Ediget Fana Project
(Support program for women-headed families)
The problem for project intervention
The census data of Ethiopia reveals that 22.2% of the households in the country are headed by females. A significant portion of these female-headed households are located in urban areas, accounting for 35.05% of urban households and 20.08% of rural households. In the capital city, Addis Ababa, 32.81% of the households are female-headed. These findings are consistent with the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of 2000, and various studies have also indicated a growing number of female-headed households. The sources attribute this trend to factors such as conflicts, war, migration, HIV/AIDS-related mortality, and divorce.
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency-SIDA (2002) reports that Ethiopian women have a low status due to several reasons: (a) lower earnings, (b) lower level of education, (c) increasing prevalence of female-headed households without adequate resources to support dependents, (d) lack of recognition for their labor contributions, and (e) diminished decision-making power.
Furthermore, the SIDA study conducted in Addis Ababa found that 52% of female-headed households belong to the low-income category, with 89.19% of the women engaged in the informal sector, earning just enough to survive. The study also highlighted the common practice of children taking to the streets to help support their families, particularly in the project area. Amongst the recommendations of SIDA (2002), on its deeper Country Gender Profile study in Ethiopia include:-
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Increase outreach to women through microfinancing programs for those working in the informal sector, empowering them to have control over their earnings and spending.
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Provide capacity building for women in the areas of financial management, community participation, leadership, assertiveness, and communication to enable them to take on managerial and technical roles.
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Offer skills training and financial support to households headed by women.
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Increase the number of women in technical roles and enhance their technical competence.
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In 2001, SDE launched a program for Women-Headed Families with the main goal of improving the economic situation of marginalized female-headed families. This is achieved through vocational skill training and psycho-social empowerment programs. Siddartha Development Ethiopia focuses on the following activities:
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Providing vocational skills training that aligns with labor market opportunities and connecting participants with potential employers.​
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Offering Basic Business Skills (BBS) training for individuals with micro-business experience or those interested in engaging in micro-business.
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Creating self-employment opportunities by providing shared seed money or capital.
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Providing basic business skill training independently and in conjunction with technical skill training.
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Delivering psycho-social empowerment education on family planning, health, financial management, self-assertiveness, communication skills, conflict management, child care, and other life skill programs.