When Yetimwork lost her nephew and his wife to disease, she took over the care of their small son. Life was difficult; she had little income and lived in a simple, one-room rental house. There was a small shed on her rental property as well as a walled yard. Yetima was sure that she could

generate an income by growing vegetables, selling eggs and baking injera in the shed.


Two years ago, Yetimwork asked EDA for help. She was given a small loan of 3,000 Bir (about $100 US) and bought vegetable seeds and laying hens. Next, Yetimwork joined a community-based co-operative of five families. This enabled her to take out a series of small rotating loans, which she repaid within a year.
Today, Yetimwork has a market garden and sells eggs. She bakes 200 injera a day in her small shed and sells them to a local hotel. Yetimwork has a healthy bank balance and has been able to renovate her simple house into a comfortable home for herself and her nephew.