Thursday, March 24, 2016

WISE is like a mother to me!

My Name is Ayelech Esubalew. I am a member of the 'Mekaleya' Self Employed Women’s saving and Credit Cooperative. I was born in a small rural village in Ethiopia in 1972 but I grew up in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.  My family had a good life, but my aunt fetched me to Addis when I was nine years old, promising to enroll me in school.  I helped her with the household work. There was not much to do and I was attending my evening school. I was able to attain until seventh grade while staying with her. However, as the years went by, the workload got heavier and conflicts developed with my aunt. So I left her house and got hired as a maid in another household for three years. Meanwhile, I managed to continue with my education.   
At age 19, I became pregnant and it created arguments within my family. They wanted to give my child for adoption. However, I was determined to sacrifice myself to raise my son. I immediately started searching for my father who then was living in Addis. We found him but he passed away five months after we met.  We continued living in my father’s house where I went through lots of struggle to raise my son. I did a variety of menial work. At the last place I worked, the lady who employed me paid me a monthly salary that only covered half a liter of milk for my son’s daily consumption. After two years of working for her, she lent me 100 birr (around $10 at the time) and I started selling berbere (chili powder). It was just at this juncture that WISE’s staff began introducing the work of the organization around where I lived. That was in 1998.
Having joined WISE, I started becoming optimistic immediately after I took the basic business skills training. I became full of hope. It made me think that anything is possible. Shortly after the training, I took a loan and continued my business of selling ‘berbere’ and diversified it to an extent by selling charcoal. My business gradually started showing improvement.  Over time, my business reached a better level. I was able to provide everything my son needed and later enrolled him to school.  He was a very thoughtful child. He preferred books over cloths. I did my best to provide everything that he needed for his education. I raised him single handedly without support from anyone.  I was both a mother and father to him. He scored the highest point when he joined preparatory school. Later when he joined the university, I bought him a laptop computer. I always prayed that he achieves his best. And God heard my prayers. He has now graduated in Civil Engineering from a University in Ethiopia and currently leads a ‘40/60’ condominium housing construction scheme.
There are a number of changes in my life. I was able to build a better house.  We used to live in a small rundown corrugated iron sheet house I inherited from my father. Now I changed that into a three roomed house. In addition to my own living quarter, I built one more room which is rented out.  Of all the achievements, educating my son is the one thing that makes me happy and proud. He secured a job immediately after he graduated. I also supported my nephew to pursue his education and he is now employed with the Ethiopian Air Lines. Currently, I have a good life.  There are many families who were not able to send their children to school. To contribute my share as a citizen, I am currently seeking out to support a child from a poor family.
My saving is not what it could have been. Previously, my priority was not saving but investing on my son’s education. I was able to provide for all his needs.  Yet, I have 15,000 Birr (around $1500) saving with my cooperative and 15,000 ($1500) Birr in the bank. I took different round of loans according to my business needs.  The highest loan I took so far was 15,000 birr ($1500).
I served my cooperative for the last 15 years at different capacities including as the treasurer and as member of different committees in leadership positions. Currently, I am the group leader in my cooperative.
My immediate plan is to sell household utensils in addition to my current business.

The message I have for other women who are interested to work and improve their living but are home bound is that they must come out and join WISE to benefit from the knowledge and financial services. WISE is like a mother and a home. WISE is my confidant.  I am so grateful to WISE for helping me to get here, next to God. 

Women in Self Employment (WISE) is one of the four partner institutes of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women's Leadership Program run by the Institute of Intenrational Education (IIE), Ethiopia Office 

For more on IIE , ACE or WISE please follow the links below.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Mary Balikungeri: The Consummate Women’s Advocate

               
Ms Mary Balikungeri, Founder and Director , RWN




  


For more than two-and-a-half decades, I have been engaging in crosscutting debates about how to empower women and move beyond women-friendly policies to protective actions. And, as the founder and Director of Rwanda Women’s Network, we as an organization have been working with various local and international partners. RWN also plays a capacity building and facilitating role to a network of over 52 grassroots associations across Rwanda. The Network has been part of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) since 2013.

