Published Tue, Dec 11, 18.
Written by Scott Chleborad.

Self-Help Groups: to bring forth holistic change so that they are empowered economically, socially, spiritually, politically, etc. Self-Help Groups, or SHGs are small groups of community members who work together to form an entrepreneurial team. While the SHG training focuses largely on economic empowerment through entrepreneurship, training also includes life skills. With a goal to bring about holistic change in more than just the financial realm, training is provided in the areas of sanitation and hygiene, childcare and reproductive health, social development, spiritual growth, and more. SHGs are equipped with a well-rounded arsenal of tools to empower themselves to live a balanced, fulfilled life.

Adams Thermal Foundation (ATF) believes that alleviating poverty cannot truly be achieved by dropping a pile of cash into an impoverished community. Sustainability is of utmost importance in changing a community. Sustainability is at the very core of ATF’s programs, integrated into every facet of the operation. An SHG is comprised of 10-20 struggling community members. These community members are most often widowed women who lack the basic skills required to sufficiently earn enough income to provide for their family. ATF provides skills training to the women, teaching them to sow, weave, cook, or otherwise create a marketable product. The group also receives financial and business training on how to run a business, how much profit to keep, how much to reinvest, how much to save, etc. ATF then provides the group with a small loan which acts as seed money to get the SHG’s business up and running. The group uses the loan to act on the training they’ve received by making products and selling them to the community for profit. The small profit earned truly has a great impact on the lives of the group members.

Currently, there are 11 SHGs in the Hossana area, with expansion inevitably approaching. One of those SHG's is Tsegereda, which means “Rose.” Tsegereda is made up of 13 women, each with their own story of how the SHG has positively impacted their lives. For example, Asnakech, whose name means “to rise above,” is a woman with an only child, a now adult son. When she was younger, her husband passed away and she moved to the city of Hossana in hope of finding meaningful work for herself, and a secondary school (high school) for her son. As secondary schools are not free, she poured all of her income into her son’s education, with hopes that the investment would pay for a family house once he got a decent job in light of his education. During this time, she lived in a homeless center, which was barely an upgrade from living in the slums. She worked hard and poured everything into her son’s education and future. What a joyous day it was when her son graduated secondary school and took the university admissions test! That joy turned to mourning when, one day, she returned to the shelter where a letter was waiting for her, a letter from her son. With tears in her eyes, she read her son’s handwriting, informing her that he had failed the admissions exam, had lost hope for the future, and would not be returning home. Heartbroken, she too lost hope. Her only son had run away, leaving her to wonder whether he was even alive. In spite of her broken heart, she found hope when a friend invited her to a self-help group. The group welcomed her as a member and she received business training. Since joining the group just a few years ago, she has gone from being completely homeless, not even knowing where her next meal would come from, to being able to take out a small loan to have her own small house. The profits from her work within the SHG have given her hope, knowing that she is self-sustainable and able to take care of her own basic needs. While her heart still longs for her son after many years, she finds peace knowing that God gave her the ability to be productive; and she takes comfort in knowing that He is taking care of her through blessing her business efforts. We ask that you would join us here at ATF in praising God for His work in Asnakech’s life and pray that He would one day restore the relationship with her son.

The SHG program aims to enable the community financially, but also to empower the community spiritually. The Tsegereda SHG is comprised of all Christian believers who continually build each other up and encourage one another in their faith. They operate their businesses with Godly principals and use their businesses to be witnesses to the community. The women pray together, thanking God for the ability He has granted them and for the opportunities He has bestowed upon them.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, … but encouraging one another.” – Hebrews 10:23-25