In Ethiopia
23-year-old Keneni Gizaw lives in a small village in Ethiopia with her husband and three children. Poverty has pushed Keneni’s family to the edge of survival.
Their small plot of land has consistently failed to produce sufficient food – at times they’ve had to make do with only one small meal a day. The family live in a tiny hut with a thatched grass roof that leaks when it rains. The ramshackle home is so small the children have to sleep at their grandparent’s. Since joining their local community group supported by Send a Cow, life is beginning to improve for Keneni’s family. The support and training she is receiving thanks to Send a Cow is already helping her grow a richer variety of crops such as carrots, beetroot, cabbages and onions. As a Family Friend, you can walk alongside the family as they make the journey out of poverty.
Keneni’s family were struggling for survival before they joined their local community group. The group is called Dureti, meaning ‘we will grow together’. And thanks to Send a Cow, and Family Friends like you, that’s exactly what they are doing. The region they live in suffers severe droughts and flooding, making cultivation very hard. Keneni and her community are receiving training which is helping them to grow a greater variety of nutritious vegetables and improve the quality of their soil. She has also learned how to keep her cow healthy and productive.
For the first time in a long time Keneni’s family has hope for the future. They are getting more from their land, so they can eat twice or even three times a day. Keneni’s husband, Medeksa, is planning to repair and extend their home so that the whole family can sleep under one roof – that doesn’t leak! She is also desperate to send her three children to school, which she has never been able to afford before. With determination – and you alongside them – Keneni’s family and community can work their way towards a better life.
