Dir Biyabir
Current Target Projects
1. Reforestation and Environmental Protection
This project will address the issue of severe deforestation and environmental degradation in the Northern Shewa region of the central highlands of Ethiopia.
The purpose of the project is to engage rural youth (young men and women) in the environmental rehabilitation and biodiversity conservation of their homeland. Dir Biyabir developed grant applications for this project and in October 2008 won a grant of $24,500 USD from The Christensen Fund to fund this project in full. The project site will be Kasset in Northern Shewa. The project will be based on ADHENO's award-winning Gudifetcha of Trees program in which local farmers and villagers participate by adopting a tree and being responsible for it's care and survival. Dir Biyabir has wired 100% of project funds. Project goals are:
i) Establishment of a tree nursery with the capacity for producing 100,000 tree seedlings. Existing nurseries were also reinforced.
ii) A local spring is currently under development to provide access to clean water for the community and to provide water for raising tree seedlings and watering cattle. The community contributed free labor for trench excavation, and collecting local materials while the project provided technical support and industrial materials such as cement, reinforcement bars, and steel pipes.
2. School Books
ADHENO built the first modern primary school in the village of Workegur in Goshebado in 2006 with funding from the Japanese Embassy and additional support from Dir Biyabir members. Though the school is a modern facility, books and equipment are severely lacking. ADHENO is working with Dir Biyabir to secure funds to purchase text books for the students and to build a school library. In June 2008, Dir Biyabir provided funds for the purchase of text books for the school using donations from a small group of members who supported this cause. The following books have been purchased. A book shelf with a size of 1.5m x 1.5m has also been purchased and handed over to the school. The plan is to have each student return the books at the end of the academic year so they may be used by incoming students in the new academic year.
Update - Though all the books listed above have been purchased, as of April 2009 they have not yet been distributed to the students due to bureaucratic complications with the local administration. Funds to purchase the books had to be provided to the regional education office as the official text books for the Northern Shewa region can not be purchased in Addis Abeba. However once the books were purchased, the regional education office stored them in their warehouse and ADHENO has not yet been able to get these books released to the students. ADHENO has escalated the matter to the Woreda Adminstrator as well as the Woreda Finance and Economic Bureau but with no response thus far. ADHENO program officers continue to push this issue with the hope that the books will be released for the next academic year. Currently the school has received the bookshelf directly from ADHENO but the books are missing. It is extremely frustrating but we have not given up on this and will continue to push until all the books are out of the warehouse and in the hands of the children it was intended for. We will keep you posted.
3. Entrepreneurship for Rural Youth
In Ethiopia as in most of Africa, there is a significant problem with rural youth migration to cities due to lack of educational or job opportunities in rural villages. These youth typically end up on the streets of cities, exposed to all the hazards of homelessness. Providing opportunities to these youth in their own villages is critical to ensure the stability of these rural communities. ADHENO has been advocating for youth and women entrepreneurship in Northern Shewa as a way helping these communities pull themselves out of poverty.
The goal of the entrepreneurship initiative is to provide the youth with training in specific skills such as making footwear, producing and repairing farm tools, weaving, horticulture, and improved beehives. The project will also assist the youth in starting their own businesses in their communities based on their newly acquired skills.
ADHENO has been working closely with the women and youth in the rural communities of Northern Shewa to foster entrepreneurship as a means for developing self-sufficiency and providing opportunities for women and youth in their own communities. A total of 770 men and women (335 in the women group, 435 in the youth group which includes men and women) have formally registered as an umbrella organization (Inat Mehaber) known as the Goshebado Tsigereda Yewetat Hibret Sira Mehaber (Goshebado Youth Coopertaive). Under this umbrella organization there are 14 sub-groups (Gilgel Mehaber), with each sub-group focused on a specific enterprise. They have been granted 37.5 hectares (about 93 acres) of land by the local administration for their activities. The youth were raised $3,000 ETB ($316 USD) based on monthly contribution of $0.50 ETB ($0.05 USD) of their members. The youth and women groups have been working with a local micro-enterprise office to develop business plans. However based on the very low income level of the area, it is clear that they are unable to raise the capital they need to fund their enterprises. Thus these groups rely on ADHENO for training and capital to implement their business plans. Business plans that have been developed thus far include bee-keeping, irrigation-based horticulture, raising chicken, and stone grinding for roadwork.