I have been described as a consummate grassroots advocate, working to bridge the local with the global. And, having received leadership training through the ACE Leadership Program, which RWN is spearheading in Rwanda, it has only made me stronger in our quest for the woman’s cause.

Going through the ACE Leadership Program is a transformative process that has enabled me to transfer the knowledge I have learned to Network members, some of whom have formed a pool of facilitators to lead in the local ACE Program. This has laid the foundation to upscale women’s spaces, which offer forums for them to engage gainfully towards policy change.
The ACE came at the right time as it not only enhances women’s leadership and decision-making capacities, but gives the women the empowering ability to interrogate their inner powers. When a woman realizes her inner strength, she also gains the ability to be assertive in demanding her rights.

After years of organizing among national leaders and grassroots women, community-based women in the Network across the country are focused on how to make the women friendly legislation meaningful in practice. One of these relates to gender-based violence.

What we’ve been doing is mapping who are positive men, bring them on board in our spaces and train them to be community mobilizes.  Our women from our spaces are out in the communities speaking about all these issues, the ways laws are changing and maybe creating new relations between men and women. We’ve seen that the inheritance law especially has attracted the men. They are keen to understand the impact the law has and how it affects them as men and heads of their families. The women meet these men, and really we’re very selective about who we invite to join us -- we want to be sure they won’t bring in their manly attitudes. But we think they have a big role to play with the gender-based violence work. We tell them, “This is also your business. It can’t be women’s business alone. Then we let them take the lead in training people in that message.

As a vocal supporter of a burgeoning pro-choice contingent of activists we are pushing for, among other issues, more friendly sexual and reproductive policies, including the abortion law, which is currently being revisited. The law, as it currently stands, has been cumbersome to implement by involving an unfriendly judicial and medical process to the disadvantage of women and girls. This has meant that, though a law exists, is has not served the purpose it was enacted to address.

What we’re missing is a focused, smart awareness about abortion and how we come to this.  It starts with our hesitancy to talk about sexuality. Before we even get to the discussion of choice, we have to fix this stigma towards women’s health that leaves young people uninformed. This new abortion law is being much talked about now, and activists are asking, “Is the current law really working for women?” We’re pushing to give freedom to abort when they feel they need to. But this is a very Christian country, and they’re saying, “Why are we promoting abortion when we should be promoting morality?” The fact is that people should be making choices about their health before they even get to the question of abortion. But it will take us ages because of this taboo. So let’s start with accepting to talk openly about sex and the right to make healthy, informed choices.

Notably, it has been through the women-specific spaces that the women have been finding their strength. Exchanges in the spaces have been insightful for me and my team, as we strategize about how best to reach out to the women they aim to support. 
We’re learning a lot about empowerment of women and how they make decisions about their sexual rights, making sure that a woman determines when she has a baby, that the family has access to contraceptives. It’s really opening up a new conversation, with lots of learning for women. It’s amazing to hear what they say about sexuality, being forced in bed when you’re not even willing. To some women, this is normal, to others, no! So it’s really showing how important it is to be sure women across the country take leadership with rights issues.

On these issues, as well as in enhancing their leadership capacity and skills, ACE has graduated the women to engage at all levels from the grassroots to the national level.

From where ACE found us, it has been an empowering process beginning with the leadership curriculum development up to now when RWN and her national partners are putting it to work to enhance women’s leadership capacity and skills. Being part of the ACE initiative has also ensured a networking platform locally, nationally and at the regional level.


Rwanda Women's Network (RWN) is one of the four partner institutes of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women's Leadership program run by the Institute of International Education (IIE) , Ethiopia Office.
For more on IIE , ACE or RWN please follow the links below.


Friday, March 4, 2016

When Interest and Opportunity Match...

Hilina Yitateku is a young entrepreneur, who is able to grow her business capital tremendously in a very short period.  She is a mother of two and has got a diploma in Machine Operating and advanced diploma in Industrial Engineering.  After her graduation, she was employed in one of the industrial companies and worked there for ten years but she was not happy. Finally, she resigned. We invited her to share with us her life experiences, what motivated her to start a business …and her success factors.  We hope you enjoy the read.

