Bizuayehu is 24 years old. At the age of 12, his mother was hit by a car. She was unable to walk and could not earn a living, which made it impossible for her to provide for her young son. Sponsorship was an answer to prayer.
With his basic needs met, Bizuayehu was able to stay enrolled in school. Now, 12 years later, he has completed a 4-year training program in hotel operations at Technical and Vocational Training School.
Bizuayehu is an amazing young man with big dreams. In the short term, he has a goal to learn French, Spanish, Chinese and to improve his English skills. Long term, he hopes to open a small café or hotel.
As so many of our families have struggled to make ends meet during the past 16 months, we, too, have struggled to fill the dramatically increased need for food support. We have been challenged to fully support 40 unemployed families. This is a feat in and of itself, and it has come at a time of historic inflation in Ethiopia. The inflation rate in Ethiopia was 20.35% in 2020, as compared to 1.25% in the US. Our families need more, and everything costs more, especially food.
There is no apparent end in site to the rapid inflation, so we have shifted our focus to creating new income generating activities for our families, so that they can have opportunities to support themselves. In true “teach a man to fish” fashion, we have created a plan to help our mothers earn an income. This plan includes a variety of small business models. Our mothers will be provided with required training in how to operate a small business, taught by an experienced professional.
Our first eleven mothers have been selected and are being trained on the ins and outs of starting and running a business. Their business type will be making a variety of injera, a staple food in Ethiopia. This is a simple business and the women all have experience making injera. There is a constant demand for injera, due to its importance in the Ethiopian diet. Our staff has developed a new kind of injera oven that will help them produce their product more efficiently.
Each injera business costs $250 USD to start up. This includes an oven and all of the supplies for the first few weeks in business. We have an initial goal of helping eleven of our mothers get this business off the ground. We know that helping them support their families is the best long-term solution.
Injera Oven $90 Teff (main ingredient) $120 Rice $30 Fire Wood $10 Total Need: $250
If you would like to support a mother with a contribution in any amount towards her new business, we invite you to meet the moms and choose a mom to support: Support IGA
Please also join us in praying for the success of this business venture. The women are so excited for the opportunity to go back to work and at the prospect of earning an income to support their families.
Blessing the Children International 