4. A New Poultry Rearing Project In Collaboration With Adheno
Initially conceived as a school breakfast program, the poultry project was considered as a more affordable and sustainable way to address part of the nutrition problem. In addition to supplementing nutrition among children, it is also a means of providing them with some practical business skills. The overall aim of the project is to enable young students to begin to be self sufficient and reliable with regard to satisfying their daily food requirement. The immediate objectives are to create skills for young students on off-farm agricultural activities of poultry farming and to provide financial capital for execution of the project This is a pilot project that will initially focus on a selected number of students from the Workegur Primary School. For this project girls will be the target group. Thirty girls will be given training on poultry rearing and management and each will be given three, 3-month old chicks (which old chicken are old enough to start laying eggs) and some initial commercial feed. The eggs will supplement the students. diet, and the girls are expected to sell the extra eggs and by the end project end date pay back the value of the chicks (i.e. 150 birr total). This will be a revolving fund that will then be lent to another set of students once the current project has terminated. Among the chicks that the girls initially receive will be male chicks so that they can continue to breed and raise a larger flock.
Dir Biyabir has wired the funds for the initiation of this project (850 USD equivalent to approx. 10,625 birr)
5. Support for women's enterprise in Addis Abeba
The Addis Ababa Region Ex-Leprosy Women's Work Group is a small local enterprise that creates and sells hand-made cotton textiles. It is located in Zenebwork, not far from the ALERT Leprosy Hospital in Addis Abeba. The group has an inspiring story. It employs survivors of leprosy and is run by Woizero Birkinesh, herself a survivor of leprosy. This work group has been in operation for more than 25 years, teaching skills and creating jobs for leprosy survivors in the community. They sell their products locally through retail outlets in Addis Abeba, and export them to foreign markets as well. They also supply other local manufacturers with textiles.
The project sponsored by Dir Biyabir involves the construction of a semi-covered work area for workers in the enterprise. Currently over 30 women work outdoors with no shelter. The proposal requested 10,000 ETB ($880 USD) to build a small, closed roof, semi-open work area to protect the women from direct sunlight and the elements and improve their working conditions and productivity. The construction would employ local community trades people and would use building materials produced locally thus creating even more benefits for the community. This project will be led by Woizero Birkinesh. Dir Biyabir has sponsored this project, and wired the funds on July 5 2009.
This project will address the issue of severe deforestation and environmental degradation in the Northern Shewa region of the central highlands of Ethiopia.
The purpose of the project is to engage rural youth (young men and women) in the environmental rehabilitation and biodiversity conservation of their homeland. Dir Biyabir developed grant applications for this project and in October 2008 won a grant of $24,500 USD from The Christensen Fund to fund this project in full. The project site will be Kasset in Northern Shewa. The project will be based on ADHENO's award-winning Gudifetcha of Trees program in which local farmers and villagers participate by adopting a tree and being responsible for it's care and survival. Dir Biyabir has wired 100% of project funds. Project goals are:
a. Recovering the rich indigenous environmental bio-diversity of this severely at-risk region of the world.
b. Actively engage the local youth and keep them connected to their land and culture. Provide them a viable option to fleeing to the cities.
c. Helping the fertility of the land to recover and allowing the continuation of a culture and livelihood that has been based on the land for centuries. Without active intervention, the area is at risk for complete desertification and abandonment.
d. Fostering a culture of environmental conservancy among the youth who are then most likely to pass it on to their families and lead the community in environmental stewardship. Such a culture of environmentalism is severely lacking in the region and is much needed.
e. Develop a local water source to make adequate water available for tree nursery, as well as for use by the local community.
