One woman working to lift nine others out of poverty with her
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| Photo: Josh Estey/CARE |
By Kevin Hawkins, Development Education intern
Help raise awareness for women like Sherbato who go without the basics everyday – visit Go Bare to give women the basics.
Looking after a large family can be tough.
Looking after a large family alone is even tougher, especially if you are a single woman, living in poverty in a rural Ethiopian village.
In Ethiopia, families have almost six children on average , and caring for a large family can put a lot of stress on many parents. This is particularly true in the Sidama Zone, where food insecurity is high and weather unreliable.
Sherbato Adamo’s family has even greater challenges, as she has been taking care of her children alone after her husband died twelve years ago.
Sherbato Adamo’s husband died 12 years ago, leaving her with nine children to raise on her own. Through participating in CARE’s WE-RISE program in Ethiopia, she and her family will benefit from training and tools to improve food security. Photo: Josh Estey/CARE
Sherbato’s difficult situation is exacerbated by her gender as women and girls in her region have less access to land, food and resources than men. Although Sherbato is aware of these cultural challenges, she is making the most of her situation and is optimistic about what the future holds for her family.
As a member of two Village Savings and Loans groups, Sherbato has been educated about financial management.
‘I understand well about the benefits of saving. If you save more, you can get more credit,’ she explains.
Sherbato earns an income from her business selling bananas, which her children help run when they are not in school.
But these efforts have not been enough to help Sherbato lift her family out of poverty, which is why they have joined a new CARE project in her village. Through participation in CARE’s Women’s Empowerment: Improving Resilience, Income and Food Security Program (WE-RISE), Sherbato and her family will benefit from training and tools to improve food security, from participation in local village savings and loans groups, and from an increase in their family income.
Sherbato Adamo and two of her children in front of their home in Ethiopia. With the help of CARE’s WE-RISE program, she is able to put all her children through school and give them a better life. Photo: Josh Estey/CARE
This project will take measures to improve the lives of food-insecure women, and also works with local groups to improve the ability of women to access their rights, raise their voice, and participate more in economic and social spheres – the very places where women are so often held back.
Putting all of her children through school is just one of the ways Sherbato intends to help her children live a better life, with the belief that the care she provides for her children will reap benefits in the long run.
‘I need to educate all of my children, especially my older one, who will graduate, get a job, and support the family back,’ Sherbato says.
Find out how you can help and Go Bare on Sep 14th to raise awareness for women like Sherbato who go without the basics every day.
Read about the WE-RISE progam in Ethiopia and find out more about CARE’s work in Ethiopia.
This five-year program is part of the Australia Africa Community Engagement Scheme, supported by AusAID.
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