From hopelessness to hope

Monday, December 11, 2017

Eighty-year-old Hussein Abdula cannot stand nor walk. Hussein was not born disabled, but 14 years ago Hussein was injured in a car crash on his way to work. When the car suddenly overturned Hussein was hospitalized and sustained severe injuries, paralysing him permanently.   

Before this accident Hussein was the sole provider of the household. Right after this incident, Hussein’s wife Fatuma had to shoulder all the family responsibilities for this household of eight.

“I had to feed, educate, and take care of the whole family, but I had nothing. Things turned into darkness,” explains Fatuma, a 75-year-old mother of six.  

Desperate, Fatuma began collecting firewood to sell to survive. Despite her age, Fatuma walked two hours carrying firewood on her back and sold it in the nearby town. But business was tough. Fatuma became injured and experienced too much pain because of the heavy labour she undertook every day. This in turn, left their family with no income and no food to eat, threatening her children’s education.

“I had no money for medication. I had to go to a local physician to get relief. The physician ironed my body. Now you can see 20 live scars on my body,” Fatuma explains.

World Vision started working in Melka Belo District of the Oromia Region, some 500 km east of the capital Addis Ababa, nine years ago. Many of the people in the district, including Fatuma, were facing dire social and economic problems. To address these problems World Vision organized project to help improve food security and child nutrition, provide clean water and improve sanitation and hygiene in the community. Education projects and life skills training was also provided.

Fatuma with her families.

In 2010, two of Fatuma’s grandchildren that stay in her care, 10-year-old Emantu Hussein and 12-year-old Hamza Hussein, joined World Vision’s sponsorship programme.

World Vision helped the family buy a donkey to transport wood from the places Fatuma cuts it to the market. This donkey enabled Fatuma to cut more wook and increase the family’s income.  

“Thanks to World Vision, since the provision of the donkey, I have never carried firewood on my back. I used to carry firewood two days a week and get only 14 birr (US $0.5). But now I am loading the donkey three days a week and earn more than 180 birr (US $7),” Fatuma explains.

Story by: Walelign Mekonin

Feriha Ahmed is head of Women and Children`s Affairs Office of Melka Bello district. She says a lot of changes have been made in the district by working in partnership with World Vision.

“World Vision has been intervening in various development endeavors in our district. A lot of changes has been brought about due to the support to most vulnerable children, people living with disabilities, and needy families,” Feriha says.

World Vision also organized and established saving groups with the view to strengthen the livelihood and ensure food security of vulnerable members of the community in a sustainable way. Thousands of families were organized into saving groups and can now access loan and develop small businesses, transforming the lives of children and ensuring household food security. Fatuma is among the beneficiaries of this program and she saves 20 birr on a weekly basis.

"We have enough food, clothes, everything we want, and we are able to attend our school without any problem,” says Emantu Hussein, the 10-year-old granddaughter of Fatuma.

World Vision mobilized and organized 175 saving groups of 3,375 women members in Melka Belo district. These groups have saved 135,000 birr (US $5,625) and disbursed 120,000 (US $5,000) in loans, improving the lives and livelihoods of thousands of vulnerable families.