Success Stories

WORTH Success Stories from TEACH Ethiopia

September 13, 2006

The following stories are from a group in Gualubaye village. This area is supported by Pact partner ANFEAE (Adult Non-formal Education Association in Ethiopia).

Debrito Bushu

Debrito Bushu (center) tells the following story about her family and her involvement in WORTH. Gadise Eshetu (daughter in green), and Kuri Mitku (daughter-in-law with child).

"I have 10 children - 6 girls and 4 boys. I sent 5 of my daughters to school. My daughter Gadise is the only child who didn't get to attend school. After the WORTH orientation I learned the importance of literacy, which is why not only me, but these two daughters have joined the WORTH program. My husband supports the importance of education and encourages me to attend. I pay my weekly mandatory savings by the profits I make on my plot of land, and my daughters and sons send me money from the city. Gadise and Kuri buy and sell different cereal crops and produce butter and cheese to sell in nearby towns. In the future I plan to change my house from a hut of grass to a house with corrugated iron. I also want to ensure clean water for my family and have plans to begin breeding camels to increase my income. I am excited to be sharing the program with my daughters and we are proud of our successes. Our family is proud of us too."

Mame Tenkolu

Mame is a beautiful young woman, with a face of determination. She is a 30 year-old mother of 6. She tells her story while holding a pen in her hand and close to her heart: "I am an only child. All my life I've had the ambition to learn to read and write. I've watched others and tried to learn, but I was not allowed to attend school growing up because I was the only daughter and my family needed my help at home and in the fields. When I was alone I would pretend that I could write. I would hold a blade of grass between my fingers, and act as though I was writing with a pen on my hand. Now I am married and have 6 young children. When I first heard of the WORTH program, I was delighted! I immediately joined a group in my village and started to read and write. Now I can write my name and identify letters and read. I can be part of a program where women respect one another, where women help each other, and where we can share activities and dream together. I remember the day I showed my own children that I could write my name. I have one child attending school right now. He is the eldest and a boy. The school is far away and when my other children are old enough to be away from home, I will send them too. I also enjoy having my own businesses and saving money. My family has a farm and we grow cereal crops that I sell wholesale. I also raise hens and cows, and make local handicrafts. I am very happy."

Tesfaye Tesema

This man donated his one-room house for the women's groups to meet three times a week for their literacy classes. He encouraged his wife to join the program because he saw value in women learning how to read and write. He spoke about his support for women becoming educated because he believes that educated women will lead to better development in his village. He has the ambition to see the growth of women and their rights supported in Ethiopia. He himself only has a 7th grade education, but he realizes the benefits of education and literacy, and wants to build a local school and mobilize more women in his community.

Mbale Region, Uganda

September 2006

Florence Masaaba

A very passionate and vocal woman, Florence is Secretary of her women's group and eager to share their success story. She begins by saying, "We were lost."

The Buweesa Sikhana WORTH group originally formed as a burial group in 1982. Women would meet and mourn the loss of people in their families and community. In January 2006, they heard of the WORTH program. Florence explains that then, people began to rejoice: "WORTH is wonderful! WORTH is good!!"

During orientation, Florence and her friends saw how the program worked, and when the local Assistant Coordinator Medi asked if they wanted to join, they immediately says "Yes, we will!"

They learned about savings and literacy training and are now each saving 200 shillings per week.

"We have savings now, savings! And on some days we also have money for voluntary savings. We started with just a little, since we are poor. But we've slowly increased our capital." Florence's story is confirmed by the amount of money listed in the group cash book. In the five months that they've been meeting, their group has saved a total of 370,035 shillings (over $200).

With their savings as a strong foundation, the Buweesa Sikhana group has started loaning to their members, and many women are starting and improving their businesses. Some of them sell greens and raise animals, while others grow coffee and sell coffee wholesale. Florence explains, "I am a tailor. My sewing machine hadn't been used in many years because I didn't have the money for oil and thread. But now I have access to the loan fund, and I am able to do my business once again. (She points to her beautiful dress), I [and my clothes] are proof that this program is good for us." She ends the interview chanting "WORTHY juu!" - Lugisu for "Up with women!"

Alexanderena Nanzala

A strong and very proud woman, Alexanderena was eager to share her positive experiences and successes with the WORTH program. With 60 years of life experience, she has a lot to reflect upon. Her eyes light up when she talks, and it is obvious that this program has made a huge difference in her life.

