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Contemplating the agony of life in poverty (case studies)
 Aadde Degitu Birru, 35 is a biological mother of 11 children (4 male and 7 female), out of which three are presently in grades 1st, 2nd and 4th. The youngest child is only six years to be enrolled, as she mentioned. Aadde Degitu narrated her past story with broken heart and grief. She suffered not only from the miserable life emanated from poverty, but had experienced adversities of domestic violence that were hard to bear as an ordinary person. First and foremost, as common to most rural women of Ethiopia, she had been kept at home with no voice to suggest or question whatever bad or good is happening to her life or family. She has to welcome every decision regardless of its effects on her or her children. Her spouse had been extremely autocratic that any sign of resistance or suggesting an alternative to his decision can be followed by harsh punishment including being fired from home. The family’s two-hectare land was contracted out to a better-off farmer and the income generated had been too meager. On top of that, she had no access to that meager income as it had been entirely in the hands of the family head. She blamed her destiny, and accepted the situation as it was. Second, she had no access to any of the social services including family planning, health services, legal protection and the like. And thirdly, she knew nowhere to apply concerning her problems and she accepted all the situations as her fate that was decided by a divine force. The fact that her family in general was categorized as the poorest of the poor in the village prevented them from having any role in their society. Ato Mekonnen, her spouse, had always been kept out of social relationships for he was regarded as neither trustworthy nor has any contribution in the social network.
When she was called for the first training on which her SHG, Guddattu, was established, she was ashamed of participating in her own worn-out clothes, and lent from a neighbor. Her family had neither any bench and chair nor cooking utensils in the home. She contemplates, and finds her past life completely messed up. “What a dark!†she lamented, “When I was married to him, I brought eight heads of cattle, gifts from my parents. He also had an ox, as a man prepared to marry has to arrange himself to the level of his capacity. Nevertheless, it did not take him long to exterminate them all. I had no courage to question except sobbing privatelyâ€.
“After I became organized into SHG, things became differentâ€, she explained. She started saving which was followed by borrowing. The first loan she took was birr 50.00 which she used to purchase thread/fiber and sewed a decorated handmade household article ‘mesob’ (from grass and fiber). She sold the mesob for birr 180.00, an amazingly high value at that point in her life. As her need for loan surpassed the capacity of her SHG to supply, and using the linkage of the SHGs with Wasasa MFI that Gurmuu facilitated, she took birr 1000.00 from external source. This was used to purchase a bull and hens. She said, “Nine years after livestock are removed from my home, the bull stepped at my front-yardâ€. She worked hard to repay the loan and started producing more than the amount she was required for loan repayment. She could regain her two-hectare farmland by paying back birr 700.00, the amount her spouse took from the ‘contractor’. Her bull started tilling the land. This was the time she received 2,500.00 birr as the second loan and purchased fertilizer and another bull. However, she faced a challenge from her spouse who wanted the money as he used to do with it, especially the first loan bypassed through a narrow passage. Thinking that buying bulls and hens was wastage of money and his wife was irresponsibly spending, he tried to forcefully take it. Her improved strength was not only economically, but also multidimensional, she could overcome using whatever strategy including the expertise of the community facilitator (CF).
Finally she looked into her home and furnished with household equipment. Benches, utensils, night and day time clothes were gradually fulfilled. Her spouse labeled the oxen as “Oxen of the Community Facilitator†as she was by the side of W/ro Degitu in convincing and advising the spouses together. Currently, W/ro Degitu has come out of the economic and social problems she was immersed in. Her children fully enjoy their basic needs. They never miss three meals a day, if it happens, as she explained, it is on no account because of shortage of food, rather because they are busy working on farm. A sick family member, a child or an adult sees health professional. The role of gender is well understood in the family. Unlike the former when the woman’s knowledge, skills and contributions was undermined, she presently became an agent of change who caused the transformation of her family life and this is well recognized. Generally the SHG approach is successful in empowering her and her family together. Her spouse understood his problems, determined to stand by her side, acted in resolving those problems and now successful to lead good life.