Landscape of Moyi Kasset Kebele
Update July 2009
During the first 6 months of the project implementation major headways were made primarily in the development of water management systems as well as in the reforestation effort (please see report for more details). Some of the main accomplishments were:i) Establishment of a tree nursery with the capacity for producing 100,000 tree seedlings. Existing nurseries were also reinforced.
ii) A local spring is currently under development to provide access to clean water for the community and to provide water for raising tree seedlings and watering cattle. The community contributed free labor for trench excavation, and collecting local materials while the project provided technical support and industrial materials such as cement, reinforcement bars, and steel pipes.
iii) Training of project participant on implementation of the project and their responsibilities. Ten representatives got an additional 2-day training on the construction of water management structures.
iv) Water conservation structures were constructed. These included: construction of a 5-km (3.3 miles) stone bund; construction of a contour bund and micro basins in the designated closure area to capture water (for description of bunds see: Contour Stone Bunding).
v) Establishment of an 8-hectare (approx. 20 acres) area closure close to the newly established nursery. This area is protected from human and animal encroachment and will also be planted with trees.
2. School Books
ADHENO built the first modern primary school in the village of Workegur in Goshebado in 2006 with funding from the Japanese Embassy and additional support from Dir Biyabir members. Though the school is a modern facility, books and equipment are severely lacking. ADHENO is working with Dir Biyabir to secure funds to purchase text books for the students and to build a school library. In June 2008, Dir Biyabir provided funds for the purchase of text books for the school using donations from a small group of members who supported this cause. The following books have been purchased. A book shelf with a size of 1.5m x 1.5m has also been purchased and handed over to the school. The plan is to have each student return the books at the end of the academic year so they may be used by incoming students in the new academic year.
| S/N | Book type |
Grade | ||||||||||||
| Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | |||||||||||
| Qut. | Unit Price | Total | Qut. | Unit Price | Total | Qut. | Unit Price | Total | Qut. | Unit Price | Total | |||
| 1 | Amharic | Student text book |
80 | 4.70 | 376 | 80 | 3.50 | 280 | 80 | 3.90 | 312 | 80 | 4.20 | 336 |
| 2 | Maths | 80 | 4.30 | 344 | 80 | 3.80 | 304 | 80 | 4.20 | 336 | 80 | 7.20 | 576 | |
| 3 | English | 79 | 5.50 | 434.50 | 80 | 4.40 | 352 | 80 | 4.90 | 392 | 80 | 6.20 | 496 | |
| Total | 239 | 1154.50 | 240 | 936 | 240 | 1040 | 240 | 1408 | ||||||
Text book purchace breakdown (All prices are in ETB.)
Update - Though all the books listed above have been purchased, as of April 2009 they have not yet been distributed to the students due to bureaucratic complications with the local administration. Funds to purchase the books had to be provided to the regional education office as the official text books for the Northern Shewa region can not be purchased in Addis Abeba. However once the books were purchased, the regional education office stored them in their warehouse and ADHENO has not yet been able to get these books released to the students. ADHENO has escalated the matter to the Woreda Adminstrator as well as the Woreda Finance and Economic Bureau but with no response thus far. ADHENO program officers continue to push this issue with the hope that the books will be released for the next academic year. Currently the school has received the bookshelf directly from ADHENO but the books are missing. It is extremely frustrating but we have not given up on this and will continue to push until all the books are out of the warehouse and in the hands of the children it was intended for. We will keep you posted.
3. Entrepreneurship for Rural Youth
In Ethiopia as in most of Africa, there is a significant problem with rural youth migration to cities due to lack of educational or job opportunities in rural villages. These youth typically end up on the streets of cities, exposed to all the hazards of homelessness. Providing opportunities to these youth in their own villages is critical to ensure the stability of these rural communities. ADHENO has been advocating for youth and women entrepreneurship in Northern Shewa as a way helping these communities pull themselves out of poverty.
The goal of the entrepreneurship initiative is to provide the youth with training in specific skills such as making footwear, producing and repairing farm tools, weaving, horticulture, and improved beehives. The project will also assist the youth in starting their own businesses in their communities based on their newly acquired skills.
