Meet Beletech! She’s part of the Self Help Entrepreneur (SHE) group named LALO. Her business includes making butter and cheese and growing coffee.

Beletech is a hard working mom. She lives in rural Ethiopia with five children – the youngest child is a darling baby boy born just a few months ago. She grows coffee in her family garden and sells it at the local market. However, coffee is slow growing and consecutive drought years have created a difficult struggle to provide for her family.

Picking coffee in her garden to sell in the market.

Joining LALO put Beletech on the path to success. Every week Beletech attends the LALO meeting, contributes to her personal and group savings, has small business training, and relies on her LALO team of women to encourage her progress.

Beletech knows how to capitalize on opportunities to grow her business. Her SHE group membership allowed her to supplement her coffee enterprise by expanding her market goods.

“I bought a cow with a loan from LALO. I worked hard to make butter and cheese from the milk. I paid off my loan so other women in LALO will have a chance to get the loan and succeed…Now, I bought my second cow. Saving and reinvesting has made me a business woman!”

Cows! Cheese and butter are great products in the local market.

SHE groups are “ALL the things” to motivated women like Beletech. I’m sure that strikes a chord with you – we all know women who get it done with hard work, determination, and the support of community.

Beletech collects rainwater in these hand-hewn pots.

It’s so exciting to see women of all ages and skill levels set out to change their own lives by increasing self-reliance for themselves and their teammates in each SHE group.

Training, education, and community support foster economic growth for SHE members and their families. Women gain financial security, confidence and strategies giving them a voice in their communities.

Simply put, SHE women are better together!

Here is how you can make more change like this happen for a hard working mom in rural Ethiopia. You can give here — and watch your generosity and kindness help change a life!