Rescue people from serious water shortage!

In Ethiopia, Amhara region is one of the largest source of fresh water. Despite the region's rich geological and groundwater potentials, there is no doubt that there is a serious problem with safe drinking water.

The Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA) has been working hard to curving the problem particularly in worsened rural areas.

ORDA is still constructing several water schemes in the region.

Currently , ORDA, funded from #charity water is working in 3 woredas of North Shoa Zone (Siya Debirena Wayu 31 shallow wells and 5 springs, Angolela and Tera 17, and Bassona Worana 25), a total of 78 water schemes.

ORDA’s #John’s Rig WaSH Project is also working to provide clean water to our rural communities in five woredas in East Gojam Zone.

Hygiene & sanitation activities are also undertaken to reduce diseases.

Special thanks to #Welt Hunger Hilfe #Viva Con Agua, #charity: water, and #Glimmer of Hope

    "I changed my vision into Reality!" Gizew Eshete

Gizew Eshetie, aged 25 & a father of a child, lives in Wonberoch Kebele, Ebenat woreda. He completed grade 9. Due to a car accident near his village, he become physically impaired (his leg) at the age of nine in 2004 . Now, he is using an artificial leg instead of his natural left leg.

"I was very poor and living with disability. I often used to drink alcohol and clash with local people, and my families were troubled due to my bad habits. I insulted and disrespected the villagers", he said. To make him self-reliant in livelihood, his family provided him 0.5 hectare of land, and he married W/ro Bamilakua Mihretie in 2015. Their livelihood base was agriculture. But, they couldn't secure the family's consumption.

Gizew is among beneficiaries of ORDA's Inclusive Food and Nutrition Security (IFNS) project. Inclusive Food & Nutrition security (IFNS) Project (2018-2022) works in areas of Ebenat (South Gondar Zone), West Belessa and East Belessa (Central Gondar Zone) woredas. The project has a total budget of 89 million birr (2,726,743.00 EURO) secured from German Government (BMZ) facilitated by CBM. It has an objective to benefit 9,000 impoverished households by supporting them to secure their food via mitigating climate change vulnerability in those intervention areas.

Gizew had two sheep, 0.5 hectare land and small grass hat before he joined the project. He remembered that life was full of difficulties. Though Group loan was commonly provided in the area through Micro-finance institution, members lack confidence to include him in their group because of his disabilities. As a result, he never got access to loan services to engage on diversified income generating activities. But when IFNS project included people with disabilities in the mid of 2018, he became one of the targeted beneficiaries.

At the beginning, the project established a Village economic and saving association and beneficiaries started to save money. Gizew joined the VESA & took loans for four rounds from his saving association and engaged on sheep rearing and trading. Currently, he created an asset of 11 sheep for rearing and two for resale. Every two weeks, he got Birr 250-300 through sheep trading in local market. "I have more than Birr 4,000 in my account", he said.

In addition, he received agricultural input like wheat, teff and potato seeds and egg laying chicken from the project. He said that the support motivated him to work day and night.

I produced 5 quintals of wheat, 1.5 quintal of teff and 8 quintal of potatoes which are estimated about Birr 19,250.00. Besides, his wife also earned more than Birr 2,900.00 from sell of eggs in local market from poultry farm.

Gizew had a plan to open a small consumer goods shop and to change his small grass hat with corrugated iron sheet roof by end of 2020. "Since I have money, I rented a farm land for crop cultivation. Thanks to ORDA -CBM IFNS project because they supported me to change my vision into reality",he exclaimed.

          Social and economic changes of Birara Zewdu

            
The Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA) promotes crop production, livestock development, alternative income generating, maternal and child nutrition, market linkages and building resiliency and climate change adaptation activities.

In relation to this, IFNS project, through the support of CBM-Germany, aims to address fundamental causes of food insecurity and consequently improve the livelihood of 9 thousand vulnerable households including persons with disabilities.

A 38-years old man, Birara Zewdu, living in Ebenat woreda of Woneberoch Kebele at Akayna village is among beneficiaries of the project. He is physically impaired on his leg. The cause for his impairment is not known. He is the 7th child for his mother. However; six of his brothers and sisters died below the age of 5. Because of this reason, his mother frustrated and took him when he got sick at the age of three. In a nearby health center, fourteen injections were provided on one side of his leg. “My impairment wasn’t significantly observed until the age of 10 years,” he said. But, later, the incident grew up and became a person with disability.

He completed his 10th grade with low result in 2007 E.C due to a long distance travel, unfair social relation and work burden. Sooner than expected, he moved to Adama to seek for a job. Then, a private investor employed for vegetable production with 500 Eth Birr monthly. Sorrowfully, he exclaimed, “Persons with disability are more likely to be unemployed and face discrimination in the workplace.” Consequently, he returned back to his family and married W/ro Yezina Yirga in 2013. He constructed a small hut along the main road to Ebenat town after receiving 0.75 hectare land from his dad.

A small plot of land and low productivity made his life miserable. He said, “If you are poor and a person with disability, the depth of poverty becomes worse. Though, I was aspired to use agricultural inputs for irrigation, I couldn’t go any further.”

Then, the project lined up irrigation cannel structures and supported farmers (including Birara) with training and delivered improved crop varieties like wheat, teff and vegetables potato, onion and tomato. Project officers also closely follow-up and put into agronomic practices. As a result, he earned 66 thousand Eth Birr from irrigation in a single season in 2018/2019 and this was his turning point in his life.

After a period, “I had been requested from my colleague to join goat trading at large scale to Humera town, boarder of Sudan. For the first time, I bought 20 goats at Hamusit market (East Belessa district) and took to Humera together with my colleague and sold with a very attractive price,” he said.

Due to a good profit margin, Ato Birara submitted an application letter to Ebenat woreda office of trade and got a licensed business name entitled “Livestock wholesale trade at Akayna village with tax identification number 1099499700013.”

Birara together with his colleagues trade goats in truck to their market destination at least three times a year (Ethiopian New year, Christmas and Easter holidays.) During his travel, W/ro Yezina takes the overall responsibility of the farm and their family. With glad face, he repeatedly mentioned that the business is profitable.

In 2019, he separated family’s living house from livestock. He also bought television and constructed store (new building) for rent. He has bought additional ox for traction power. His total direct investment in 2019 is more than 86 thousand Birr. And has also more than ten thousand birr in his saving account.

Birara gratefully appreciates ORDA/CBM Inclusive Project. “Now, I am selected by the irrigation user community to lead the user association as a chairperson and I am a respected gentleman in the community. And the community has full confidence on me in manage the irrigation scheme as well as the association,” he said.

                                         Youths are creating their own job

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