Moving From Dependent to Dependable

As we enter the holiday season, it’s a gift to introduce you to Woodia. Her story reflects not only the strength of Chemen Lavi Miyò (CLM) but also the power of family. With a mother who never stopped believing in her, and an 18-month graduation program where Woodia learned essential life skills, received assets to begin her own small commerce, materials to build a stable home, and a secure latrine, she started on the path to a better life.

Meet Woodia

Before joining the Chemen Lavi Miyò program, Woodia lived with her parents and depended on them for everything. While mothering three children, she received very little support from her children’s fathers. In desperation, Woodia would borrow money from local banks, but she was unable to repay it. Her mother sells housewares at the market and also set up a small grocery store in front of their home, which she recruited Woodia to run. Even with the support of her parents, Woodia had nothing of her own and struggled to survive. 

When she started CLM, Woodia used the initial investment provided to start a second business next to her mother’s store, selling snacks. Within a few months, she was not only able to manage both shops, but her snack business saw such significant growth that a local wholesaler began to sell her more merchandise on credit. Her mother has also offered to sell Woodia the grocery store that she was successfully running.

Woodia and her first commerce, which was positioned next to the small grocery store she was managing for her mother.

Progressing Through the Program

At the time of graduation, Woodia’s commerce was ten times the size of when she started! Her products now require a space in a field with larger merchants. She was able to move out of her parents’ home and rent an apartment near the market so she can manage her business better. Woodia’s parents can now depend on her, too. When asked about her mother’s thoughts on Woodia’s progress, Woodia shared, “She’s really proud. And I am too. She knows that if she needs anything – food to make dinner or money to buy merchandise for her business – she can just send me word. I can take care of it.” 

Your abundant generosity does more than meet a need. It ensures that women like Woodia are lifted from the shackles of extreme poverty and can begin to build a better life for herself and her children!

Woodia and her commerce as it has grown! She has had to move into a field with other sellers so she has enough space to display her inventory.

A long-standing partnership

For the last almost 20 years, HTF has been investing in the CLM program. The 18-month graduation program empowers women-led families to lift themselves out of ultra-poverty. Upon graduation, these resilient and inspiring women have begun to walk the path to a better life.

The CLM case managers are the heart of the program’s success. Each week, case managers walk with women on their journeys providing coaching, encouragement and the support that fuels empowerment. These visits often require overnight stays and hours-long hikes to reach women, like Woodia, in remote locations. They help each woman plan for her future (and her family’s!) as she moves forward. In turn, women in the CLM program provide the hard work, determination and resilience to succeed.

When you invest in HTF, you’re creating jobs for CLM case managers in addition to empowering women bravely writing a new story for their families and communities.