Women's Small-Business Loans

In partnership with other non-profit groups in Ethiopia, TMF is sponsoring a micro-finance project for women in the village of Dinsho, Ethiopia, the headquarters of the Balé Mountains National Park.

Women in many areas of Ethiopia play an important economic role in households. However, they are hampered by the cultural dominance of their male partners. They are deprived of land and livestock assets, the main means of livelihood in traditional communities, so they have no collateral to qualify for loans or credit. TMF may be the only non-profit organization working the Dinsho area to improve the economic standing of women through small business loans.

TMF started the loan project in 2006 with the support of the community leaders in Dinsho. We also hired a facilitator/organizer, Workaferhu Teka. Each year, she and the community leaders select a group of women to participate, not only on the basis of economic status, but also on their business abilities, assertiveness, and willingness to adhere to the guidelines of the program. Workaferhu gives the selected women in-depth training using the self-help development approach. Each one identifies and analyzes her intended business activity and prepares a plan of action, including loan size, savings; period of loan, interest, modes of repayment; market outlets, and assumed risks. An expert in micro-finance presents a one or two day seminar to give them additional training. The women are divided into self-help groups and given bookkeeping materials at the conclusion of the training period.

To-date, all of the loans have been repaid with interest, many of them within six months.

Karel Waltermire, the project coordinator, visits the women about every two years. They are grateful for the opportunity to become economically independent and are enthused about their business ventures. They send a heart-felt thank-you to all the people who have made donations to the project!

Support the Women's Small-Business Loan Project
To make a donation online using a credit card, click on “Donate.” Or download a donation form (PDF) and mail a check to TMF.