With the experience of working as a social worker for the government and other NGO’s, Bezalign Arega found Nigat Community Development Association/NCDA/ in 2011. It is based in the town of Dessie (400km from Addis Abeba) in the north-ethiopian in South Wollo, Amhara region. Projects are started and supported throughout the South Wollo Region. Those vary from education, work with the youth, care o
f physically and mentally disabled, female (rights), fight of HIV/AIDS,awareness on impacts of Harmful practices,Family planning.etc. Despite the small size of personal, Nigat has grown to a meaningful NGO and gained a great reputation in the Kebele of Dessie (city council) and the communities in which they operate. Their work managed to improve the life of many families and effectively fought unemployment, lack of education and health issues. The cooperation with the officials and the great support of foreign non-profit and non-governmental organizations like “Pfefferminz Green” and “Aethiopienhilfe Freinsheim” widen out the effectiveness and range greatly. NCDA focuses on the top needy and listens to the problems of the people and decide together with them what they need to escape their poor situation and how they can reach a better life. These are some examples of current projects:
Income Generating Activities (IGA):
In this project, poor families express their own vision of a better life; to realize it they receive a micro credit. It gives them the opportunity to start off a business and earn their own income. A committee with members of the community from various positions decides who is getting the IGAs. The needy then decide together with experts and the social workers of Nigat what kind of business they want to start. Depending on their economical skills and their ability to pay the credit back, it can vary from a livestock breeding to holding a small shop. For example sheep are bought for the families and as they reproduce, the new animals are given to another needy family, so that other members of the community may profit from the program. The participants are also trained for the certain activity, they’ll go after. School support:
Ethiopia ratified all children to school /Education for all/ So NCDA has been supporting Needy OVCsin Uniforms,School Feeding programs,Stationery,so long as it has great Contribution to bring them to school. As a key to escape from poverty, Nigat supports a number of schools in different ways. For example books and uniform supplies, feeding of the students or special material for blind schools,making latrines to schools in need etc...
Bee Keeping:
It is the first project of Nigat Community Development Association. On a piece of land received by the local council, thirty unemployed, partly affected by HIV/AIDS, partly former drug addicts, started out with 28 hives. The project gained a high reputation and many farmers began to learn the manual work, too. Therefore a quite big Bee Keeping was also found in Gerado and Tita. Honey can be harvested twice a year and the bee colonies expand by themselves. The selling of the honey is profitable for the workers and the project expands, which makes it almost self-perpetuating. