By AMECEA Online reporter
Women in Ethiopia have been empowered through the Savings and Internal Lending Community (SILC) group, this is part of Catholic Relief Services Resilience through Enhanced Adaptation, Action-learning and Partnership (REAAP) activity.
In a communication made to AMECEA Online News recent from CRS, REAAP is a three years (2014-2017) USAID-funded activity implemented in six chronically drought affected and food insecure villages otherwise known as woredas of East and West Hararghe Zones of Oromia National Regional State.
This 3-year, USAID funded activity facilitates community-based collective planning and actions that drive solutions to cope with drought, food insecurity and degraded farm land.
A testimony from one of the SILC members Janet Mohamed said that “Being in the group has built my respect in my family and improved the relationship with my husband,” she says. The group meets regularly and each member contributes to the group savings. Members can then take loans against the savings and repay them on pre-agreed terms.
Janet took a loan from her SILC group and bought two female goats, and also started selling items in the local market. Janet, a 32-year-old mother, is taking care of eight family members in East Hararghe Zone of Ethiopia’s Oromia Regional state, was not always this confident. Living in one of Ethiopia’s most drought prone and food insecure regions, the family often did not have enough money to buy food. And her husband often decided what was bought.
The group meets regularly and each member contributes to the group savings. Members can then take loans against the savings and repay them on pre-agreed terms. Jenate took a loan from her SILC group and bought two female goats, and also started selling items in the local market.
She concludes by saying: “Women need financial education to improve their skills and their savings, and strengthening their decision making power within the family and the community.” In the coming year REAAP will facilitate this training by linking the women to local education service providers.