Our Work
Programs
We advance our mission of partnering with rural communities to create hope and opportunity and seek to create access to education, healthy homes, and economic resilience. We do this through primary school construction, university transition awards, solar lighting, farming associations, low-interest micro loans, and durable iron roofing.
Learn more about our programs
We build primary schools that create an educational pathway for rural children. Our focus on primary schools (grades 1 – 8) in the Dangla area means rural students who previously did not have access to school through 8th grade can now continue on to high school and even beyond.
Project Ethiopia works to bring education and opportunity to rural children throughout the Dangla region. But there are many ways to contribute towards that goal. Our challenge early on was to identify where we could make the greatest impact given our size and organizational values.
The answer soon became clear: build primary schools with the help of the community in areas where there are no such facilities.
With proper buildings, the Ethiopian government will provide certified teachers and curricula materials for these communities. High school opportunities exist in Dangla, but those are unattainable to rural students who cannot complete school through 8th grade due to lack of access to primary schools.
As work got underway on our first school, word soon spread that if the village provides the labor and material (Eucalyptus trees and mud/straw plaster), Project Ethiopia will provide:
metal roofing
cement flooring
doors and windows
desks
paint
blackboards
And with that, a model for creating access to education for rural children took root! Partnership with the community is critical because the resulting pride of ownership guarantees careful usage and upkeep of the buildings by the villagers.
At a Glance
24 new school buildings
26 improved school buildings
146 classrooms
14,000+ students served each year
STORIES FROM THE FIELD:
Our First School – West Beryata Primary School
Our first school construction project presented special challenges. The original school, built on marshland, was damaged beyond repair due to the yearly swelling and shrinking of the land. To our great fortune, a German firm was building a water system nearby and shared their expertise which allowed the project to go forward. Parents followed their suggestions by digging very deep and filling the space with rocks and gravel so water can pass through below. Project Ethiopia could then safely begin construction above this “island” foundation. The result: 3 beautiful school buildings serving grades 1 – 8 where previously a dangerous, damaged school only served students in grades 1 – 4.
We provide low-interest microloans to individuals that cannot access other sources of credit. Providing support for those who have been unable to participate in the financial system helps lift entrepreneurs, especially women and their families, out of poverty.
In 2013, Project Ethiopia added microloan lending to our work supporting economic opportunities in the Dangla region. Project Ethiopia ’s investment of $5,000 was placed in fund for microloans for the very poor. To make it possible for rural farmers to get credit, Project Ethiopia founded a credit and savings association. Members can borrow up to six times the total they have in savings.
Project Ethiopia loans have a very low interest rate – 5% (of which 3% is returned to Project Ethiopia ’s account for growth of the loan fund) compared with up to 22% from larger savings associations and banks. To be eligible for a microloan, applicants must be a member of the savings and credit association and bring at least two witnesses to guarantee the loan. The loan period is for two years at which time the loan must be repaid in full.
And the system works! Since the fund was established in 2013, the loan repayment rate is 100% allowing our initial investment of $5,000 to increase by 11% over the years.
These small, but significant investments have been used for a variety of efforts such as:
Purchasing coffee beans to roast and sell
Producing local honey beer
Fattening lambs to sell at festival time
Opening a rural store
Buying a cow to produce milk
At a Glance
4 revolving funds
174 loans made to individuals
101 women
73 men
100% repayment rate
“We see this project as our eyes, an important and vital part of the body. With eyes, we also have light.”
—Girarghe village resident
We bring farmers together to learn new ideas, address challenges, and share their collective knowledge. With new skills and knowledge, farmers lower their costs and increase crop yield, lifting families out of poverty and malnutrition.
“You will be like one tall tree – all the animals and nature will bump it and weaken it until even a cow can pull it down. Instead, it is better to be a tall tree with many trees around it and just grow taller as they grow- like the peaks of a pyramid.”
Led by Workineh Genetu, Project Leader and Ethiopia ’s Farmer of the Year from 2007 – 2010, Farmers ’ Associations provide a forum for farmers to learn and share ideas – building a network of support across villages. Each association is comprised of 50 farmers (both men and women) who form as a legal association. This allows the association members to experience advantages such as buying seeds and organic fertilizers which they often can’t do on their own.
When an association is first organized, Project Ethiopia provides each farmer with five high quality sickles and supports each member to set up a savings account. Farmers also have the opportunity to select from a “menu ” of items such as beehives or gardening equipment. Together, these tools and supplies support higher yields, more efficient harvesting, and, ultimately, improvements in family income and food security.
