North-East Ethiopia has been widely affected by El Nino, a term describing the extreme climatic changes in the equatorial regions. In Ethiopia, it caused severe droughts due to failure of consecutive rainy seasons since 2015.
The East Gojjam Zone of the Amhara region and its four woredas (districts), Enarj Enawga, Enbise Sar Midir, Goncha Siso Enese and Shebel Bereta have been recognised by the government as areas that require immediate priority for assistance. These woredas have very limited access to water due to drought. Schools are especially affected as reports state that many children have collapsed during class and there are an increase of school dropouts due to lack of water, lack of food and for economic reasons. In 2017, ElectricAid granted funds for the establishment of the Women Multipurpose Cooperative Centre (WMCC) and a small scale irrigation system.
The WMCC is composed of 24 women who had been trained in Agriculture, Cooperative and Credit Management, Beekeeping, Poultry Farming, Nursery establishment and Management as well as Nutrition. All of these are crucial in order to better respond to future famine, climate change and to provide more sources of income for these poorer communities. With the help of the local government, WMCC were provided with agricultural land for poultry farming and agriculture purposes. Seeds such as chickpeas and beans have been purchased through local sellers and distributed along with the irrigation system, the land was managed and was cultivated with various different crops.
The establishment of WMCC empowered women and recognised their social and economic role within their communities. These women became role models in their own and other communities. They became the foundation in building the resilience of the population against future droughts. The seeds that they sowed became the source of food and income for their families.
Overall, with the help of ElectricAid the establishment of the first Women’s Multipurpose Cooperative Centre in the Goncha Siso Enese and the provision of small scale irrigation scheme became successful. It made substantial difference within these woredas and directly addressed UN Sustainable Goals such as Goal #1: No poverty, Goal #2: Zero Hunger and Goal #15: Life on Land. Thank you to all our supporters for making this project possible.
electricaid.ie 