One of the Women organized under the SHG program of YWCA in Adama
Ehete Getachew narrates her experience; ‘when I and my neighbor first joined the self-help group, most of us are economically dependent on our husbands, and the money we receive from them was never enough to cover the living expenses of our family. At my SHG, the first weekly saving was only one birr. But, the meetings were an opportunity to discuss the different challenges we face as a women.
Because my SHG was formed and supported by YWCA, I obtained the opportunity to be trained on business, reproductive health, sewing and knitting skills. Eventually, my husband died and the responsibility to take care of my family had fallen on me. The situation forced me to borrow 200 birr from my group and started selling bread, which makes me realize my potential to earn money.
From then on wards, I have developed the skill and courage, to take more loan to expand and diversify my business. I continue taking big loans from my group and bought baking stove, washing machine, onion grinder and start using these equipments for income generation. With all my business activities, my income keeps on increasing and now I am getting more than 5000 ETB net income per month. Further to covering my family living expense, I was able to educate my four children and they have now reached to high school and higher education’.
