Part 3: Stories from Ethiopia

Aregawi Tadel and his daughter are part of a large family of 9 members from 3 generations. Aregawi and his family live in Agulae and own 0.75 hectares of land that produce 10 quintals a year. They get the chance to harvest twice a year, one in October after the rainy season and the second one around May. His family is very hard working. They mainly cultivate onion, pepper, corn, wheat and teff-cereal endogenous of Ethiopia. 

Despite massive efforts the annual purchase rate of the whole family does not reach 10.000 Birs (430 Euros per year). Alemat, looking mischievous and lively combines school with work on the farm. As we talk, she expresses her desire to improve female opportunities, to enjoy greater access to knowledge and aspire to achieve greater rights, just like any youngster from elsewhere.



Sport Network is currently implementing a project to reduce food insecurity among the population of Kilte Awlaelo. 

During the past months we payed tribute to the beneficiaries of our projects, by sharing a series of stories that reflect the lives and scope of profiles participating in our project.

This is the last one in a series of articles about our beneficiaries in Ethiopia.

Previous articles in this series:
Introduction - Ethiopia: Portraits and success stories
Part 1: Stories from Ethiopia

Part 2: Stories from Ethiopia

Project Information:
For more information about our project in Ethiopia

Marta is the RDC project coordinator in Ethiopia  

Part 2: Stories from Ethiopia

Asay Desta is a wonderful woman. Entrepreneur, strong and able, throughout the project she has demonstrated outstanding determination and leadership skills. Not in vain, Asay is the head of her small family (compared to an average Ethiopian family) composed of her and her two young sons. Her husband abandoned this native woman from Mehebereweini 5 years ago and since then she has been managing her own land. Her land of 0.25 hectares barely produces 2.5 quintals per harvest, which she collects one year after the rainy season. Her land could produce more, but for that she would need access to water during the dry season. However, Asay cannot afford to purchase or hire a water pump to irrigate her land, and being the only adult is unable to irrigate the crops by picking up buckets of water from the river. This is why she sublets her land to other farmers who can cultivate it during the dry season. The project provides an opportunity for this single mother to irrigate her land in the dry season and have more than one harvest a year. Excited by the idea of being part of the women’s fruit tree cooperative included in the project, she shares with us her future plans with a smile full of hope.

This is the second in a series of articles about our beneficiaries in Ethiopia.

Previous articles in this series:

Introduction - Ethiopia: Portraits and success stories

Part 1: Stories from Ethiopia

Project Information:

For more information about our project in Ethiopia

Marta is the RDC project coordinator in Ethiopia

Part 1: Stories from Ethiopia

Wezero (Miss) Almaz Kassa does not know her exact age. She believes she was born in the 40s, but she is probably no older than 67 years. People would say from her photo that she is much older, but every wrinkle on her face is a result of the Ethiopian sun and reflects the harsh reality of life in the countryside. Crouched for hours with a traditional hoe in hand or carrying water on her back for marathon distances, Almaz still remembers the most difficult years of her life, during the famine of 1974, when several members of her family passed away. It has been a long time since then, and during these years she has outlived many of her brothers and children, but life goes on for her. She is now one of the beneficiaries of our project, with 5 other family members, 2 of them are her grandchildren. For now, and until late in the year when the irrigation canal construction is complete, this quiet but confident lady, invites us to her home for a coffee while we talk about upcoming activities of the project.


This is the first in a series of articles about our beneficiaries in Ethiopia.

Previous articles in this series:

Introduction – Ethiopia: Portraits and success stories

Project Information:
For more information about our project in Ethiopia

Marta is the RDC project coordinator in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Portraits and success stories

With a population of 82 million and a human development index (HDI) among the lowest in the World, Ethiopia is one of the most fascinating countries, with a vast and rich ancient culture. The ancient Abyssinia is a country of contrasts where poverty and famine combine with a growth rate that is almost 10%. It is thought that 80% of Ethiopians depend on agricultural activity and 18% of its population cannot satisfy their basic nutritional needs. However, in Ethiopia there is hope, they are willing to fight and above all show an admirable capacity of self-sacrifice and resilience.

Tigray is one of the Northern regions of Ethiopia, which has suffered the most from the curse of poverty, exacerbated by the war with Eritrea, and famines that have occurred cyclically since the 70s. The population suffers from water scarcity, desertification, limited access to land for cultivation, lack of access to innovation and technologies, limited access to credit and low yields. Fortunately, during the last five years nature has been slightly forgiving with this region, which made it possible for the village of Tigray to begin recovering, thanks in part to international cooperation programs aimed at sustainable human development.