After obtaining a diploma in Machine Operating, I was working for a company for ten years with a monthly salary of Birr 1,900.00 ($90.5). I continued attending classes for my BA degree at Addis Ababa University in the department of Engineering. I then heard that most of the BA graduates who are employed in the same company as I were earning Birr 1500.00 ($71.4) which was very discouraging for me. Then I decided to stop attending classes and resigned from the company.

Before I started engaging in business, I was hoping to take trainings since I didn’t have any knowledge and skills about starting my own business. My sister, a senior member of one of the Saving and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) of Women In Self Employment advised me to become a member of a SACCO and take a business skills training. It was in 2007 that I joined ‘Serto Massaya’ SACCO in ‘Akaki-Kaity’ sub-city. This was a very good opportunity for me.I took the Basic Business Skill (BBS) training for 10 half days. While attending the training, I realized that my previous diploma and degree classes could not help me to become an entrepreneur.  The training was very relevant and it encouraged me to start my business immediately.

As soon as I completed attending the BBS training, I took a first cycle loan of Birr 500.00 ($23.8) and started a mobile maintenance business. Since I was not skilled in the profession; I hired my cousin to work as a part-timer. But, it was very difficult for him to run this task as he had a commitment in another business.  Due to this problem, I took short term mobile maintenance training and started the job myself. After a while, I handed over the business to another person and engaged in printing and stationary business with my friend. After four years in the business, our partnership discontinued and I opened my own private printing and stationery firm with the name Hilina Yitateku Printing and Stationery P.L.C.

Since I applied the knowledge and skills I got from the training at WISE, it didn’t take much of my time to bring changes in the business.  As my business grew fast, I requested my husband to resign from his job and start his own business too.  Soon he started his own steel works.  Aside from his business, he continued attending classes for his BA degree in Civil Engineering and he also obtained construction license.  Currently, he is running both steel and construction works. While he was attending classes, I was the one who was supporting him financially. Now, both of us have become successful in running our businesses. 

I work 12 hours per day including weekends. This helped me to attract more customers and improve my business capital. I have won many bids, some amounting up to Birr one million ($47,619). The loan I once took from the SACCOs Union which amounted Birr 300,000 ($14,286) that I used for a bid I won was very helpful to transform my business.I recently, travelled to China and brought 5 modern, digital printing machines in order to do my business efficiently and effectively. Currently, I am engaged in cap & T-shirt printing, making flash stamps and producing different kinds of cards. I have rented two shops for my business and pay Birr 14,000.00 ($667) per month. I also bought a Suzuki Vitara car, employed three people in my business.  My children go to a private school and they also have private tutors. 

My business capital has reached around a million Birr ($47,620). I still keep my membership at my cooperative as it is my foundation.
In the future, I am planning to shift this business to my sister and start engaging in a different business, which I don’t want to disclose for the time being.  
Before concluding, she told us the factors that helped her to become successful. She enumerated the following as major ones.
·         My burning passion to engage in business is the first and foremost contributing factor for my success.
·         I took 12 trainings in Business and other subjects at WISE. These equipped me with the necessary knowledge and skills at various levels.
·         The access to financial services from my Cooperative and Union also helped me to expand my business.
·         I use my time appropriately and effectively.  I spend most of my time on things that add value to my business.
·         I am a visionary and risk taking person. I believe I have the ability to change problems into opportunities.
·         I usually prioritize tasks with clear plans. This helps me to be organized and accomplish my goal.
·         To achieve my vision, I sacrifice my leisure time and other social issues for my work. I believe this has also contributed to my success tremendously.
·         Last but not least, I am blessed with a very supportive husband.  He shares in every domestic chore, especially in taking care of the children. This helps me to focus on my business.  He always encourages and supports me in every direction. If I have work I need to take care of, he stays with me in the shop until midnight.

Finally, I would like to thank WISE for giving me this golden opportunity to help me become a successful business woman. 


Women in Self Employment (WISE) is one of the four partner institutes of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women's Leadership Program run by the Institute of Intenrational Education (IIE), Ethiopia Office 

For more on IIE , ACE or WISE please follow the links below.