100 women in our microloan program are out of work due to isolation guidelines in Ethiopia, meaning resources for food and rent no longer exist. Many are the sole breadwinners for their households, as they support extended family members under one roof. These homes have little to no safety net and have immediately lost all resources for basic needs. Added to this are the health risks of living in close quarters at a time it is critical to social distance.
'Street vendors are banned. What is my family going to eat and how will I pay rent?' asked one of our loan recipients and mother to a Studio Samuel student. In a community where extended families are common, one job loss can spell despair for up to a dozen or more people. Food and shelter insecurity increases the risk of infection if heads of households can not remain healthy. A loss of life in this fragile situation has the potential for an orphan crisis.
Studio Samuel will provide nutrition, soap and rent assistance for the women's households during this time of hardship. All women have been trained in proper handwashing and sanitizing techniques to protect the spread of Covid and they have taught fellow household members. By securing these essentials during a loss of income, these households will have food security, a roof over their heads and a chance to stay healthy when so many lives have been lost globally.
This project provides resources for 100 female small business owners to provide food & health security to 600+ members in their households during the Covid pandemic. These women are the backbone of their community and their businesses boost their local economy. This project ensures their businesses will resume once their economy reopens.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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