Facilitators for Change
Facilitators for Change (FCE) help people from disadvantaged communities to overcome poverty and become self-sufficient. They have implemented a revolving loan scheme to help people lift themselves out of poverty – and it works.
Using money donated by Ethiopiaid, FCE distributes small loans to local people who want to start their own business. Enterprise and innovation are encouraged and some of the businesses we have helped to establish include a new grinding mill, several arable and livestock farming initiatives.
The loan is designed to act as seed capital to set up businesses and help generate a sustainable income. Once this is established, the beneficiary starts paying back the loan which is then fed to the next waiting applicant on the list and the cycle continues.
Ethiopiaid specifically funds the work this partner does in the impoverished town of Debre Zeit, 60km south-east of Addis Ababa. This town has particular problems as it is home to an airbase and many of the men living here are in the military. Ethiopia's troubled history means that many local men lost their lives leaving behind widows who are now solely responsible for entire households.
The scheme was originally set up to help widows and female headed households exclusively. However, it has proved so successful that the loans have now been extended to young people who want to set up a sustainable business. In this way, Ethiopiaid can now support a new generation of men and women, who simply need a helping hand to provide for themselves and their families.