With the Ethiopian New Year of 2013 underway, what better time to announce our next series for WEEMA Wednesdays: Phenomenal Women of WEEMA’s Self Help Groups!
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Today is International Youth Day! Celebrating youth is celebrating the future of Ethiopia and the world at large. Of Ethiopia’s population of 105 million people, two thirds are below the age of 25 and 30% are youth aged 15-29.
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“Before, the disabled were excluded and stayed at home. Now we can work and go to school because of what WEEMA and the government have done here.”
— BEKELECH, SHOPKEEPER AND MEMBER OF DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION IN MUDULA
With all the impactful and heartwarming stories we have on our new website, we thought we would start a website highlight series to share these remarkable snippets with you.
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Inclusion is deeply rooted in WEEMA’s community-led development work in Ethiopia. But what does inclusion exactly mean and how do organizations achieve it in their everyday practices, whether in Ethiopia, Bangladesh or Indonesia?
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Kebebush Berena is no stranger to change. Since her initial interactions recruiting and enrolling women for WEEMA’s Self Help Groups (SHGs), Kebebush has watched the women she supports grow and develop into financially savvy savers.
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You may have heard the expression “busy as a bee” and wondered, what is it that bees are so busy doing? As the expression implies, making honey is a very labor-intensive process for bees.
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A certificate can make all the difference.
In Ethiopia, people living with disabilities encounter many disadvantages in society and are often subject to stigma and discrimination. They are disproportionately poorer, and particularly vulnerable to crises.
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Yeshiwas Desta is a farmer and the proud father of six children. His land is rocky and rugged and doesn’t produce enough to provide food for his family. Yeshi worked hard to change the fertility of the land by terracing, planting forage grass, and diversifying his crops by adding banana, mango, avocado, coffee, soybean, and ginger.
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In 2014 WEEMA started its first Self Help Groups (SHG). We were fortunate enough to benefit from the experience of other organizations who had already established SHGs in neighboring communities and in other parts of Ethiopia. Today we have 112 SHGs in two districts – and 2,033 women participating.
Recently, our U.S. staff had the opportunity to meet with the Hujent Lenam Women’s Self Help Group (SHG). Hujent Lenam means “We work together and grow up”.
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We are excited to announce that WEEMA will begin to register Women's Self Help Groups as legal entities starting this year!
Recognizing women as agents of change, we currently work with 2,200 women in rural Ethiopia who comprise 112 Women's Self Help Groups. Each Self Help Group consists of 20 women and meets weekly to save money, make loans, learn from each other, and provide social support.
Our WEEMA beekeeping cooperatives continue to grow and thrive!
Did you know that Ethiopia is the largest producer of honey in Africa? Beekeeping is a local and centuries-old industry in Ethiopia with large potential for growth.
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Thirty-five year old Mulu Kebede has lived in Semen Ambukuna kebele for fifteen years. Her home has seen the birth of five children, a marriage, and the hardships she faced in raising her family after her husband left.
For the last twelve years, Mulu has done everything in her power to support her children on her own. Sometimes this meant begging, other times searching for food, and taking on daily labor jobs in the village when they were available.
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A WEEMA-sponsored team from Tembaro traveled south to Arba Minch to visit a rehabilitation center. This trip was part of WEEMA's ongoing work to raise awareness, destigmatize, and include the voices of people living with disabilities as part of local political agenda.
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