Story and photographs by Gemechu Abdissa, FH Ethiopia West Region Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator

What’s your name and what is your position at FH Ethiopia?

My name is Gemechu Abdissa, and I work as the West Region Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator. This means I work face to face with the community members that FH Canada donors support.

What inspires you to work with Food for the Hungry’s communities, like Leka Dulecha?

Working with FH partner communities, I feel I am responding to God’s calling so that children, families, and communities are protected, cared for, and given opportunities. Every day, I am a part of equipping communities to be places where families are valued, creation is preserved, and where the most vulnerable live in security and confidence. I want to see peace and justice reign, and for everyone—regardless of their state—to have the right to contribute to their communities and end poverty.

Can you tell us a bit about Leka Dulecha and the challenges they face in overcoming poverty?

Leka Dulecha is in West Ethiopia, marked by rugged terrain and flowing rivers. Most of the population earns a living through farming, so you’ll find many farms and animals driving through the country side. Here, conflict between the government and anti-government groups has disrupted life—often closing markets and basic services. Kids are often pulled out of school, putting girls especially at risk for early marriage. 

Even though the land has potential, its producing less and less food as the soil has become more acidic. With so many farmers in Leka Dulecha, this means they aren’t able to meet ends meet. There is high unemployment rate, and students are performing poorly in school. Clean drinking water is inaccessible, while conflict has risen in the country, disrupting social cohesion.

What strengths does Leka Dulecha already have to overcome these problems?

While Leka Dulecha will face many challenges in the coming years, I already see strengths present in the community! The government has been restructuring their systems on the community level to ensure more peace and stability. They’ve already constructed their own local office. In recent times when there was intense conflict in Ethiopia, the people of Leka Dulecha supported each other, standing strong together through informal structures called “Idirs”, which shared information among the community and strengthened social connections. The communities have also already begun conservation agriculture practices to improve their crop productions. Clearly, the people of Leka Dulecha are ready to take the next step in their development, and they are committed to working together.

“Leka Dulecha is excited! They’ve told me how they appreciated FH’s unique approach of listening to their voices first, and that participating has built their sense of self-esteem and given them confidence to own their development.”

When you’ve talked with community leaders and families, what hope do they have for their community?

They are excited! They’ve told me how they appreciated FH’s unique approach of listening to their voices first, and that participating has built their sense of self-esteem and given them confidence to own their development.

They want to see their families and youth empowered. They want quality education available to their children from a young age, and want to see the most vulnerable community members access the services and resources they need. They dream of new job opportunities for their youth through agriculture and they dream of having clean water accessible. Most of all, they are happy and willing to participate and take ownership of their development so that future generations can thrive.

What personally inspires you about Leka Dulecha, and what do you hope to see there?

I look forward to seeing Leka Dulecha’s transformation, and seeing them become resilient and adaptive as we partner with them. I hope to see Leka Dulecha access quality education, quality health services, improve their agriculture and diversify income sources, improve gender equality, and improve sanitation. I hope to see Leka Dulecha flourish and thrive!

Is there anything you’d like to share with FH donors about Leka Dulecha?

I’d like to say thank you for your kindness and support! We simply couldn’t do what we do without amazing people like you. With your support, we can significantly expand our reach in the communities we serve. We’ve started this new journey with Leka Dulecha—all thanks to you. May God richly bless you.

Are you as excited about seeing communities lifted out of poverty as Leka Dulecha is? Join the journey, a monthly giving program where donors like you commit to walking with communities on their journeys out of poverty.

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