Once off the ground, Farmers ’ Associations meet once a month to share experiences and learn about improved farming practices from other farmers and agricultural instructors. For example, association meetings have been used:
to disseminate information on the harmful effects of many pesticides and herbicides frequently used on Ethiopian farms.
to discuss how these chemicals damage the local bee population which will have a devastating impact on future crop production.
When there is urgent need to disseminate information such as drought or prolonged rain or government “promotion ” of harmful pesticides, the Farmers’ Association members relay information to the approximately 300 farmers in their Association area. Churches have been willing to allow Farmers ’ Association members to announce important information during church services so as to keep all farmers informed of best practices.
At a Glance
15 active Farmers ’ Associations
750 members
600 men
150 women
STORIES FROM THE FIELD:
Diluted Urine – An Organic, Free Source of Nitrogen
An innovative practice tested by Project Ethiopia and shared through the Farmers ’ Associations is the use of diluted urine (collected from our composting latrines) as a substitute for chemical urea fertilizer. In addition to being expensive, chemical urea also has other negative side effects such as destroying soil organisms and decreasing plant nutritional values.
In 2008, 25 farmers volunteered to grow an area of corn in which each stock was fertilized once a week with 40 ml of diluted urine (3 parts water to 1 part urine). The rest of their corn field was fertilized using chemical urea fertilizer. The farmers were paid $20 each (the value of harvest of the urine-fertilized plot) as a risk payment since the result was unknown and in case all of their urine-fertilized corn failed.
The results were astounding! For all 25 farmers, the increase in weight for the urine-fertilized corn was statistically significant. Farmers had a greater corn yield when fertilized with the diluted urine vs. expensive chemical urea fertilizer. Replacing the fertilizer with free and readily available diluted urine provides a savings of $125 per year; a significant boost for farmers who make less than $2 per day.
We address the dangers and health hazards of kerosene lamps and provide valuable hours of additional light so families are healthier, students can succeed, social bonds are strengthened, and farmers can get valuable market information.
In nearly all the villages served by Project Ethiopia there is no access to an electrical grid. Families must rely on dangerous and costly kerosene lamps that generate toxic fumes and pose significant health risks such as lung and eye diseases.
Solar-powered lanterns, on the other hand, provide twice as much light as kerosene lamps and have an immediate impact on family health and community well-being. Once in place the lantern costs very little to operate, making it an efficient and renewable source of energy.
Our lanterns also have the capacity to serve as a charging device for cell phones. In the rural areas in Dangla as in many other areas of the developing world, communications technology has bypassed fixed land lines in favor of cell phones. This added feature creates improvements and opportunities in the areas of health, agriculture, and education. Farmers can plan their future marketing by phone cutting out the middle-men who encourage selling crops at harvest time when prices are low.
At a Glance
1,933 solar lanterns distributed
10,000+ family members benefitting from clean lighting and cell phone chargers
“Before we couldn’t study after dark, but now I am happy. I can study more in the evening with the solar light. I am the same as the town boys who have electricity.”
—Solomon, high school student
Solar lanterns = extra hours of light
to complete school work and student success
Solar lanterns = more time for families
to linger and socialize in the evening
We facilitate housing improvements that result in healthier living environments for rural families and positive health outcomes. Metal roofing results in dry homes, fewer illnesses, and healthier families.
To have a dry home is one of the most significant improvements that can be made for a village family. Traditional homes in the countryside have grass roofing that often leaks during the rainy season. As well, the grass used for a roof is not sustainable because grasslands have been reduced by population growth and farm expansion.
When Project Ethiopia begins work with a new village, community elders and Project Ethiopia leaders determine who is most in need (i.e. widows, the sick, elderly, and orphans). These homes receive corrugated metal roofing sections once they have built and plastered the walls of their new home with the help of family and friends.
At a Glance
1,085 newly roofed homes
4,500+ family members now living in dry homes
An investment in the education and future of these young adults is also investment in the health and well-being of their families and communities.
Imagine a child that overcomes numerous challenges to attend primary school and ultimately high school, passing a number of entrance exams along the way, only to be denied the opportunity of a university education because her family cannot afford the items needed to make the journey from village to city.
Project Ethiopia helps the highest scoring students through our University Transition Awards program. Each year we provide a support package valued at $200 to 50 aspiring young adults who have successfully passed the university entrance exam; the top 20 highest scoring girls, the top 20 highest scoring boys, and 10 students who have passed the exam and have special needs.
At a community ceremony held each year in Dangla town, Project Ethiopia distributes a carefully selected package of items that will help support cultural adjustment from rural village to large city:
sturdy suitcase and book bag
bedding, pajamas, and a blanket
toiletries
round-trip bus ticket
basic cell phone and minutes card
shoes and an additional set of clothing
