Stories of Hope #withOxfam - Kitabe's Story

*This post is in collaboration with Oxfam*

As a Muslim, giving to charity is an important part of my life. I have monthly amounts going out of my account and I hope that my girls will also realise the importance of giving to charity as they get older.

When it comes to charity, I don’t just like to give, but like to know that my donation is actually helping people to empower themselves and build a better future. Oxfam is a charity that aims to fight against poverty.

I think the majority of us know that Ethiopia is a country where there is poverty in the rural communities – about a third of the rural population are poor, small-scale farmers. These farmers do what is known as subsistence farming where they rely on their crops to feed themselves. Generally the yields are minimal which is turn leads to families to go hungry. And why are they going hungry? Because they do not have much support and have a lack of finances and a lack of markets for their produce.

This is where Oxfam can help:

With your donation we can help small-scale farmers increase their yields, adapt to extreme weather in their area and find new markets for their crops. This could mean business and farming advice or small loans with low rates that farmers can use to invest in their livelihoods. You can help tackle inequality by supporting Oxfam’s WE-Care programme, which aims to support working mothers. Women can attend groups to discuss their struggles and find ways to make positive changes towards equality at home.

Oxfam’s new campaign is the #StoriesOfHope movement. So many inspirational success stories but I had to share Kitabe’s story, a fellow mother.

Picture of Kitabe and one of her children — Credit – Abbie Traylor-Smith

Kitabe’s Story

Kitabe grew up working on a maize farm and left school in the first grade and was forced into an arranged marriage. She was living in poverty but with the help of Oxfam she managed to turn her life round. Taking a loan amount equivalent to £324, the mother of four now manages seed production on her farm. Although she did not have high hopes for her future before she got the loan, the loan enabled her to buy more seeds and her first harvest was enough to pay back the loan. Not only that but she managed to buy more land and a cow and ox. The extra income from the land, cow and ox has even helped her pay for labourers.

“I have lived in darkness for a long time. I don’t want my kids to live in this darkness. I hope my children will get the chance to work in this way too. I want a better life for them.”

kitabe working in the field — Credit: Abbie Traylor-Smith

It is amazing what Kitabe has managed to achieve, even paying back the initial loan! Hopefully due to the help she received from Oxfam, her children WILL have a better future. That is why regular donations are so important. It enables charities such as Oxfam to continue to help those in need, and help people build better futures.