The ‘Building Resilience and Opportunities for Youth’ project is being implemented by Wolaitta Development Association (WODA) and its partners, Terepeza Development Association and Send A Cow Ethiopia, in the Wolaitta Zone of SNNPRS. The ‘Otidi Lametoos’ Youth Business Group shares their experience of the project.

‘Otidi lametoos’ is a Wolaitta name which means ‘let us work together and change ourselves’. Otidi lametoos’ Youth Business group is one of the business groups set up in Damot Woyde, Wolaitta Zone, SNNPR. The business group was established by nine youth members. The youth joined the project in December 2021 and received different trainings. After the training the group members developed a business plan to produce haricot beans and asked the local government for access to land for production. They convinced the kebele administration and were granted 2.5 hectares land. They started rehabilitating the land by diverting erosion, constructing check dams, digging water harvesting structures and closing the area for plant and grass regeneration. They planted 100 banana suckers, 100 moringa seedlings, 100 yellow wood seedlings, and other coppicing tree species around their land to protect it from animal encroachment. While the youth are generating income, they are at the same time rehabilitating degraded lands. From the first round of production, they harvested four quintals of haricot beans.

Their future plan is to open furniture and fashion clothes shop in Wolayita Sodo city after 5 years, thereby creating sustainable job opportunities for their members.