a true success story. With the help of Roots Ethiopia, she was able to set up a small roadside shop selling injera. Her business became so successful that she has now added small household items to her shop! She was so proud to show us her business when we visited her last December. Her exhausting days of earning only $1/day fixing roads are a thing of the past.

Zinash told us, “Now I am part of community life again. My children’s minds are free and they go to school without worry.”

Be the first to sponsor a small business in Ethiopia during our 30 businesses in 30 days campaign this year! $325 or $27/month sponsors one coffee shop, market stand, small store, or a bread and tea stand in rural Ethiopia!

Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.