Support the Women of Addis Ababa by Donating to Developing Families Together ("DFT")

My First Trip to Ethiopia

In May 2012, my family and I visited my cousin Steven who was volunteering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for six months. In addition to exploring the city, we spent time tutoring at Unity University, visiting patients at several hospitals and clinics, spending time with children and teenagers who were preparing for and recovering from spinal surgeries and meeting with the non-profit organization, Developing Families Together ("DFT") that provides micro-loans to impoverished Ethiopian women.

My DFT Donation Goal and Inspiration

Inspired by the hospitality, honor, humility and work ethic of the women that we met with who became successful business owners with the help of DFT, I am striving to raise $2,100 to support an entire group of 20 Ethiopian women with a micro-loan to start a business, gain access to medical care and learn important business and life skills with the guidance of DFT. The business loan itself is $350 for 20 women, but the additional $1,750 is needed for training, mentorship and health services. DFT provides business and life skills training to the women to ensure that the women are given the tools and skills to sustain the business (includes literacy training). Additionally, the women and their children are given access to healthcare services to promote family planning and reproductive health services, as well as provide care and support for those living with HIV/AIDS. The cost breaks down to total of $105 per woman, which includes the loan, healthcare access and DFT provided training and mentorship.

A Day in the Life of DFT

While my brother, cousin, uncle and dad were seeing patients at the hospital, my mom and I spent the day with Developing Families Together. We met with Kidest Belete, the founder of the non-profit DFT, to learn about how this outstanding organization educates, empowers, financially supports and promotes healthy living to women in Addis Ababa. I was astonished that with only $2,100 USD, DFT could provide a business loan, business and life skills training and ongoing mentorship to a group of 20 Ethiopian women with no source of income.

*This is a picture of me and the the Developing Families Together team in Addis Ababa.

In addition to learning about the non-profit from a business perspective with the help of Kidest and her team, we left the office for the countryside with DFT staff members to visit two of the groups of women that DFT sponsored with a micro-loan and business and life skills training, to see how they have succeeded in starting and sustaining businesses with the support of DFT and donors.

The 1st group of women used the loan to start a restaurant serving home cooked meals to construction workers during the day in the outskirts of Addis Ababa. When we visited the restaurant, there were 5 women (of the 20 total) preparing and serving traditional Ethiopian dishes. The women were very hospitable and excited to show us around their restaurant. They graciously performed a coffee ceremony for my mom and I and made us a delicious home cooked meal that they refused to let us pay for. Even though the restaurant is their livelihood, they were honored to show off their business to visitors and wanted to treat us to lunch.

*Above are 5 of the 20 women who were on their shift at the restaurant when we visited.

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*I am enjoying a home cooked meal with one of the women in the group, our DFT guides and my mom.

The 2nd group of women supported by DFT that we visited in the area became wholesalers for milk and coal and also made and sold traditional Ethiopian spices such as berbere. Having tried berbere previously on the trip, my mom and I stocked up on the spices to bring home and share with the family!

*Here are two of the 20 women who started the spice making and wholesale distribution of milk and coal businesses. The berbere spice is the orange spice packets on the back shelf in the above picture.

DFT's Involvement with the Women

DFT selects the women that are most in need. Interestingly, when I spoke to Kidest, she informed me that the women that DFT supports in these business ventures are usually very reluctant to accept a loan, as they are uncomfortable knowing that they have a debt to pay off. With the guidance and support of DFT, the women are assured that they will be armed with the tools and skills to create a sustainable business and are actually encouraged not to pay the loan back to DFT for at least two years! DFT works side by side with these women over the course of 2 years providing training and mentorship before letting the group of women operate the business on their own. Of 31 groups that DFT has formed, 30 groups have successfully created sustainable businesses to this day! When the loan is repaid, DFT uses that money towards a new group of women to start a business.

Click here to learn more about DFT and the many ways in which the organization gives back to its community! http://www.dftethiopia.org/

Volunteer Locally to Donate Globally

With your help, we are financially supporting DFT in Ethiopia and contemporaneously I will be volunteering for similar causes in Chicago. With the non-profit Chicago Cares, I will volunteer at Deborah's Place and Open Door Shelter, a program of the Night Ministry. Deborah's Place is Chicago's largest provider of supportive housing exclusively for women. I will be discussing current events topics and how they relate to the womens' lives in a discussion forum. Open Door Shelter is a temporary shelter for youth who may have been exposed to serious life circumstances. I will be volunteering with their job coaching program by assisting with job applications and interview skills training. Please sponsor my volunteer efforts in the community by donating globally to Developing Families Together.

To learn more about Deborah's Place, please click here: http://www.deborahsplace.org/about-us/.
To learn more about the Open Door Shelter, please click here:
http://www.thenightministry.org/

With your donation, we can support a group of 20 women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to become empowered, literate and self-sufficient income earning mothers for their families.

Thank you for your time and consideration!
Love,
Lauren