When One Grant Strengthens 33 Women and an Entire Chapter
On November 1, 2024, Women in Coffee Ethiopia received a USD 5,000 grant funded through our partnership with Caribou.
What happened next is exactly why IWCA exists.
33 Women. Seven Days. Skills That Last.
From December 10–16, 2024, 33 women from Jimma City and Mana Woreda gathered for a seven-day Basic Business and Life Skills training led by senior trainer Zewditu Chali.
This was not abstract theory.
It was practical, applied, real-world learning focused on:
Generating business ideas from everyday problems
Understanding profit, loss, and record-keeping
Separating family finances from business operations
Calculating costs and pricing correctly
Building a business plan
Strengthening communication and negotiation skills
Developing confidence and decision-making capacity
Participants described the training as transformative. Many spoke about adopting a savings culture, learning to plan seriously before borrowing, and finally understanding the difference between “market” and “marketing.”
Several women said they felt “seen and heard.” Others described the experience as eye-opening. There was a strong request for follow-up training to reinforce the learning.
That is not passive attendance. That is ownership.
Beyond Business: Leadership and Governance
The grant did more than fund training.
On May 22, 2025, Women in Coffee Ethiopia held a General Assembly to nominate and select new board members . On July 1, 2025, they formally inaugurated the newly elected board and president during a Board Transition Ceremony.
Why does this matter?
Because strong chapters require transparent, democratic leadership. Governance is infrastructure. Infrastructure creates stability. Stability allows programs to continue long after a single grant is spent.
This is what sustainable empowerment looks like:
Skills for individual women
Structures for collective leadership
Systems that continue beyond one funding cycle
What Changed?
The report is clear.
The Basic Business and Life Skill training directly equipped 33 women with practical knowledge and a transformative mindset. The General Assembly and board transition ensured the continued democratic and effective functioning of the association.
Which means:
Women are making informed financial decisions.
Women are planning instead of reacting.
Women are leading their own association.
Women are shaping the future of their coffee communities.
This is how empowerment moves from concept to reality.
Why Partnerships Like This Matter
A $5,000 grant can look small on paper.
In practice, it funded:
Seven days of intensive training
Participatory, experiential learning
Leadership transition for an entire chapter
Governance continuity
Confidence that multiplies
When we say that empowering women strengthens communities, this is what we mean.
One grant.
Thirty-three women.
One chapter with stable leadership.
A stronger coffee community in Ethiopia.
That means better businesses, stronger decision-making, and more economic power staying in the hands of women who grow our coffee.