María José Morales sends us this article from Meki, in Ethiopia.
These are not easy times in Ethiopia, and despite this, we are very aware of the work we have been doing, and we are still here, with courage and hope. And we are still here because we value the voice and work of the women who participate in our projects. We know that they are opening paths that others will follow in the future.
And we are also still here, with enthusiasm, to continue proposing another way of seeing, understanding and being in the world.
We began working in Meki in 2015. Little by little, after listening to the concerns and needs of the people we met, we created the first Community Savings Groups. Then we worked to bring drinking water to several communities, and we built new classrooms in some schools. In 2016 we opened the “Kidist Mariam Women Promotion Center”, our professional training center for women. The numbers are not everything, but they tell us a lot about the achievements made since then: 2,871 students have graduated from the KMWPC, and 1,350 women are part of the 45 savings groups that continue to meet every two weeks, and continue to expand their businesses with the loans they receive. 512 of them have 2,600 dairy goats, 180 have donkeys and carts that they use for transportation, and 480 have fruit trees and work in community gardens.
The task has not been easy, there have been (and will undoubtedly continue to be) difficulties along the way, but it is a source of pride to be able to see these women so empowered and to know that the future and development is in their hands. They are the ones who are gradually making their communities and their country better and better.
From here I would also like to thank all the people who, with their help, are making this work of the CSP in Ethiopia possible. Thank you!
