Support Self-Help Groups for Women in Ethiopia

Despite the difficulties presented by COVID-19, our Self-Help Groups in Ethiopia have provided vulnerable women the skills and knowledge to achieve economic stability. These women have continued saving, taking, and repaying loans to start up new local businesses and sustain themselves and their families.

In addition to economic empowerment, our Self-Help Groups have also trained and educated vulnerable women in financial literacy, trafficking, human rights, safeguarding and child protection.

The generous support from our donors makes it possible to continue the fight against modern slavery and trafficking, enabling success stories like that of Senia*, one of the thousands of women empowered through our Self-Help Groups.

Senia and her labourer husband live in Ethiopia with their four children. It was difficult to make ends meet on their income, and saving for the future was impossible.

Then one day, Senia met a Hope for Justice Community Development Worker performing their proactive outreach work. The team member told Senia about our Self-Help Groups, and how they empower members to transform their futures by offering the skills and means necessary to start their own businesses. The groups save collectively, and members take turns to receive loans, enabling them to become more self-sufficient, and reduce the future risk of trafficking for the whole family.

When she first joined the group, Senia had no money to contribute. In order to support her, the group began saving coffee beans daily, which Senia sold at the end of each week. After six months, Senia had saved money, and the group provided her first loan, with which she began to sell fruit.

In time she was able to pay back the loan, and took a second one to expand her business. With good progress and growth achieved, she paid the second loan back. The third, fourth and fifth loans allowed Senia to begin selling vegetables as well as fruit, buy a cart for her husband, and finally to rent a shop in the town.

Now a successful and well-known business owner, Senia said: “With the help of Hope for Justice, I have escaped from a hopeless life to a better and hopeful new chapter in my family’s life”.