Eight years ago, Gelane and her husband Hailu were working in a candy factory in Addis Ababa, struggling to support themselves and their six children. Gelane left school in fourth grade, and no education meant she had no skills that transferred to good job opportunities.
Then their family joined Lelt’s program. Gelane became one of the first women in our income generation program, where she received a micro-loan and business training. She used the loan to purchase five sheep, and her small flock became a profitable business, producing milk and livestock. With that income, Gelane built a warehouse on her property which she rents out to tenants.
Gelane then used the business skills she learned raising sheep and applied them to poultry, raising hundreds of chickens. As her income grew, she began construction of a four-bedroom house. She plans to rent rooms in their new home, giving her family another source of income.
All of this started with one small loan and a flock of sheep.
With Lelt’s micro-loan program, tenacious young parents in Ethiopia are transforming small businesses into sustainable futures.
