Gardens Give Hope, Health, and Income in E. Africa

It's amazing what a little bit of vegetable seed, access to appropriate support, and a little training in bookkeeping and marketing can do for a family. We'd like to tell you about Maka Abai*, a woman member of the Birhan Ladies Farming Group, in Ethiopia. 

Maka has been a part of the Birhan women's group for sometime now, who we've been supporting with crop diversification, farm inputs, agricultural extension worker services, and training around marketing and bookkeeping. We just got this little blurb directly from Maka herself (which we've translated, of course) that we'll share with you here:

"I am Maka Yaye. I am a 28 year old mother of seven children. Three of my children are school age, two are in second grade, and the remaining children are at home.

 Since joining the Birhan Ladies, I have developed many skills to plant and care for the saplings and vegetables. I learned how to use a new drip irrigation system to grow plants year-round. This project has helped me improve my livelihood. I invested my harvest dividend in goats. Today I have seven goats and a young cow.

 I hope to continuously improve my life. I plan to grow with the Birhan Ladies project, earn more to lease land to farm, and purchase a house for my family. Our plan is to expand our produce market share beyond our local market and capture higher value." 

Maka is proof that when you support women farmers, you're not just increasing crop production; you are investing in a woman's future, a family, a community, and an entire generation. The surplus from her crops helped purchase goats and cows, which will increase her economic wellbeing tenfold. The multiplier effect that has ripples out into kids' education, health indicators, and community development. 

From Maka and all the women of the Birhan Ladies Group, thank you for supporting Seed Programs International. Your donation makes all this work and more possible. 

*Last name changed for privacy.