Agena Women’s Groups Yisreshe Carpet Making Women’s Group
World Vision Project
Group 2

Alem, meaning “world” in Amharic, wanted to work to help support her family, but living in Ethiopia doesn’t make it easy for women to be breadwinners. Before she started working with World Vision her husband was the sole supporter of their family, making just enough to survive. Then World Vision came to their village to help start a small business, particularly with women coming from impoverished families, so they might become financial supporters of their families. They also aimed to empower the lives of the local women. Through World Vision’s community workers Alem’s family was selected to be part of the project.  Now that the project has been running for two years, Alem is able to support her three children without dependence on her husband. 

Her life was like most women from Ethiopia. She grew up in a close knit family and attending grade school until she got married. From the beginning of her marriage till recently she has been solely dependent on her husband, which is also typical for most women from her country. But World Vision had a mission: to give women self-worth and financial sustainability, which in turn will transform these ladies into the people Christ made them to be. Being involved in the project has not only provided her handicraft skills, but a business and a way of life. The sales of the bags made from the ‘fake banana plant’ encourage women to continually produce more products and expand their markets. They hope that one day, through the help of World Vision and Heavenly Treasures, they can afford sewing machines to expand their business endeavors in other items. With a group of twenty women there is plenty of skill in order to enhance their business.

One of most dynamic aspects about the Women’s Carpet Making Group is its progressive approach to the traditions of the local people and culture. In Ethiopia, women are rarely encouraged to work or to be in leadership positions. Also, it is unusual to see a group of women working together and running their own business. Normally these roles are reserved for fathers and sons in the household. But working with World Vision has given Alem the chance to gain administrative skills, build her character, and empower her to be a capable woman. She mentions that, “having access to these opportunities makes me very happy.” These women are an inspiration to the other women in the community, showing that working and making money is possible. In the long run they hope to impact the community by adding more women into the group in order to grow and become active members of their society. 

Alem Group 1

Representing the women in the group as the chair lady, Alem has come from a hard past like many of the other women. She grew up in the area and attended the local school but had to drop out in eighth grade due to economic reasons.  On top of that, she was discouraged to go to school because of the hardship it brought on the family. Therefore, working was her only option, so she started working for a coffee trading company, preparing a local drink for customers. She later married at the age of twenty. She married a farmer and was fortunate in being able to continue her work brewing and selling coffee. But now that she is working with the women’s carpet making group she is the sole supporter of her family and gets paid extensively better than her pervious job. Joining the group was the best thing that happened to her. She gained skills in basket and bag making and “being here gives [her] relief.” She hopes to be an inspiration to the rest of her community by encouraging other women to join the group and receive the training.