Women’s Cooperative Transforms Community Economy

The Challenge

In the South Ethiopia region, women traditionally had limited access to economic opportunities. Most depended on small-scale farming with low returns, and financial institutions rarely lent to women without collateral.

ACEO Intervention

In 2021, ACEO established the “Tsehay Women’s Cooperative” with 30 members. We provided:

  • Business management training
  • Seed funding of ETB 500,000
  • Market linkage support
  • Financial literacy workshops

Results

Within two years, the cooperative achieved remarkable success:

  • Collective annual income: ETB 2.5 million
  • Expanded to 75 members
  • Diversified into honey production, textiles, and food processing
  • Built a community savings fund of ETB 300,000
  • Sent 15 children to school with cooperative scholarships

Testimonial

“For the first time, we control our own finances. We’ve built a daycare center for our children and started a community library. The cooperative has given us dignity and independence,” says Almaz, cooperative chairwoman.