Services

After implementing various activates, we attain achievements in our work. Here are implemented activities of WISE.

Implemented Activities

- Organized over 20,000 women in five sub-cities of Addis Ababa in Saving and Credit Cooperatives and provided them with access to various training and capacity building opportunities

- Facilitated the formation and legalization of 50 women’s Cooperatives currently embracing over 10,000 members and provided leadership skills trainings to their leaders.

- Facilitated the formation of the Union of Cooperatives (the Union of Self Employed Women’s Savings and Credit Cooperative Ltd. (USEWSACC Ltd) so that the Union can autonomously co-ordinate the activities of the cooperatives in the long-term.

- Initiated the concept of Health Idir (a micro-insurance scheme) to promote health care as well as to instil the value of mutual support among members before death.

- This scheme, having started in 2002, currently has a membership of over 1,400 women.

- Provided training to over 20, 000 women in business and other skills.

- Provided a Home-and-Results-Based literacy training to its illiterate members.

- Disbursed a loan of over 57 million Birr ($1: Birr 17) to members through their cooperatives for business, housing and education.

- Secured market places for over 400 women and constructed seven market shelters of different sizes.

- Organized a urban agriculture campaigns,

- Promoted innovation by conducting new business idea competitions,

- Organized kid’s days and let kids and girls to speak up about Gender Based Violence,

- Provided different production and marketing tools on cost sharing basis.

- Organized various events (bazaars, exhibitions, etc) which enabled members to promote their products.

- Undertook environmental sanitation activities by constructing pit latrines at different sites and clearing some infected areas.

- Piloted the production of fuel briquettes from dry waste in collaboration with a government institute, the Ethiopian Rural Energy Promotion Research Center, and is currently scaling it up at five cooperatives.

- Formed Action Groups in all cooperatives to engage the community in the area of gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS and gender.

Doing so, the visible major achievements of WISE are:

Major Achievements

- WISE enabled its target women who have been excluded from the formal financial system to access resources and essential skills for self reliance in order to improve their living and working conditions.

- Strong sense of awareness was created among members about their basic rights and obligations in accessing and producing goods and services to meet basic needs as well as to ensure the progressive improvement of the living standards for themselves and their families.

- Through the provision of financial services, over 14,000 members were enabled to initiate or expand their preferred lines of micro-enterprise operation. To this effect, a loan of over 57 million Birr has been disbursed, the repayment rate being 85%. and not less than 17 million Birr mobilized as savings.

- Through the home and results based literacy approach, over 3307 illiterate members were assisted to access primary education. The provision of literacy skills has increased confidence and enabled members to strengthen their businesses

- The various trainings have brought about changes in attitudes regarding value to self and work and inculcated saving habits among members.

- Participation and the exercise of leadership in community affairs has increased among target women. Some women are involved in governance structures of women’s associations, Kebeles and Sub-city administrative organs. Few women were registered to contest in the 2005 general election for parliament and regional council seats.

- The formation of cooperatives has provided a newly created power that enabled women to interact effectively with external bodies, to influence policies and access some assets that were formerly out of reach

- Access to health funds through Yetena Idir has enabled women to combat problems in business operation due to ill health of the major operator, themselves.

- WISE was able to create and maintain an organizational culture with a strong team spirit and a group of dedicated staff.

- WISE runs an empowering programme since its members participate in all aspects of the programme and are involved in the various levels of the governance structure.

- WISE has created and maintained effective links with local government bodies which helped to promote the causes of target women.

- WISE has successfully lobbied government for the provision of land for the establishment of its own training center and has been able to build a full-fledged women’s training academy.

- The active participation of the organization in different forums and networks and its active leadership role contributed towards the joint effort to promote the causes of its members.

- The impression on the impact of WISE’s activities on the life of target women has attracted a considerable attention resulting in interest to replicate its programme and hence demand for its services. WISE is keen to share its unique methodology, thus trainings have been conducted for clients of various governmental and non-governmental organizations, working in different regions of the country, seeking to implement similar strategies.

- The accomplishments and successes of members have received extensive coverage among national and international media and visits from celebrities and influential leaders.

- WISE's good practice in livelihood intervention has been documented by the Urban Development Forum/ CRDA.

- WISE has won the World Bank Development Marketplace award in 2003 for innovative ideas, the CRDA first-rank award in 2007 for its excellent work with community-based organizations, and certificates from the local government for being a model organization in the area of micro-entrepreneurs development.