ETHIOPIA
Kombolcha is a town marked by a deep social disparities, located in the Amhara region in Ethiopia. The White Fathers, officially known as the Missionaries of Africa, play an essential role there by encouraging inter-community dialogue between Orthodox and Muslims, while assisting the most vulnerable populations. These include a community of 87 lepers and their families (more than 200 people), living together in a neighbourhood close to the missionaries’ compound.
Although leprosy is now a curable disease, these people remain highly stigmatised and marginalised in the society. Their daily survival depends largely on aid from NGOs and charities, in particular the food distributed by the local university, which is insufficient to cover their needs.
This project aims to a transition from an emergency aid to a sustainable development solution by empowering the leprosy community through the installation of a mill managed by a local cooperative.
The project’s aim is to make the lepers of Kombolcha and their families financially and food self-sufficient. The mill will be built on land belonging to the Kombolcha Leprosy Association, close to the Missionaries of Africa’s Selam Youth Centre. The project includes building the mill, providing infrastructure and training members of the community to manage and maintain it. A board of five well-known members will be set up to oversee the cooperative. The cooperative will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the mill, with a range of activities including financial management, machine operation, grain sorting, packaging and cleaning.
The mill will meet the immediate food needs of the community while ensuring a solid income for these marginalised families. By creating a sustainable activity, it will encourage their reintegration into society and help change the local population’s perception of them. The project will also create direct and indirect jobs for the community. The cooperative members will acquire new skills that will strengthen their ability to manage similar activities in the future, while reducing their dependence on external support. Thus, this is a transformative project that will strengthen the autonomy and dignity of lepers while improving their living conditions and access to medical care.
This project represents a unique opportunity to change the marginalised community lives. With your support, we can give these families the means to empower themselves and keep their dignity. By contributing to the financing of this mill, you become a change factor.
Every donation, whatever its amount, can make a difference.
