Working Through Today for the Promise of Tomorrow

Every morning, Aziza, a 32-year-old mother of four from Midhaga Tola District in East Hararghe Zone, woke to the same worries that had followed her for years: how she would provide for her children that day, how she would meet their most basic needs, and whether her family would ever find the financial security she longed for. As a mother of two daughters and two sons, she carried not only the daily responsibility of keeping her family going, but also the hope of giving her children a future beyond the hardship they were growing up in. 

Farming, once an important source of food and income for the family, had become increasingly difficult because of recurring drought. Their farmland was also far from home, in an area where hyenas and snakes posed safety risks. Eventually, cultivation was abandoned, leaving the family without a livelihood they had once depended on. Her husband earned occasional income loading construction stones onto vehicles, but his earnings were limited and shared between two families. With so little to rely on, Aziza had to find ways to help meet her children's needs herself. 

She began borrowing eggs and peppers from neighbors on credit and selling them at the Saturday market in town. Sometimes, she borrowed money to buy other goods for resale as well. Whatever little profit she made went towards household expenses and repaying her debts. She put her worries aside and kept working, even when her efforts seemed to leave her no further ahead than before. For Aziza, giving up was never an easy option. Her children depended on her, and their future remained the reason she continued trying. 

“I worked every day just to survive,” she recalls. “There was no certainty about tomorrow, and many times I wondered if my children would ever see a different future.” 

Yet, even in uncertainty, Aziza continued to look for a way to turn her hard work into something more sustainable.  

From daily struggle to a new opportunity 

That opportunity came when Aziza was identified through the Ethiopia Joint Response Project, implemented by SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia with support from SOS Kinderdorpen and the Dutch Relief Alliance. Through its food security and livelihood interventions, the project established Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) to help community members strengthen their financial resilience and develop income-generating activities. 

Recognizing Aziza's determination and the challenges she faced, the project supported her participation in the One Lencha VSLA, a group of 20 community members. Her commitment and leadership qualities soon earned her a position on the association's executive committee. She participated in training on entrepreneurship and small business management alongside leaders from other VSLAs. The project also provided VSLA kits and covered the costs of legal registration, helping the association become a formally recognized community institution. For Aziza, the experience offered a chance to build on the trading skills she had developed through necessity. She could begin learning how to manage her business more effectively, save regularly, and access financial resources to invest in its growth. 

“The project sparked a light of hope in me,” she says with a smile. “It helped me believe in myself again. For the first time, I felt that I could change my family’s future.” 

A livelihood built one step at a time 

Under the association's bylaws, each member contributes ETB 50 in weekly savings and ETB 10 to a social fund. These regular contributions introduced Aziza to the value of saving consistently and building financial strength together with other community members. For someone who had spent years borrowing to meet immediate needs, saving represented a significant change in how she could approach her family's future. 

“We never believed small amounts of money could become something meaningful because we were never taught the concept and importance of saving,” she explains. “Now we have seen how regular saving can build capital and create opportunities.” 

A few months after the association was established and legally registered, the project provided ETB 150,000 in seed capital to strengthen the VSLA and expand members' access to loans. Through the association, Aziza accessed loans to expand her small trading business. She continued buying and selling eggs and peppers, applying her new knowledge while gradually diversifying into goat rearing. Her progress was built through steady effort rather than overnight success. She worked to grow her business, repay her loans on time, and continue saving, turning each opportunity into another step towards greater financial stability. 

Today, Aziza continues to save and access loans every three months to expand her activities. Through her business earnings, she has purchased five goats and seven hens, assets that support her household through livestock and egg sales. For Aziza, these are more than animals or business assets. They represent what her determination can achieve when supported by access to financial resources and practical knowledge. She is building something that can grow over time, rather than relying only on uncertain daily earnings and borrowing. 

And her ambitions extend beyond the business itself. She hopes that, as her livelihood becomes stronger, she will be better able to support her children's education and give them the chance to pursue a future with more opportunities. Their dreams are what keep her working towards hers.

Strengthening more than livelihoods 

Aziza's journey has also included opportunities to strengthen her knowledge and confidence. Through the project, she participated in awareness sessions on gender-based violence, child protection, positive parenting, and harmful traditional practices. These sessions addressed important protection and social challenges within the community, equipping participants with knowledge about their rights, children's well-being, and positive family relationships. 

For Aziza, these opportunities complemented the economic support she received. Building a livelihood matters, but so does having the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions, care for her children, and participate in community life. Her experience shows why livelihood interventions are most meaningful when they recognize the broader realities women face. Access to savings and credit can create economic opportunities, while training, awareness, and supportive community structures can help women strengthen their ability to pursue their goals. 

A wider impact 

Aziza's story is ultimately about a mother who continued to move forward despite circumstances that made progress difficult. Long before the project reached her, she was already working, trading, borrowing, and finding ways to provide for her children. The intervention helped her build on that determination with the skills, financial opportunities, and community support to strengthen her livelihood. 

Since 2024, the Ethiopia Joint Response Project has established 13 Village Savings and Loan Associations, enabling more than 235 community members to engage in income-generating activities, strengthen household livelihoods, and build resilience against future shocks. 

For Aziza, the change is reflected in her growing business, her savings, and the productive assets she has acquired. But perhaps the most meaningful measure of progress lies in what she is working towards, a future in which her children can access education and opportunities that were difficult to imagine when every day was a struggle to meet their basic needs.

*To respect the person's privacy, their real name has not been used