ADHENO has been working closely with the women and youth in the rural communities of Northern Shewa to foster entrepreneurship as a means for developing self-sufficiency and providing opportunities for women and youth in their own communities. A total of 770 men and women (335 in the women group, 435 in the youth group which includes men and women) have formally registered as an umbrella organization (Inat Mehaber) known as the Goshebado Tsigereda Yewetat Hibret Sira Mehaber (Goshebado Youth Coopertaive). Under this umbrella organization there are 14 sub-groups (Gilgel Mehaber), with each sub-group focused on a specific enterprise. They have been granted 37.5 hectares (about 93 acres) of land by the local administration for their activities. The youth were raised $3,000 ETB ($316 USD) based on monthly contribution of $0.50 ETB ($0.05 USD) of their members. The youth and women groups have been working with a local micro-enterprise office to develop business plans. However based on the very low income level of the area, it is clear that they are unable to raise the capital they need to fund their enterprises. Thus these groups rely on ADHENO for training and capital to implement their business plans. Business plans that have been developed thus far include bee-keeping, irrigation-based horticulture, raising chicken, and stone grinding for roadwork.
a. Bee-keeping
One of the youth subgroups, the "Goshebado Tsigereda Wetatoch Mahiber", developed a detailed business plan for a beekeeping enterprise, and submitted it to DirBiyabir. I. The proposal was to generate revenue by selling honey, a prized commodity in the local community, as well as beeswax which is in high demand by Ethiopian Orthodox churches for making candles. DirBiyabir sent full funding ($15, 270 ETB or $1,651 USD) to the youth group for the bee keeping project. Funding was raised from membership dues and individual donations. Accomplishments to date by the youth include:
One of the youth subgroups, the "Goshebado Tsigereda Wetatoch Mahiber", developed a detailed business plan for a beekeeping enterprise, and submitted it to DirBiyabir. I. The proposal was to generate revenue by selling honey, a prized commodity in the local community, as well as beeswax which is in high demand by Ethiopian Orthodox churches for making candles. DirBiyabir sent full funding ($15, 270 ETB or $1,651 USD) to the youth group for the bee keeping project. Funding was raised from membership dues and individual donations. Accomplishments to date by the youth include:
- Completion of a 5 day training program on modern apiculture and increasing the production of honey and beeswax given by the Woreda Agricultural and Rural Development office experts.
- Purchase of 30 modern 3-stage beehives with movable frames.
- Installation of the beehives in the Berkomas enclosure area where the natural vegetation is protected from animals and humans and has therefore been flourishing. The hives were installed at the edge of the hill 10 -15% slope facing west, sunlight position was also considered.
- Construction of guard houses on hilltop overlooking beehives to protect them from animals and intruders.
- Transfer of 21 bee colonies into the modern beehives.
Bee-keeping trainer and training participants
Beehives have been mounted on racks in the "Berkomas" enclosure area
Update 2009
In addition to the modern bee hives that currently house bees, the group has installed seven traditional bee hives. These hives contain a number of bees that the team plans to transfer to the modern hives. The team that is assisted by a local agricultural extension worker has determined that it is better to leave the current bee population in the traditional hives to be acclimated to the environment and immediate conditions before they are transferred into the modern hives. The bee-keeping entrepreneurial team expected its first harvest in May and in terms of profitability they are hopeful that they can at least break even.
b. Irrigation-based Horticulture
The youth sub-group "Magiwasha Inideg Yeatikilit ina Firafire Limat Mehaber" consists of 35 youths. The local administration allocated the youths 2 hectares of irrigable land at the edge of the Berressa River in a low land area known locally as Magiwasha Kola Sulai. The area is located 20 kilometers due west from Debre Brehan. The youth submitted a business plan to Dir Biyabir in June 2008 for irrigation-based horticulture. The proposal was to generate revenue by planting and harvesting vegetables and fruit trees including lowland fruits like citrus, mango, and papaya. The requested start up capital was $23,830. ADHENO worked with the youth to satisfactorily answer follow up questions presented by Dir Biyabir regarding disease and insect control, storage, and profit sharing. In October 2008, Dir Biyabir awarded the youth 90% of the requested capital ($21,447 ETB, i.e. $2,151 USD). The youth were asked to contribute the remaining 10% from their membership fees.