    

This is the case of Sport’s Network’s project in the districts of Mesanu, Mehebereweini and Agulae, which belong to the border region of Tigray, where it intends to improve food security for the population, in particular the farmers. The project includes several activities, such as the construction of an irrigation channel, the training of farmers, distribution of improved seeds to increase yields and the establishment of a corporative of women farmers. All of these programs are supported by the community. The community takes part in every phase of the project and has participated more proactively than we could ever expect.

During our work in the field, we have witnessed the incredible drive, enthusiasm and appropriation that farmers from the region have for their development project. Sport Network’s project, which is being implemented in Ethiopia, will directly benefit 105 families with an average of 6 members per family. For the design of the project, one of the main agreements was that the community would actively contribute its labour in the implementation of the project. Currently, we have several members of each family, who far exceed their commitment: collecting, carving and carrying stones and sand, as well as contributing to the construction of the irrigation ditch.

In the name of Sport Network, we would like to thank and highlight the talent and good work of the beneficiaries of our projects, which have made the implementation a pleasant journey. A journey that has faced challenges, but at the same time, it has been extremely satisfying. And behind the numbers and statistics there are real lives, persons with their own history of experiences about self-sacrifice and triumph.

During the coming months we would like to pay tribute to our beneficiaries, by sharing a series of stories that reflect the spectrum of profiles participating in our project. 

The first in the series of stories will be shared next month!

Three years in Ethiopia

Red Deporte y Cooperación (RDC) has been working in Ethiopia for over three years. In 2013, in spite of the current unfavorable context for international cooperation, we are still implementing projects in the country.

We are currently in three distinct phases for three different projects, all within the theme of rural development and food security, as recommended by the priorities of the Spanish Cooperation (AECID) for Ethiopia.

Firstly, in June 2012 we completed a project in the Tigray region (Mesanu), which has allowed us to reach more than 1,500 people. Through its activities we provided irrigation for 200 hectares of land, improving agricultural production and food security for the families.

Secondly, we are identifying a new project that aims to create new income-generating activities for 300 families. This would be done through training, equipment and input distribution for the production of temperate fruits (apple) as well as beekeeping activities for 50 mothers head of household. This project, still in its nascent stage, also aims to promote dialogue and coexistence between different Ethiopian regions, since the beneficiaries and partners belong to the bordering regions of Oromiya and Amhara.

Finally, RDC is implementing a food security project whose main activity - in which we are concentrating these last days - is the construction of a river diversion. This weir will divert river flow and bring irrigation water to 105 families in the municipalities of Mesanu, Agulae and Meheberewinie.

Within this current project we would like to highlight our gratitude for the close cooperation we have with our two partners, the School of Agriculture of Wukro - St. Mary's College and the local authorities of Kilte Wereda Awlaelo - Office of Water Resource. From the beginning, one of the most attractive aspects of our project for AECID was the challenge of working with two partners simultaneously. In RDC we accepted this challenge and couldn’t be more pleased with the good work and the good work and performance of our partners in the field.

An example of such collaboration and coordination is the site visit we carried out today, where the RDC engineer, Benito Lopez, along with three other local engineers, have made the first measurements in order to launch the constructions within a few weeks. Alongside the technical work, we must also emphasize on the presence of Ángel Olarán, director of the School of Agriculture as well as a priest with an admirable career in Africa within the order of the White Fathers, along with the program coordinator Gidey Efrem, the project coordinator, Mulu Haftu, and the RDC expatriate field coordinator.

But not all are technicians and engineers in our project. None of this would be possible were it not for the beneficiaries’ positive attitude and willingness to work. In Agulae, life revolves around the river, a precious commodity so scarce in the dry lands of Tigray. Children play in it, women wash their clothes (unfortunately we can’t say that men are involved in this aspect), animals drink from it and men use it for bathing after a hard day's work in the field.

Now, these same farmer families have a reason to work even harder. They know they’ll be given training, seedlings, and the opportunity to create a women's cooperative, and that the access to water will be improved thanks to the construction of irrigation canals to their fields. This has boosted the community, who have mobilized and organized themselves in an admirable way. They created a human chain to collect stones, which have been put aside for the constructor to then use for the retaining walls and foundations of the weir. This local contribution of inestimable value will be the basis for the construction of one kilometer of canal that will irrigate the fields of local farmers, eager to participate in their own development.  

This article is also a tribute to all those boys and girls, men and women, who contribute day by day to the functioning of RDC and who make international cooperation a sector to keeping fighting for, no matter what.

Marta is the RDC project coordinator in Ethiopia.