In Ethiopia Heifer is helping 3,000 families (18,000 people) from the Wolayita area in the South to lift themselves out of poverty, earn a living from sustainable agriculture and build resilience to the already ongoing changing climate (droughts, heavy rains, etc.). Families learn all about applying agriculture and livestock farming techniques to for example improve the soil fertility and transform their unproductive land into thriving farms, harvesting multiple times a year instead of once.
Also access to water is crucial. Not only for drinking but also for crop irrigation and prevention of diseases. In the dry season (often more than 5 months a year) people often travel up to 15km to collect water. By digging wells closer to the community, installing latrines and tip-taps, access to water and sanitation is significantly improved, reducing the incidence of diseases.
Gender inequalities in countries like Ethiopia are still huge and worsen the impact of poverty on women and girls, preventing them from developing their full potential. Most women have little to no control over resources or influence in decisions within the household and rural communities. They are uneducated and unaware of their constitutional rights, exposing them to harmful practices.
Empowering women is therefore a key focus within every Heifer project. We tackle gender inequalities through awareness trainings for both women and men.
This helps the women to develop their self-confidence and increase their influence, so they are able to voice their opinions and take part in decision making over land use and household expenditure.
