Current Projects

  • Success story of fruit beneficiary Mr. Guye Gobena

Mr. Guye Gobena was born in 1958 at Negalign kebele Adamitulujidokombolcha/ATJK Woreda, East Shoa Zone, Oromia Regional State. He is a farmer. He was married with Mrs. Adaya Hirpho and born 8(eight) children, 6 male and 2 female. Out of them five of his sons and one of his daughters attends their education at primary school but the rest of them were not.  His family livelihood income is from agriculture. He had 0.5 hectares of land. The family was a very low income earner because they have no enough farming lands, no any cattle and he was usually faced the problem of food shortage during summer season.

Currently Mr. Guye Gobena is papaya fruit beneficiary of VOCDA project who have got 10 red lady papayas of improved varieties in the first year when the project came into the Woreda. He said that “formerly at his homestead, he used to farm nothing as he was explained”. But after VoCDA provided improved varieties of papaya to us, I started cultivation of local cabbage, trees and pepper through intercropping with papaya. 

Mr. Guye told us in our discussion that his family started to get benefit from papaya fruit project provided for him by selling a fruit at local market and even some times at his village in this year. He said as they also use papaya for house consumption, but previously we bought from market for family consumption by expensive price which by now totally omitted.  More we focus to our home consumption and a little sell when neighbors asked us to sell them and on market day I sold some which helped my family to purchase sugar, salt, beans flour/shiro and others from the earning.  In this early stage of harvesting totally I sold for 550 birr.

Not only this, he learned to greener his compound by planting other fruits and vegetables through compost utilization and watering from its surrounding materials as a result of trainings given to him.  Mr. Guye said “previously, my compounds remain without benefit” unproductive. But now, after I took those fruits tree from VoCDA project, my compound full of shade and my families are happy to watering those fruit trees.

And currently, I am expanding plantation to cover my compound by papaya to increase my income from the selling, for home consumption and even for the contribution of micro climate changes with very great pleasure. Mr. Guye bought sixteen (16) red lady papayas and planted in addition to that was given to him by VoCDA. 

 

 

  • Success story of IGA beneficiary Mrs. Hawa Jatano

Mrs. Hawa Jatano is 40 and married. She has been lived in Negalign Kebele ATJK Woreda, East Shoa Zone, Oromia regional state since her marriage. She was married with Dawo Buta and possess 6(six) children, 4 male and 2 female. Recently, all of her sons and daughters attend education at primary and KG schools. Her family livelihood income is from agriculture. Mrs. Hawa Jatano is Women income generating group/IGAs member. She hasn’t any academic education except the short term training that was offered by VoCDA at various times. A year ago She was organized into self help group in her kebele that was called Hawi saving and credit women IGAs group.  She was active and capable in understanding and implementing, reflecting new idea and grasping what she has been oriented. Her family was very low income earner and the family was very exposed for hunger since she depends only on her husbands’ work and she has no income generating works before she came into this group.

As of her expression during the discussion she was the poorest women in the locality before joining the Hawi IGA members.  She and her family were in continuous food insecurity and short of food. The main activities that she was involved before joining the group was traditional farming lands in her home stead, sell fuel wood and charcoal. However, the output that she obtained from agriculture was not able to feed her family sufficiently and increase her income. Fortunately ‘’a good moment has come in my life,’’ she said, in July 2021 one of the kebele administration bodies and community facilitators advised me about joining the IGA members, however at a time not knowing the benefit of it I refused the facilitator and administrator suggestions.

But the administrators treated me again and again lastly “I was convinced with the idea and began to cooperate with the women in our village and start saving from what we have in weekly base in modest amount of birr 10 birr monthly. Then it was followed by skill development training on business development service and book recording and market plan at our village by VoCDA facilitators. The training and coaching were undertaken by VoCDA’s staff and social workers and facilitators. Lastly as a result of the training, I and my group members’ commitment enabled to increase our internal saving from 10 ETB to 20 ETB monthly.

Eventually, I borrowed 1,500 birr on October 03, 2021 from our group internal saving to undertake petty trading with Potatoes, and other vegetables in the local market. I continued my business with the loan I received from my groups for 5 months.  I got net profit of 150 ETB per week from the potatoes trade and in five months 3,000 birr in total.

After 5 months, I repay back the loan to the group together with service charge 1,650 ETB on March 06, 2022 and I remained with net profit 2,850 ETB. After repaying back the group loan I have planned to increase or diversify my business using the experience and training that I have got previously.  I was planned to look for the other options of securing more capital to run the intended business.  Luckily my group looking at my commitment and hard work decided to give me 2,500 birr on March 06, 2022 for the second time.

Together with the profit from previous work and loan I had from the group now my capital become birr 5,350. Mrs. Hawa Jatano during our discussion explained that when I took the second round loan new idea came to my mind and discussed with my husband about the issue that is buying goat at Meki, Bulbula and Batu town to be sold on spot. And my husband was very happy with my idea and decided to buy goats with me from those markets and sell it automatically with some profit. Accordingly, we bought two small goats for our first time with 5,000 ETB at Batu town and immediately sold at 5,600 ETB. We able to earn net profit of 600 ETB on spot. This selling style minimized transportation and feeding cost, that maximized their profit which they continued attending those three market days in a week earning net profit ranges from 3,000- 4,850 ETB per week as she explained.  My husband started to help me in those three market days in the spot buying and selling activity.

Mrs. Hawa told us that, after five months on August 07,2022 she paid back the second loan together with service charge 2,750 ETB and maintain her home by buying building block that costs 20,000 ETB where other costs covered by her husband. With the remaining profit she bought six chicken three bigger and the rest smaller chickens. And she informed us her future plan to open shop for herself and her husband continuous selling of goat by the capital gained from her previous business and the third loan to be obtained from her group.  

Besides securing her children food security she had creating attractive shelter for family.  Mrs. Hawa informed us during the discussion “without joining the group and unless I got business skill trainings from the project, I could not survived the current difficult life situation due to high inflation where previously many of our village people considered me that as I was doing something value less, but gradually looking my success and strength many of them were regret on their previously views and aspire to follow my way.” My involvement in the business development, not only support economic benefits but also increase my social credibility, reputation and social recognition”. Currently Mrs. Hawa Jatano was able to feed her family due to her market attachment, sends her children to school and take parts in any social activities.

 

Hawa selling potato on the market

Hawa’s maintained house and hens

 

Vision of community development association is executing different programs based on the community need.  The programs are mainly focused on women’s socio-economic empowerment, environmental rehabilitations, conservations and advocacy, and household food security enhancement through water for development and targeted community skill enhancement approaches.  The main strategy used to address the needy community is through full participations of community and concerned stakeholders.  To this end we usually organize beneficiaries into users groups or association so as to address them easily and develop their performance capacity in organized bases. On top of this organized people are better to address and undertakes its own matters and good instrument for the development of the country as whole and its own life change in particular.

Based on this facts VoCDA currently executing new and existing projects, like women’s socio-economic empowerment, environmental rehabilitations and household food security enhancement.  These projects are supported by Tree aid, IDH-ISLA, Sher-Ethiopia and Plan-International Ethiopia.