Story summary

Sumeya, a 50-year-old mother of five who lives in the Somali region, is a part of the Income Generating Activity (IGA) group that was established by Save the Children with financial assistance from Irish Aid.

The family of Sumeya is a pastoral family that depends only on their livestock for income and nourishment. Recently, however, their way of life has been threatened by the region's persistent drought, and they have been forced to look for alternate forms of income to sustain their family.

The IGA group aims to educate its members about damaging cultural practices including early marriage and FGM in addition to helping to create chances for additional income. Sumeya meets with the other group members to talk about a variety of topics pertaining to HTP and their business ventures. 15 people make up their group, and they gather every two weeks to have community discussions. Additionally, they consistently save money from their income.

Sumeya was able to help her daughter avoid child marriage because of the training she received during the community discussion at the IGA group.

Sumeya's story in her own words (Quotes)

"My name is Sumeya. I'm the mother of five girls and two boys. We are pastoralists with 40 cattle, sheep, and goats. We lost seven goats as a result of the harsh drought and lack of rain. The previous year, we attempted to produce sorghum as well, but the output was very low, and we could only use it to feed the animals".

"I am glad to be a member of the IGA group and to be able to provide for my family. I have a little cafeteria where I sell milk, tea, bread, and quick food. My cafeteria will soon grow, as I have plans".

"The IGA group not only gave me financial assistance but also made it possible for me to learn about harmful traditional practices. All of the women who are a part of our group are now aware of HTPs like FGM, early marriage, and others. They are now able, to keep their kids safe and get them to school, they all put forth a lot of effort. Through our group, we debate how to improve the future for our children while also sharing our past experiences. Such conversations in our neighborhood helped me protect my own daughter from getting married too young".

"Currently, the majority of our group's members have united to declare an end to early or forced marriages and other harmful traditional practices. We have also created local ordinances that we abide by in the struggle to eradicate these practices in our community".

Together with my daughter Zemzem*, who participates in a gender club at her school, I seek to spread awareness of the most harmful behaviors that are prevalent in our neighborhood. She and another student organize educational workshops for the surrounding communities through the school club using theatre, music, and other techniques to inform our community about harmful practices, like early marriage and others.

"Zemzem reveals to me that she enjoys studying Somali language in class the best and hopes to become a teacher in the future. She also assists me with household tasks like cooking and laundry after school at home. For my daughter's future, I hope the best. I want her to enroll at the university".

Background / Project information

Supporting Women and Girls in Ethiopia's lowlands to realize their rights, and live healthy and productive lives free from violence and abuse (Irish Aid Gender Equality) project is a five year project funded by Irish Aid. The project aims to contribute towards greater voice, protection and economic empowerment of women and girls, in Somali and Afar regions, by the end of 2025.
The project outcomes are: Adolescent girls and young women are economically and socially empowered and publicly advocate for their rights in the target communities, Reduced practice of negative gender norms that affect social and economic empowerment of women and girls by families and communities in program target areas and Strengthened policy implementation and mechanisms that protect rights of girls and women.