This group of a village’s lead farmers don’t have to be coaxed to come forward!
The upper Wa Valley, where GROW works, has over 1,000 lead farmers. Some were chosen for their farming/leadership ability; some came forward when they heard of an opportunity to do something new.
They all have similar stories: They started small and their success grew. These lead farmers each have a group of 15-30 other women farmers that 'report' to them. The program already reaches over 20,000 women farmers. Thanks to them and their local partners and MEDA, they can now see:
- that soya is better for the soil,
- that soya is more nutritious than maize,
- that an acre field of soya creates a larger yield than the same acre of maize,
- and that this extra production allows them to have some for their families and some to sell.
Through MEDA and their local partners:
- They have been taught better ways to plant and grow the soya.
- They have been taught many new nutritious ways to prepare the soya for their families, which provides a marked improvement in their diets.
- They have learned about value chains – understanding that they can't just grow their crops but need sustainable ways to sell and market them. MEDA has created incentives/loans to local people who want to 'risk' becoming entrepreneurs as well.
One man has begun a soy milk processing plant; other women have been growing soya seeds to sell and they are locating markets to sell their soya, and so again the sustainable chain continues to grow.
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This is Mary Babele from Tendoma, one of GROW’s lead farmers. Is there any question that this woman is confident? Look at her stance. Not only is she a lead farmer – she is a Ghana soybean farmer of the year!
Here is a common lead farmer story: As it is her husband’s land, she has to ask for half an acre. When she does well, she asks for one acre, then three, and now is aiming for 10, then 30!
Dayi first won a district soya farmer award, and she received a bicycle and tools that she needed for her farm. Then she won soya farmer of the year! Not only did she earn the bike and tools, but she won a cell phone that makes it easier to coordinate with her other farmers.
She also won money. And as we hear over and over, the money that she earns she brings back to her village and family: Her children can go to school, the family can afford better food, she can work more with her other farmers. And of course she brings pride to her family and village. And this is how the sustainable model of MEDA grows.
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This is Mandela. He is from one of MEDA KFPs – key facilitating partners – a fancy name for the local organizations that provide the bulk of the interface and training between MEDA and their clients.
MEDA does extensive research to identify projects and their local partners.
But this is what Catherine Sobrevega, MEDA country project manager for GROW, said when she described MEDA's original plan for the project: “They said it would never work! Why? Africans were used to all the nonprofits giving them things – they wouldn't participate if we didn't give them something. MEDA actually scaled back their program due to the local partners’ concerns.”
How often we think that because we have always done it one way – a hand out – that people don't really just need a helping hand.
But now that KFP, Pronet, is MEDA's biggest promoter. It has changed how they view their work. They praise the model of lending/finance and entrepreneurship over giving. They have seen that this is a more sustainable model and seen – in a relatively short time – the women are more independent, more confident, seen as more important in their villages, have increased income that they have channeled into healthier futures for themselves and their children.
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Madebo is a 40-year-old potato producer from Delbo Wogane, in Southern Ethiopia. Before joining E-FACE (Ethiopians Fighting Against Child Exploitation), he found it difficult to provide for his family in terms of food and affording his children’s education expenses. Now, he is benefiting greatly from improved production and new skills and knowledge gained from the project.
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My name is Tsehay Alemayehu and I have six children. Since the age of three, I have been taking medication for my illness. Despite my physical problems, I am determined to leave my children with something that can change their lives. I joined E-FACE under the VSLA (village savings and loan association) financial service intervention and it has changed my life for the better. It has been one year since I became a member and I cannot imagine life without this service.
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Mofida Khudana, with a diploma and a degree in business management, owns a modest women’s clothing store in her city of Ghadamis, but she has much bigger dreams.
She wants a building to attract both Libyans and tourists – a combined centre for human development and small hotel. Mofida joined the LWEE (Libya Women Economic Empowerment) program to learn new business skills and access resources to be better prepared to implement her new, larger plan. “I was determined to start my own business.”
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Tekabech Teklu is a member of the village saving association for youth (VSAY) group, Worek Amarfe, which translates into "The Golden Seat." At sixteen in Addis Ababa, she is keen on studying political science and hopes to become the first female president of Ethiopia. She is well spoken, confident and full of positivity regarding her future and that of her country. But Tekabech was not always like this.
Prior to being part of the E-FACE (Ethiopians Fighting Against Child Exploitation) project, Tekabech was a different person. She talks about arguing with everyone in her neighborhood and at home. She was quick to pick a fight with others and didn't see the value in helping with housework or with the weaving work done by her parents.
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Moises is a potter in San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua, who prides himself on creating custom pieces to suit his customers' desires. He uses a traditional hand-powered wheel because the quality of the work is very important to him.
"This business has been running for 40 years. It is a pioneer in this community," Moises shares. "It's a business we inherited from our grandparents and it should last for many years more."
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Carlos Hernandez was born and raised on one of the many islands surrounding Nicaragua. When he started looking for work, he came to the mainland to sell goods at a local market before trying to work in real estate, though neither venture was very successful.
Carlos used his first paycheck to buy a boat, leaving behind his previous jobs to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. His idea was to provide tours of Nicaragua by water. Carlos named the boat Scarlett, after his daughter, and Karina, after his wife, who were both "gifts to me from God."
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amilelh Flores is a tortilla maker and owner of a small roadside stand in Nicaragua selling fast food and natural drinks. She employs three people to help her serve many local customers during the long hours from 5am to 7-8pm. Her most common dishes incorporate tortillas and cheese.
Jamilelh started her business 20 years ago. She had a bad experience with a previous group loan and had to pay money she didn't use to cover the debts of others in the group. "The most difficult part is when you don't have money," Jamilelh openly says. "Once you have the money, you have a beginning."
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