A livelihood for Resilience Activity project closing workshop has been conducted!

ORDA Ethiopia’s livelihoods for Resilience project (L4R) was implemented in Amahara Region 7 woredas (Woldia cluster: Raya Kobo, Habru & Guba Lafto); 2 woredas of Meket   cluster (Meket and Wadla woreads ); and 2 woredas of Mehalmeda cluster (Menze Mama Midir & Menze Gera Midir) to benefit 36,000 rural households (HHs) and to graduate with resilience from the productive safety net program. It was funded $9.92 from USAID through CARE Ethiopia and was implemented from December 2016 to June 2023. The closing workshop of the project was held on 26 June 2023 in Dese city.

At the closing workshop of the project, ORDA Ethiopia's Senior Advisor, Ato Degene Menliku, said that although the project's works were badly damaged by the war, farmers can use the knowledge they have gained through training to restore it. Deputy Head of the Amhara Regional Finance Bureau Demeke Boru (Ph.D.), for his part, said that all the woredas where the project was implemented should be committed to sustainably implement the effective works, intermes of quality and quantity, done by ORDA Ethiopia’s Livelihoods for Resilience project. Mrs. Sara Hurlburt, Deputy Director General of Care Ethiopia who spoke at the closing program, said that ORDA Ethiopia has been a long-term partner of Care Ethiopia and has been implementing projects effectively. She said that they should be proud of by the Livelihoods for Resilience project works that has improved the lives of the beneficiaries.

For the past 6 years, through the project, 36,186 (11,119 female) households are organized in village economic and social associations (VESAs) and mobilized USD 1.22 million. Also, 27,544 (10,530 female) HHs are engaged in selected value chain commodities and 33,452 (15,153 female) HHs are engaged in at least one off-farm livelihoods for diversifying their income sources.

The project's performance report for the last 6 years was presented to the participants by Ato Dagne Tadese, coordinator of L4R project at ORDA Ethiopia. According to the report, with support of the project, 649 (205 female) youths were self-employed and 373 (145 female) youths has got wage. In addition the project created an enabling environment for 20,482 HHs (44% female) to accesses nearly USD 8.4 million loans from micro finance institutions (MFIs) and RuSaCCOs (rural saving cooperatives).furthermore to create market linkage for input and output suppliers of the project clients, 23 Agro-dealers are operating and supplying inputs to project clients; 8 pullet growers started supplying pullets and 3 feed franchisees are delivering products to project clients.

At the closing workshop of the project, the concerned beneficiaries and government bodies from the financial office, the woredas where the project was implemented and the higher officials and experts of ORDA Ethiopia participated.