Members of "Magiwasha Inideg Yeatikilit ina Firafire Limat Mehaber" in their farmland by the Beressa river
The latest onion harvest
The youth sub-group "Magiwasha Inideg Yeatikilit ina Firafire Limat Mehaber" consists of 35 youths. The local administration allocated the youths 2 hectares of irrigable land at the edge of the Berressa River in a low land area known locally as Magiwasha Kola Sulai. The area is located 20 kilometers due west from Debre Brehan. The youth submitted a business plan to Dir Biyabir in June 2008 for irrigation-based horticulture. The proposal was to generate revenue by planting and harvesting vegetables and fruit trees including lowland fruits like citrus, mango, and papaya. The requested start up capital was $23,830. ADHENO worked with the youth to satisfactorily answer follow up questions presented by Dir Biyabir regarding disease and insect control, storage, and profit sharing. In October 2008, Dir Biyabir awarded the youth 90% of the requested capital ($21,447 ETB, i.e. $2,151 USD). The youth were asked to contribute the remaining 10% from their membership fees.
Members of "Magiwasha Inideg Yeatikilit ina Firafire Limat Mehaber" in their farmland by the Beressa river
Update 2009 (see Report)
The youth effectively established their horticultural cooperative, registered it with the local government, and received training on financial management. By July 2009 they had planted and harvested 4000 kg (approximately 9,000 Ib) of onions from 1 hectare (approximately 2.5 acres, or 10,000 square meters) of land. The expected revenue from the sales of the onions is approximately $15,000 ETB ($1,328 USD).Key project accomplishments to date include:
- Generator installed at the edge of the Berressa River
- 10 meter wood bridge constructed on the head of the gully to transport generator
- Land prepared for irrigation.
- Local onion seeds purchased and sown on one hectare (balance saved for planting teff)
- Adjacent 4-5 hectares of land also ploughed
- Guard hut constructed and staffed around the clock
- Weeding undertook every week of the first month and every two weeks of the second month by each members of the association.
- 4,000 kilos of onions harvested (estimated market price of 15,000 ETB/ $1,318 USD)
- Onion seeds reserved for next planting season
- Fifty improved orange seedlings provided by ADHENO planted adjacent to Onion field.
- Every two weeks every members of the association are obliged to participate in a meeting. Challenges encountered, possible solutions and future plans discussed and minutes of the meeting recorded by the secretary of the Association.
The latest onion harvest
4. A New Poultry Rearing Project In Collaboration With Adheno
Initially conceived as a school breakfast program, the poultry project was considered as a more affordable and sustainable way to address part of the nutrition problem. In addition to supplementing nutrition among children, it is also a means of providing them with some practical business skills. The overall aim of the project is to enable young students to begin to be self sufficient and reliable with regard to satisfying their daily food requirement. The immediate objectives are to create skills for young students on off-farm agricultural activities of poultry farming and to provide financial capital for execution of the project This is a pilot project that will initially focus on a selected number of students from the Workegur Primary School. For this project girls will be the target group. Thirty girls will be given training on poultry rearing and management and each will be given three, 3-month old chicks (which old chicken are old enough to start laying eggs) and some initial commercial feed. The eggs will supplement the students. diet, and the girls are expected to sell the extra eggs and by the end project end date pay back the value of the chicks (i.e. 150 birr total). This will be a revolving fund that will then be lent to another set of students once the current project has terminated. Among the chicks that the girls initially receive will be male chicks so that they can continue to breed and raise a larger flock.
Dir Biyabir has wired the funds for the initiation of this project (850 USD equivalent to approx. 10,625 birr)
5. Support for women's enterprise in Addis Abeba
The Addis Ababa Region Ex-Leprosy Women's Work Group is a small local enterprise that creates and sells hand-made cotton textiles. It is located in Zenebwork, not far from the ALERT Leprosy Hospital in Addis Abeba. The group has an inspiring story. It employs survivors of leprosy and is run by Woizero Birkinesh, herself a survivor of leprosy. This work group has been in operation for more than 25 years, teaching skills and creating jobs for leprosy survivors in the community. They sell their products locally through retail outlets in Addis Abeba, and export them to foreign markets as well. They also supply other local manufacturers with textiles.
The project sponsored by Dir Biyabir involves the construction of a semi-covered work area for workers in the enterprise. Currently over 30 women work outdoors with no shelter. The proposal requested 10,000 ETB ($880 USD) to build a small, closed roof, semi-open work area to protect the women from direct sunlight and the elements and improve their working conditions and productivity. The construction would employ local community trades people and would use building materials produced locally thus creating even more benefits for the community. This project will be led by Woizero Birkinesh. Dir Biyabir has sponsored this project, and wired the funds on July 5 2009.