At the beginning of the interview she proudly writes her long name on a piece of paper without hesitation - quite a feat for a woman with little education and only four months of literacy training. When asked about her favorite things in WORTH, Alexanderena says that she appreciates having regular meetings. Her son died from HIV/AIDS, and his wife fled town, leaving Alexanderena with custody of all eight of their children. As a grandmother caring for orphans, she appreciates the support she gets from other women during literacy and banking days. Meetings are something she looks forward to and remind her that she isn't alone with her significant family and financial responsibilities. She runs a basic canteen in her village to offset her household expenses and she frequently gets business advice from other women in her group.

Her time with other WORTH women also reminds her of her own strength, and her capability to change her life. After joining WORTH, Alexanderena immediately realized the power of the program. She was encouraged enough to contact her absentee daughter-in-law and convinced her to return to their village and join WORTH too. The children's mother and Alexanderena work together on their literacy skills and encourage one another to keep saving. They have found a way between each other to provide for the children's basic needs, school fees, and school supplies. The school-aged children are now all able to go back to school and the women feel confident that when the time comes, they will be able to help all eight attend both primary and secondary school.

Alexanderena's husband recognizes her position as a strong woman, and in particular her accomplishments with her grandchildren, and her ability to save mandatory savings (500 shillings) every week and voluntary savings (1,000 shillings) very frequently. In the future she wants to improve her canteen and add more products to it.

Aida Dwolayo

"My life has really improved since WORTH. Before I didn't have any opportunities to meet in a group with my neighbors. Now we find ways to get together. We eat our meals early, and organize [our lives better], so we make sure we make it to meetings on time.

In our group we help each other. We even visit each other outside the group meetings. Having our group makes us feel better about ourselves. We see the power in many women and we feel glad to have our own bank.

It is very difficult to get to town to do banking. We saved small amounts of money at first, and I thought it would never grow. But over time, I see that it can grow large.

Now I've taken a loan to improve my business. I still bring my mandatory savings every week and manage my finances so that I can make my small loan payments.

I sell second-hand clothes, large bananas, and passion fruit. I hope to someday buy a cow and get milk. If my cow has calves, I plan to sell them and buy a small plot for me and my family.

I care for four orphan [HIV/AIDS orphans] grandchildren - my son died and left me three, and my daughter died, and left me one. Being in the group helps me feel better about my life and the lives of those I care for.

It is my favorite thing to attend meetings. I love to come together as a group. To laugh. To be excited. To sing, and forget all my troubles."

Embu, Kenya

August 2006

Gertrude Rwamba

With an incredibly warm and loving face, reminiscent of a grandmother with warm cookies, Gertrude exudes strength and happiness from the smile on her face to her very stature.

Gertrude is a 58-year-old retired widow from Embu, Kenya. She is the mother of five, and as is the case with many Kenyan families, only one of her elder sons has been able to find employment.

Before she joined the WORTH program Gertrude had no income or savings. She even found it difficult to save money when she was fully employed - life in rural Kenya is very difficult.

Now Gertrude has changed all of that. Each week she contributes 10 KSH ($.13 cents) to her WORTH group's savings, and often finds extra money averaging 50 KSH ($.70 cents) to deposit in her voluntary savings.

After learning how to save money with WORTH, Gertrude bought 10 hens in order to sell their eggs for profit. With her own business, she's now making 100 KSH ($1.50) each week. She sells the eggs from her home to local villagers for 5 shillings each. The income from her egg sales helps her pay for her daughter Martha's (age 8) school transport fees and household expenses, and provides extra money she can invest in her voluntary savings. The total of her voluntary savings has reached 2000 KSH ($28.00)! In the future she hopes to buy a goat (1500 KSH) so she can sell milk and breed the baby goats for market.

Her family is very supportive of the WORTH program, hoping to join their own savings group when they're older. Her children no longer miss important things like sugar and salt, and washing soap. "Every small bit makes a difference. So we are happy!"

Before raising hens, she used to rely on a very small cash flow from selling maize and beans, which cut into the amount of food she grew for her family's consumption. She became very scared when there was a drought, and was unsure how she would feed her children. WORTH has given her the confidence to start her small business and realistically plan for its expansion. Gertrude's savings group has also invested in three fruit driers, which they keep in her yard. The group dries fruits and vegetables, such as mangos, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, and greens, for sale in the community. The profits are shared among the group and much is reinvested into the group's savings. Now Gertrude feels more positive about the future and how she can better manage the uncertainty.

When Gertrude talks about how WORTH has changed her life, her face lights up. She is joyful. "Now all the mama's can sign their names. We are happy. Those who could read and write before were selfish and did not teach others, but with WORTH, we remember to do something, to think, and to share our knowledge with others."

Estella Wangari

Estella is a 36 year old woman from Embu, Kenya. She is as full of energy as her smile is wide. She is married with three children, aged 15, 12, and 9 years. They all attend school - a great feat for any woman!

Being part of the WORTH has changed Estella's life and provided her family many benefits. She says that before the program she was "just a housewife", but through group meetings and literacy classes, Estella has found the self-confidence to save more money and become a businesswoman too.

She recognized her family's large consumption of milk and decided to turn those costs into an opportunity, using some of her voluntary savings to buy a goat. Now there is plenty of milk for her children to drink and the extra she is able to sell to other people in the community. Since she no longer needs to buy milk, she can use that money to buy salt and sugar, as well as plan for expanding her business. Besides her goats milk business, Estella is also raising 12 hens and growing kale. Through all of these activities she can provide better support to her family and add even more money to her voluntary savings.

Estella's weekly income is 170 KSH ($2.40) and she saves 20 KSH ($.28 cents) per week in mandatory savings, and 50 KSH ($.70 cents) per week in her voluntary savings. So far she has saved 2500 KSH ($35.70) in her voluntary account!

Her husband was initially opposed to her joining the WORTH program, but now he thinks that all women should be like his wife - energetic about making money and contributing to the family finances. He used to complain when she asked him to give her money for things she needed around the house, but now she is able to manage the household fund and save money, while her husband remains responsible for paying school fees. Her husband is especially happy when she has a cup of tea, slices of chicken, and several eggs ready for his afternoon tea. Her daughters love to play with the goat, and now her mother - also a WORTH women - is finally able to read. There is renewed joy in the house.

Estella talks about how wonderful WORTH has been for her community. Where she comes from, people don't know about the importance of reading and writing. As more women become part of WORTH groups, the community has begun to recognize the importance of literacy. With a shy smile on her face, Estella says what she would do If she could change one thing about WORTH: "I would educate more women and teachers so that the program could reach even more women."

Bessie Kagema

Bessie is a 64-year-old widow with three grown up sons, living in Embu, Kenya. Two of her sons are jobless and rely on Bessie for financial support.

Before she retired she was a schoolteacher. After her husband died she moved back to the area where she grew up to begin rebuilding her life. Lucky for her the WORTH program was just being organized in her village, and she eagerly joined a savings group.

With prior knowledge of soap making, Bessie decided to start her own avocado and neem soap making business. Using chemicals that she buys wholesale and avocado and neem that she either grows or collects from her mother's garden, she is able to make a profit of 100 KSH ($1.40) most weeks, and 300 KSH ($4.20) during the best weeks. She mostly sells the soap out of her home and in local shops, but once in awhile a middleman comes to purchase some of her merchandise for greater consumption.

The money she earns from her soap making business helps Bessie add to her group savings, while also managing household costs and supporting her two sons. Her mandatory savings is 20 KSH ($.28 cents) a week and she adds an additional 50 KSH ($.70 cents) to her voluntary savings when she can. She's managed to save a total of 500 KSH ($7.14) in her voluntary savings, with the additional income she's earned from her soap making business. She also supplements her income by raising 15 chickens, and growing and selling maize and beans. She hopes to take a loan from her group in the future, but wants to make sure she has made a good plan for how she will use that money. She's thinking about buying a cow.

Bessie also teaches other women in her group to make soap, inspiring a group-wide business. The group makes the soap together and then each member sells the soap individually. The profits from their soap making business are used to buy goods - such as soap, clothes, and food - for the needy in their community. Bessie explains that people who are blind and disabled, and orphan children, all benefit from this group project.

When talking about her experience, Bessie stresses the importance of women starting businesses. If it weren't for WORTH, she said, she would not have gone into business for herself. Now she is proud of what she's accomplished for herself and her community. WORTH has reminded her to continue dreaming of a better future, and for that, she is grateful.