It takes power to stand up for yourself. And knowledge. How do you self-advocate if you don’t have access to the tools needed to improve your life? How do you reach self-reliance? And, finally, it takes a community having your back. Do like-minded community members see your potential and your struggle? Do they believe in you? Continue reading “Meet Adaneche: Our Latest Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Rock Star”
Tadelech’s children are headed back to school this week. They attend school regularly because their MOM IS A ROCKSTAR entrepreneur! Tadelech is part of a Roots Ethiopia Self-Help Entrepreneurs (SHE). She sells bananas and eggs in the market – and she even has a secret way of ripening her savory bananas. (You can read all about her on our Instagram account, using the hashtag #Tadu and #LaurensLens)
At Roots Ethiopia, we value family self-reliance. Tadelech is a great example of how a strong business plan and the support of a like-minded group of women means success for everyone in the family.
Do you want to enable the livelihoods of women like Tadelech? Support a woman who is joining SHE for just $27/month!
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.
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.
In 2015 the life of a father was changed with a Roots Ethiopia small business grant. Ayele, his wife, Genet, and their 6 children want to share their story with you for Father’s Day.
Ayele is a hard worker who, in the midst of his work selling grain in the market, was bedridden with serious illness. For 2 years he was sick. His family sold all of their worldly goods to provide for his medical expenses. The family lost everything and suffered greatly. Even as they rejoiced as Ayele recovered, they struggled to rebuild their future.
The outlook seemed bleak with no resources for school, rent, or livelihood. In 2015 the Roots Ethiopia community facilitators in Hadero selected Ayele for a small business grant to help him reestablish his grain market business.
Ayele shared:
The Hadero MKC and Roots Ethiopia community encouraged me when I was so ill. And then they helped me recover both in body and in spirit when I received start-up capital to get back to work.”
Once again Ayele has created a thriving market business. He can feed his family, pay his house rent, and he has saved some capital to grow his business. His entire family is involved in their success, adding sales of plastic bags and coffee to his grains.
Ayele says, “I am the happiest father in all of Hadero. My dream now is to sell grains in quintal. And I will see my children grow strong in school and in their future.”
You can be part of our small business success. Please consider a gift today.
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