Deviating from the Norm to Ensure Food Security
In a culture where the husband is usually the breadwinner, Zerfu Mehari has taken the lead and is working closely with her husband, Asmerom Niguse, to radically boost their household's income.
Two years ago, her family of six largely relied on Asmerom's meager monthly income, along with food support from the government's Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP). "My husband's monthly income was only 100 birr (about $5), 30 kilos of flour and two kilos of red pepper from working at a mill. Providing food, school materials and clothing to the children was very challenging for them.
Zerfu joined CARE Ethiopia's Gradation With Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Development (GRAD) project to improve her family's livelihood.
She could not have imagined how dramatic that improvement would be.
At the beginning, the project supported Zerfu and 27 other households to establish a Village Economic and Social Association (VESA). The VESA has served as an effective platform for training on saving and credit, entrepreneurship, nutrition and more. "After we received the training," Zerfu said, "my household got involved in raising sheep, as well as grain trade with an 8,000 birr ($400) loan from the Dedebit Credit and Savings Institution (DECSI). We bought 11 sheep for 6,400 birr ($320), and used 1,600 birr ($80) to start the grain trade. Within six months, we sold five sheep for 7,080 birr ($354)."
Using the profit, Zerfu immediately repaid 65 percent of the loan to DECSI and invested the remaining in grain trade that helped her earn more than 2,000 birr ($100) profit every week. "Before the Easter holiday, we sold three sheep for 4,600 birr ($230), which helped us repay the loan before the due date and expand the grain trade.
With her increasing income and hard work, Zerfu's household has gained more respect and trust from relatives and neighbors. "Previously, it was very challenging for us to get support from others," she said. "One of our neighbors offered us his backyard for poultry production. We accepted his offer and now we earn up to 600 birr ($30) monthly from the sale of eggs."
The household has also started to harvest more from the farm, thanks to the VESA training. Plus, the income enabled her husband to pay 5,000 birr ($250) to secure a driver's license. As a result, Asmerom has been hired as a driver and earns a monthly salary of 2,700 birr ($135). Thanks to the project and her commitment, Zerfu's household situation has changed radically, from being a PSNP-dependent household to being a resilient household with tremendous success. Their total annual household income now exceeds 100,000 birr (or $5,000).
And the long-term possibilities look endless for this industrious family. |
