23.01.2013
BERLIN – Ethiopia is one of the world's poorest countries and is repeatedly affected by drought. In particular women living on the margins of society and their children have few resources to help them cope when food crises hit. It is precisely here that the project launched jointly by the development ministry, the NGO Kindernothilfe and the charitable foundation set up by entrepreneur Manfred Lautenschläger is intended to bring relief. Ten thousand women living in particularly marginalised circumstances will receive support through self-help groups and will be shown how to set up in business for themselves.
"The project will give a hand to women who have practically been forgotten by their local communities and will bring them back into the midst of community life. It will benefit not only the targeted women and their families, but also their communities as a whole. The family business is a seed from which economic development can grow – and I am pleased that we are now able to realise this project with the help of Kindernothilfe and the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation. The project is an example of successful and constructive collaboration between the BMZ, civil society and the private sector," said Development Minister Dirk Niebel.
The project's target group are women living on the margins of society in regions of Ethiopia that are particularly prone to drought. The women selected for the project are to meet once a week and save a small amount of money on a regular basis. On the basis of their savings, the women will be given low-interest credits for the purpose of setting up a small business or similar venture. The additional income generated by their activities will help them provide better for themselves and their families, send their children to school on a regular basis and purchase suitable medical treatment when ill. The group's savings will grow in line with the deposits they make and the interest they earn, thus providing a financial cushion in times of crisis in the future.
"The project is targeted at women, however it is their children who will benefit most. When you consider that, on average, each of these women will have five to six children, then you realise what an impact this project is likely to have. We want to give mothers the opportunity to provide their children with the prospect of a better future – and to do this through their own efforts," explained Jürgen Thiesbonenkamp, Executive Director of the project-executing agency, Kindernothilfe.
"Children are every society's hope for the future. This is as true for such a poor country as Ethiopia, as for any other country. We have been active in the region for years now, and I would be very pleased if this current project would also help to improve the situation of a considerable number of families there on a long-term and sustained basis," said Manfred Lautenschläger, entrepreneur and founder of the foundation named after him.
The project will initially run until the end of 2015, with the BMZ funding 75 per cent of the costs. To help cover the remaining 25 per cent, the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation will donate 167,000 euros to Kindernothilfe for the project.