Partners of HOPE

While our focus will always be on assisting communities around the world to break out of the cycle of poverty. Without our partners in the field, our continuous effort to helping the neglected poor become self-reliant would not be attainable. This month we would like to highlight the moments and provide a deeper understanding of their roles and the impact they have made for communities in Ethiopia and Cambodia.

We are pleased to introduce our dedicated partners;

• Wosen Girma , Project Coordinator, Ethiopia
  
• Abebayehu Sapa , Community Mobilizer, Ethiopia
  

and

• Kim Soth , Micro Credit Officer, Cambodia
  
• Sem Kim Leng , Project Officer, Cambodia
  

Each one of them have taken the time to share their stories and portray their unified vision of taking the next step towards self-reliance for communities in Ethiopia and Cambodia.

HOPE Ethiopia
Project Coordinator

Please tell us why you joined HOPE.
HOPE works in particularly remote areas, in areas that often don’t receive any help. I really liked HOPE’s mission to work in such areas, and having seen the results of other projects, I really wanted to work here.

Please explain your role.
I first started as a community mobilizer in one of the project areas for two years. I now work as the Project Coordinator. All together, including ongoing and new projects, by the end of this year I will be overseeing five projects. My main responsibilities include the supervision of staff, handling paperwork for each project and coordinating with all the relevant government offices.

What do you find challenging?
In southern Ethiopia, data made available by the regional government offices and other organizations is poor as there aren’t many studies and surveys conducted in our project areas. Therefore it is difficult to share accurate information with the HOPE network and its supporters. While there is data available on the national level, there is not much statistical data in southern Ethiopia which makes it difficult for us to set clear targets.

What do you find rewarding about your job?
As a student, I studied public health and sanitation. I work a lot at my desk most of the time but occasionally I visit the villages to conduct training sessions on hygiene and sanitation. I have acquired a lot of knowledge through my studies and experience, and seeing people really benefiting from what I share makes it worth it.

Hope Ethiopia
Community Mobilizer

Please tell us why you joined HOPE.
I joined because I learnt that HOPE gives courage and hope to those suffering poverty, by sharing good practices and knowledge and also empowering people economically.

Please explain your role.
As a Community Mobilizer, it is my job to make sure that the project is progressing smoothly, by facilitating cooperation between the villagers and HOPE. The literacy rate in my area is very low. So together with support from the locals, we organize educational sessions to teach them to read and write. I also handle household surveys after the training sessions. I make sure that the knowledge shared through our training sessions are practiced, and conduct follow ups until the imparted knowledge sticks.

What is challenging?
Most of the villagers cannot read and write. So it is hard to teach them new ideas, and to have them change their thinking and adopt new habits. It is also a challenge to train them to continue practicing and maintaining the skills and knowledge we’ve imparted so they can be self-reliant after we leave.

What do you find rewarding about your job?
I also grew up in a poor, rural village. My parents enabled me to go to school and now our lives have improved significantly, but I also know what it is like to be one of the impoverished villagers as I’ve experienced many similar hardships. So to be able to help people who I can relate to and see their lives improve makes it worth it.

HOPE Cambodia

Please tell us your work history prior to joining HOPE.
I was working on agricultural projects at the Agricultural Dept in Pursat Province, when my friend told me about HOPE. I thought that it would help me make the most of my experience, so I decided to join in 2003.

Please describe your role.
When I joined HOPE, I started with the water and sanitation & hygiene projects, but since 2006, I’ve been working with our micro-credit program.

What has been challenging about your job?
Microcredit was a new program for us, so it was difficult to understand how best to procure good results. In the initial stages, everything from making the most out of the information we were able to gather and the best way to convey information was a challenge.

What do you find rewarding about your job?
Over time, bit by bit you can see the changes that are being made in people’s lives. This really makes the job worth it above all else.

HOPE Cambodia

Please tell us your work history prior to joining HOPE.
Just as with So (Kim), I worked at the Pursat Province’s Agricultural Dept until 1998.

Please describe your role.
I work in the water and sanitation and health program, and these days I also work as the assistant to Ly, the Country Director

What has been challenging about your job?
When I first joined HOPE, the water and sanitation program was quite new. Starting everything from scratch was difficult, but the most difficult was how best to communicate information to people. It may be a given to many of us, but it was very difficult to explain to the villagers who have always relied on rain water, puddle water and river water the dangers of using these unsafe water sources. However the local government officers that supported our projects also stepped in to help educate the locals, and now past beneficiaries of our programs also reach out to new beneficiaries and support them by sharing their newly acquired information. This has helped to really make our work progress more smoothly.

What do you find rewarding about your job?
Seeing people’s lives change over the long term is really rewarding. The people that I work with in the villages are like family to me now.
The most memorable episode was with Li-Han. He was a former beneficiary of HOPE’s work, who together with his mother received a HOPE well. Back then, they were living in extreme poverty and it must have been very difficult for the two of them to survive, but she still sent him to school. I remember him from when he was running around naked around a HOPE well. Now he works here with us.

The strong commitment from our HOPE partners around the world have supported our projects and enabled us to provide clean water for life to thousands of people in Pursat, Cambodia and Southern Ethiopia. If you are interested in learning more about our projects, please click here.