Agip is a Self Help Group (SHG) that was established two years ago Agip is a Self Help Group (SHG) that was established two years ago. It has 18 male members. Before joining the SHG, the group members were engaged in fishing, fire wood collecting, and other small income generating activities to win their daily bread. When they formed Agip, they started saving 2 birr (8p) per week each from their income. They said that the training they were given by the project has helped them to open their eyes and see the opportunities around them. They learned to support each other and to use what money they had effectively. They decided that they would like to work together on a group income generating activity which would involve all of them and be profitable enough to support them all. In the meantime, something happened that enabled their dream to come true. Due to the alarming inflation the government set a ceiling price for commodities, especially food items. Retailers were not willing to supply food items at the fixed price as they made a loss on them. Food shortages resulted. Then, the government decided to supply these food items itself through trustworthy community members. This is when Agip SHG members’ idea became reality. They contacted the government and started a retail business that receives basic food stuffs, oil and sugar from the government and distributes it to the community. Currently, their working capital is 50,000birr (£2,000). As they had planned, they are now able to support themselves and their families. Some of the members said that previously they were unable to send their children to school but now all members that have children are sending them to school. Agip SHG members are not only concerned about making their own lives better; they also care about their environment. They are involved in different social action programmes in their community such as litter collection, tidying up and improving waste ground, and tree planting. Their hard working habits have impressed the local government which granted land to the group for their business in a prime central location. This will really help their business to flourish. They have more plans for the future but the current reality is that they have lifted themselves completely out of poverty.

Then the local church appointed him as a community facilitator in the Arba Minch programme. Sintayehu has built a house for himself and his mother, and has bought furniture for it. His mother no longer begs and has her own small business. Sintayehu is very happy and proud to tell the story of his life. Pray for Sintayehu and thank God for his story which is a remarkable example of God’s transforming power through his church.