Creating strong, healthy, sustainable communities in Ethiopia

Activities: Micro Enterprise Development (MED)

  This initiative was launched in July 2001 with the goal of empowering women, youth, families and the community at large through training, access to credit and economic independence.

The MED project enables sustainability through providing opportunities to community members so that they can be responsible for their own development, including providing an economically viable alternative to prostitution, the ability to pay for school fees and expenses, medical care and adequate food and hygiene provisions.

KEY ACTIVITIES

• The Arat Kilo Enatoch Andinet Savings and Credit Cooperative  now has more than 700 members (mostly women) a significant savings record and a 100% repayment rate
• A new street kids workshop which provides at risk youth with health and sanitation and Basic Business Skills (BBS) training and support
• Material grants for mothers and Orphans

To read testimonies of some of the people who have set up small businesses through the MED project, please visit our 'Voices of Women' page where there are a number of success stories.