W/ro Tsehaynesh
“My shop is now full; I am supplying the need of my community.”
Information Communication Technology for girls’ education and women’s
W/ro Tsehaynes, Age: 52, is a poor widow woman living with her five children in Axum town, Meabel Kebelle. Life has been very difficult for her after she lost her husband; she is the sole bread winner for her five children.
W/ro Tsehaynesh and her family reside in one rented room; the monthly rent for her place is 400 birr. She was very challenged to afford the monthly rent and usually look for support to pay.
Moreover, W/ro Tsehaynesh’s family was even facing difficulty to have enough daily food. As she said; there were times that her children only eat once during the day. Due to such problems her children were not attending school regularly
W/ro Tsehaynesh sell banana and vegetables on streets, the income she gets out of this business is very low that she couldn’t cover her daily family need. She usually went to Women and children affair office in her kebele to obtain support, the office organize support from the community and provide her. As she said; she probate her elder child from going school to support her in selling vegetable, sadly ‘there are even times that I went to churches and begged to get money’.
(Here highlight the difficulty /challenge they face in their life that resulted/has brought them to this project for support /the reason why she was selected as beneficiary.)
W/ro Tsehaynesh is known by the local administration and the community as she obtain support as poor household, when this project commenced in her kebele, beneficiary selection was done with relevant local administration and women and children affair desk of the Keble. And She was found to be eligible for the project target.
As the beneficiary of the project, W/ro Tsehaynesh benefits from Basic Business Skill Training, Life skill training and saving and credit initiative. As she explains, the life skill training boosts her self esteem. Furthermore, ‘As I took the business skill training it opens my eyes to see the possibilities that I can earn more money from my businesses’. She took 2000 birr as a loan and expand her business by opening a small shop,where she sells different house hold utilities and egg.Through the facilitation of women and children affair office and NMHDO project office staffs she is able to get a shop.
The income source of the family is now diversified and increased; W/ro Tsehaynesh on average gets 150 birr per day and able to afford her house rent and basic family expenses. Moreover, she is now able to deposit birr 750 per month in saving and credit cooperative /saccos/.
W/ro Tsehaynesh is now able to afford the educational material needs of her children, her family is getting enough daily food, more over she is able to unleash her potential and believe in her self.
As w/ro Tsehaynesh said ‘I was very much ashamed of my previous life,It was so embarrassing to ask for support while you have a hand to work’, and not being able to provide the needs of my children was the most sad thing’.
‘I thought I am good enough for nothing, but now I learn that it’s possible to change situation”
The project staffs were providing close support and encouragement for the woman, such a support will continue. Furthermore W/ro Tsehaynesh is now member of SACCO and she will be able to get credit access from her cooperative to scale up or expend her business.