Vulnerable Women's Empowerment Project in Ethiopia

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While the Birmingham Fair trade groups were busy working hard in Fair trade fortnight one of their members travelled out to Ethiopia to visit one of the many projects run by LUCIA Life Uplifted by Change In Africa www.luciacharity.org.uk. The project was started in February this year and it is one of many such projects LUCIA has supported and found to be a successful way to improve the lives of vulnerable, poor, healthy women and their families. The LUCIA team was welcomed with such warmth by the ladies who'd gone to enormous trouble with their hospitality by making bread and performing the Ethiopian coffee ceremony in their guests' honour. The LUCIA team felt really humbled to be given so much by people who have so very little.

The 'Vulnerable Women's Empowerment Project' is based in Addis Ababa which is being run and supervised by The Women and Children Development Organisation (WCDO), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in partnership with LUCIA. The project will support the 30 women in self-employment opportunities, in small business activities and newly established community-based saving and credit co-operatives. The indirect beneficiaries will number 380 family members.

LUCIA was started in 2005 and has, over the seven years, supported many co-operative projects like this one.

The team has enjoyed the pleasure of watching the women grow into confident assertive business managers and, dare we say it, start to physically walk taller!

Sylvia Gardner
Sent from my phone