ELCA World Hunger

ETHIOPIA

When Wogayehu’s husband died, she wasn’t able to plow the fields and plant crops by herself. Without income from the farm, Wogayehu couldn’t afford to send her children to school. Without enough food, they often went hungry.

The gift of a goat helped Wogayehu get back on her feet. The goat produced several quarts of nutritious milk each day. The goat’s natural fertilizer helped grow a small vegetable garden outside her home.

Little by little, Wogayehu saved up enough money from selling milk and vegetables to buy a cow. With her new cow and some agricultural training, she was able to plow and plant her fields again. She says The Lutheran World Federation program in her community—which provides assistance with livestock, agriculture, microfinance, water, education and health—changed her life.

Today, both of Wogayehu’s sons are in school and she is working to build a new home for her family. Furthermore, she and other widows have found that in learning new skills they have overcome some of the prejudice that women once faced in the community. They’ve proven that women, too, deserve to be treated with respect.
“We have come into the light,” Wogayehu said with a smile.

Your gifts to ELCA World Hunger support The Lutheran World Federation in Ethiopia and similar projects in over 60 countries around the world. A gift of just $50 could provide a goat to a woman like Wogayehu. Please give today.

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