What do we do?

More than 25 years in Wukro

Established in Wukro in 1991 with the mission of building a school for the town, after more than 25 years of effort and work in the area, we have not only achieved the goal of creating St. Mary’s school, but we have also covered many more scopes.

We mainly provide social and economic support to orphans, homeless mothers, HIV / AIDS victims, elderly and disabled people living in extreme poverty, to raise awareness on all issues related to HIV / AIDS, to provide credit services to the disadvantaged part of the population so that they can be independent. We achieve all this through the implementation of various projects for people in need, to ensure access to stable food.

Interventions are carried out through the coordination and implementation of social welfare and development programs and projects. These programs are run in collaboration with the WSDP (Wukro Social Development Program), an agency that employs social workers, psychologists and administrative staff from the local community of Wukro and Tigray.

Development of local projects

More than 25 years in Wukro

Impact at the regional level

The execution of projects is not only limited to the town of Wukro, but also has a regional scope. In this sense, for the execution of certain projects, collaborations are established with NGOs and other government agencies in order to guarantee an improvement in the execution of the programs.

The establishment of Saint Mary’s as a vocational and technical school is based on the fundamental purpose of tackling the problem of unemployment and underemployment in and around Wukro through vocational and technical training courses.

Over the last few years, more than 1000 students have graduated from different fields of specialization, and of these 85% have found a job. In addition, 620 young people have been trained in non-regulated training programs such as leather workshops, sewing, embroidery, music, painting and sculpture.

The goal of St. Mary’s School is to contribute to the regional effort to alleviate poverty. Therefore, the school provides technical and vocational education and training to the unemployed and farmers in and around Wukro, in order to get students to create their own jobs or find a job.

Where do we operate?

Ethiopia

Our country

Ethiopia is one of the most agricultural and least developed countries in the world, with a per capita income of US $ 110. The total population is just over 85 million, with a considerable portion of young people and women. Under the Ethiopian constitution, all land belongs to the state and the state provides farmers with long-term leases.

Tigray

Our region

The Tigray, located in the north of the country, on the border with Eritrea, is one of the regional states where economic and social problems affect the population most acutely. Over the centuries, natural resources were exploited to the limit, causing severe degradation and a consequent decrease in agricultural productivity.

Wukro

Our town

For the majority of the population of Wukro and the surrounding areas, subsistence rainfed agriculture constitutes their main livelihood. However, Wukro and its surroundings frequently suffer from periods of drought that have serious consequences for the living conditions of the rural population. Emigration from rural to urban areas during these periods is high.

Ethiopia, a rural and impoverished country

Ethiopia is one of the most agricultural and least developed countries in the world, with a per capita income of US $ 110. The total population is just over 85 million, with a considerable portion of young people and women. Under the Ethiopian constitution, all land belongs to the state and the state provides farmers with long-term leases. This system hinders the growth of the industrial sector since entrepreneurs cannot use the land as collateral for loans.

Traditionally, agriculture has been the main source of income for the Ethiopian economy; It accounts for around 45% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employs about 85% of the population, generates more than 90% of export earnings and provides 70% of raw materials to small, medium and large companies agri-food industries (Dejene and Mulat, 1995).

However, the country’s agricultural productivity continues to be low, mainly due to factors such as precarious agricultural management, the use of
traditional technology, water scarcity, lack of variety of high-yield crops, and the incidence of pests and other epidemics. On the other hand, the economy has been periodically shaken by other causes such as the war against Eritrea between 1998 and 2000 and frequent droughts.

In November 2001, Ethiopia met the requirements of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative to reduce its debt, and in December 2005 the IMF voted to cancel Ethiopian debt in its whole. At the end of 2002, the drought hit the country again, causing a decrease of 3.3% of GDP in 2003. During 2004 and 2007, however, the weather followed normal patterns, which contributed to the improvement of agricultural productivity and the recovery of GDP.

Tigray, where economic and social problems are most pressing

Ethiopia is made up of a wide variety of nations, nationalities, peoples, and language groups. More than 80 different languages ​​are spoken, of which 12 are Semitic, 22 Cusitic, 18 Omotic and 18 Nilo-Saharan languages.

The Tigray, located in the north of the country, on the border with Eritrea, is one of the regional states where economic and social problems affect the population most acutely. Over the centuries, natural resources were exploited to the limit, causing severe degradation and a consequent decrease in agricultural productivity. This can be attributed to the frequent droughts that have caused a continuous shortage of food and that about 60% of the population lives in extreme poverty.

The economy has not been able to meet the food needs of society or raise the capital that would facilitate economic growth through investment in the tertiary sector. The persistent lack of food for several months has become the main characteristic of most of the agricultural community in the region. The difference between agricultural production and consumption is therefore always resolved by food aid from other countries with surplus production.

During the last decades, various efforts have been made to try to reverse this situation. Several development agents are also involved in this process. The conservation of natural resources is the central strategy of the region’s development process. However, due to the complexity and extent of the problem and, at the same time, to the difficulties to innovate and / or to adopt effective technological solutions, the changes necessary to advance the quality of life of the population occur slowly.

Low economic growth is accompanied by high population growth causing inequalities in job creation. For this reason, unemployment constitutes one of the most serious problems in the region. Even highly skilled workers have a hard time finding a job.

Wukro, where subsistence rainfed agriculture is their main livelihood

Saint Mary’s College is located just outside the city of Wukro, about 45 kilometers north of Mekelle, the regional state capital of Tigray. Wukro is located next to the highway that connects Mekelle with Adigrat.

For the majority of the population of Wukro and the surrounding areas, subsistence rainfed agriculture constitutes their main livelihood. However, Wukro and its surroundings frequently suffer from periods of drought that have serious consequences for the living conditions of the rural population. Emigration from rural to urban areas during these periods is high.

Recently, Wukro has been expanding rapidly towards the south-western part of the city, which is evident in the various residential construction that is taking place inside and outside the city. The rise in construction of modern-style residential homes and commercial buildings such as hotels, cafes and shops, offers income opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers in this sector.

One of the most important industries in the area in terms of job opportunities, especially for skilled workers, is the Sheba Leather Factory, which is located on the outskirts of Wukro. In addition, Wukro has another factory for gabions (containers of stones retained with wire mesh) that has great potential to create employment in the community.

Regarding educational and training centers, we find academic institutions of all levels, such as nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, and public and private higher vocational and technical training centers (TVET). There are job opportunities in Wukro, especially in small and micro-enterprises, in addition to job opportunities anticipated in other parts of the region.

Where are we?

Become a volunteer or visit us in Wukro

Come to know Wukro, the Tigray and Ethiopia through our projects. You can come as a volunteer or spend a few days as a visitor during your vacation.
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