You’ve changed lives! Thank you for your support of the Jimma Community Sponsorship Project

Rachelle Update Summer 2012

Thank you for helping improve education, health, and income security

for families in Jimma.

Thanks to your support, since our last update in May, we've expanded our programs in all three areas. On the EDUCATION front, we've continued to focus on early childhood programs, opening two new pre-schools in the last three months with your help.

In addition to giving children an early start at school, we're also ensuring that they get a healthy start at home. Over the past three months, we have delivered workshops for over 60 mothers and caregivers, giving them a chance to improve their skills and knowledge

when it comes to SANITATION, HYGEINE, AND NUTRITION so they can keep their children healthy and strong.

Our agricultural programs are providing local families with comprehensive training on vegetable, fruit and poultry production, as well as beekeeping, so they can feed their families and assure INCOME SECURITY. To date, we've enrolled 135 community members in this program, equipping them with seeds, supplies, and knowledge to turn home-grown produce into nutritious meals. "I learned a lot about vegetables, fruit and honey production," says Rahiwa, a local teen who took part in the program. “They told us that honey gives us energy and it's a good food, especially for children. I have learned to prepare nutritious food from what we have." In the coming months, we'll be finishing the construction of latrines at a local primary school just in time for the new school year. We will also be

"It means a lot to see preschools in our villag-es," says one local mother. "Before, our young chil-dren spent their days in the fields while parents worked, but now they are learning and we see a

From ashes to achievement Ten years ago, Zumera and her husband Nasir lost their home, belongings and cattle in a fire.

"We started life from scratch. We moved in with my parents for nine months,” she said. “The local administration gave us a piece of land, where we made a small thatch-roofed house." Turning adversity into opportunity, Nasir worked tirelessly to farm while Zumera had a small business selling cooking oil, eggs and grain. They invested their earnings in livestock, and now the family shares a four-room house with a corrugated iron roof. Proud of her achievements, Zumera wants other families to succeed too.

"A dream for my villagers is to see the whole community change their thatch-roofed houses to corrugated iron houses, to have a clean water supply for the village, to see all families send their children to school and to have a preschool center," she says.

Zumera's community spirit extends to her work as treasurer for the local savings and loan group. Through Plan and a partner organization, she was trained in record keeping and believes small loans can improve the lives of all villagers. With six cows and two oxen, Zumera has proven skills in husbandry and livestock trading, which she also shares with the other women in the microfinance group. Having left school to marry when she was 14, Zumera appreciates the value of education and is working hard to ensure her children can complete theirs.

"We are working to provide all we can for our children's education," she says. "I have a dream of sending all my children to university to reach the level they want to be."

SUCCESS YOU MADE POSSIBLE

Zumera and her family

155 Plan Way Warwick, RI 02886-1099 800-556-7918

Meet Khalid Khalid is 13 years old, and like many children in Jimma, his parents are farmers, so mornings for him start early, at 6AM. "I let the animals out of their pens and feed the cattle and sheep before I go to school," he says. When he gets home, Khalid collects firewood and water for the household and helps out on his family's small coffee plantation.

"I love the farms in our village," says Khalid, "because they support us, and the trees are good for shade when it's hot". A few months ago, Khalid learned about the creation of an environmental protection club at his school that was sponsored by Plan. He quickly enrolled so he could learn more about local agriculture and was given seedlings for 16 Graviola trees that produce a fruit high in vitamin C. "If it's not a school day, like today, I take care of my trees," says Khalid, proudly. And while his small orchard is clearly the most exciting outcome for Khalid, he says he has seen many positive changes since Plan started working in Jimma,

THANK YOU FOR TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OF JIMMA COMMUNITY

Small business, big dreams Zewuyda Abamecha, a mother five children aged four to 17, has big dreams for the future. "I dream of expanding my business and constructing a shopping center where I can sell grain and other items, and ensuring a stable life for my children and their education," she says.

A spirited entrepreneur, Zewuyda, 34, has long been aware that hard work has its rewards. When she was 16, her father insisted she leave school to get married. With no dowry, she was determined to support her growing family. She reinvested money earned from selling handmade weavings to buy grain, which she later sold in the market, eventually saving enough to construct a four-room wood and mud house with a corrugated-iron roof. Their old thatch roofed hut now shelters their nine cows.

Given her motivation and success, it's not surprising that Zewuyda leads the 15-member village savings and loan group. Introduced by Plan and a partner organization, it finances small trade and the opportunity to increase assets by buying sheep and chickens. Trained in management and record keeping, the women are upgrading their skills and investing in small businesses.

Despite Zewuyda's business, life remains challenging for her family. The children must fetch water from a small spring one and a half hours away, and the nearest health clinic is a one-hour walk. Two of her children spend hours walking to school, but her youngest doesn't attend at all as there is no preschool in their village. A shortage of land is causing many families to look for alternatives to farming, and Zewuyda and Muhadine are no exception.

Despite the adversity, she remains hopeful that her children will be able to pursue higher education. "I want all of my children to become health professionals," says Zewuyda and her family

155 Plan Way Warwick, RI 02886 800-556-7918

Solar Empowerment In this small Ethiopian village, sunshine illuminates the lives of Mashire and Abanega's family and other members of their community. With support from Plan, the local school was equipped with solar panels so that it can be lit for evening classes. This allows children who help with family tasks during the day to go to school afterwards. Though Mashire, 30, finished grade three before marriage, and her husband never went to school, they've made education a priority for their seven children. All their school-age children attend classes. Their eldest son, Nasibo, 15, benefits from solar-powered classrooms when he attends school in the evenings after helping his father on the farm each day.

Like other members of the community, their livelihood depends on crops including maize, banana, avocado and gat (a plant stimulant that is chewed). When money for school supplies is scarce, Nasibo and Rashida, 12, help earn extra income selling bananas, oranges and other food items. "My children earn income from this small business to cover their stationery and clothing costs," says Mashire. "They have to sell on a market day and sometimes they miss classes." The irony of missing school to fund educational necessities is not lost on Mashire, who looks forward to her family earning enough money without the children having to attend market days. She's optimistic that with assistance to purchase more fruit

Mashire and her children

For more information, please contact: Karen Scriven, Director of Philanthropy Karen.scriven@planusa.org