Like the Noonday Sun

Yesterday I had another opportunity to visit with a couple Sustainable Living Groups in an area of Ethiopia called Woliso.  Woliso is about 120 kilometers outside of Addis, and despite it’s close proximity to the capital city it is definitely a rural area.  I went and visited with these SLGs with some folks from the US who had come to see some of our projects and with a few staff members from the Kale Heywot Church.

Our group for the day

I had never visited Woliso before, and there’s something so striking to me that over the course of a two hour van ride we could be transported to a completely different world!  We left behind the traffic jams, tall buildings, and bustling streets of Addis and were soon out in the countryside sharing the road with donkeys and goats and looking out over a landscape of rolling hills dotted with traditional round huts.  I’ve learned that Ethiopia is a country of great diversity, and in many cases inequality, and yesterday was a poignant example of that.

I’ve written many a blog post about Sustainable Living Groups, and I’m sure there will be many more in the future, but man, I gotta tell you there is just something about being here and experiencing SLGs that really helps you to understand the transformational effect of these groups (yes, I’m saying come visit!).  It’s hard to understand how a weekly fellowship group could mean so much to a woman-until you see the hut that is her home and understand how isolated she could be there.  It’s nearly impossible to grasp that a $10 loan could have a great impact on a woman’s financial situation-until you hear of the incredibly low price of tools and see the woven baskets she has begun to sell for profit.  And finally, it’s difficult to comprehend the significance of a woman paying for her children’s school fees for the first time in their lives-until you’re immersed in a cultural context that says that only men can provide for their families.

Some of the women in the 'Burka' SLG

One of the groups that we were with yesterday is named “Burka” which means ‘Spring’.  Truly this group is a spring of life for the women involved, for their families, and their community!  The women prepared a traditional coffee ceremony for us, and we listened as they shared their personal stories of how their SLG has transformed their lives.  The women shared with us that in their community there are loan sharks who lend money, but then take exorbitant amounts of interest-up to 120% over one year.  Because of their SLG, the women are now able to take loans at a reasonable rate within a safe and supportive environment.  With these loans they have been able to do many things!  Some have started small businesses of selling coffee and household items; others have used their money to pay for their children’s school fees and supplies; and still others have been able to purchase smallstock such as chicken and goats.  Here’s what one woman (through translation) had to say in her own words about what the Burka SLG means to her (turn up the volume-it’s a little soft).

 

Now that these women have been empowered, they are looking around their community and wanting to do more to help their friends and their neighbors.  The Burka SLG has the vision to start a co-op within their community where they import in bulk basic household goods (such as flour, sugar, coffee, etc.) and sell these to their community at fair prices.  In a rural location like Woliso this would greatly benefit the community with access to goods they can’t always find in the local market.  The Burka SLG will continue to not only be a spring of life for the members and their families, but also to their surrounding community!