Empowering women, empowering the whole family

Discover how Kavli Trust, the charitable foundation that owns Primula cheese, is making a positive impact in Ethiopia through the Waste for Value project. With a recent award of £420,000, the project is providing new jobs for women and empowering them to recycle plastics and papers, while benefiting the environment and creating a more sustainable society. Meet Misrach Anjole, a talented mother of seven and a grandmother of four, who is making a difference and inspiring others in her community. Read her inspiring story in this article. 

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Interview and photo by Kedija Sefa/ Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) Ethiopia 

Littering the environment with plastic and paper is a major and growing problem in Ethiopia. The lack of systems and structures for clean-up, collection and recycling means that neither plastic, paper nor metal is being cleared and recycled. 

At the same time, poverty is widespread, and many women are particularly vulnerable. 

Misrach Anjole provides for her whole family while doing an important job for the environment. She is one of several talented women in the recycling project "Waste for Value" in Hawassa in Ethiopia, where she is empowered through work and responsibility and a real inspiration to her family. 

Anjole [above] is a member of a small-scale enterprise engaged in recyclable waste collection established in Hawassa Town, Ethiopia through the “Waste for Value” project. She is also a mother of seven and a grandmother of four, all of whom live under her wing. 

Before joining the enterprise, Misrach earned her living washing clothes for people. However, she struggled to make ends meet as the job was not consistent. 

At the end of 2021, Misrach joined the small-scale enterprise along with 19 other women. The enterprise is organised as a cooperative operated by women who are trained in waste management and administration of the cooperative. 

“We received training on how to safely collect solid waste such as plastic and paper waste. We were also provided with a working space, start-up capital, and personal protective equipment to help us carry out the work, including a small three-wheeled for transporting the collection for sorting and bailing”, says Misrach. 

Currently, Misrach serves as a secretary in the waste collection association and says that since becoming part of the project, she has seen an improvement in the awareness of the community about how to discard plastic waste. 

Not only that, but she also says the women in the enterprise are earning an income that is helping improve their quality of life. 

Misrach herself is also providing for her family better than ever before. Now she hopes that she will be able to build her own home which she has recently started constructing. 

“For the future, we hope to expand the impact of the enterprise and create job opportunities for more unemployed people,” she says. 

The Waste for Value project is a great example of how Primula Cheese supports positive change in communities. It creates jobs, cleans up the environment, and helps conserve resources in a sustainable way. The project's main goal is to empower women and their families by giving them the tools to succeed. This not only benefits individuals but also helps create a fairer and more sustainable society. 

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Thank you for reading our news! To read more about good causes we have supported recently, check out our news section. For Kavli news on European and global projects supported, visit the Kavli website here.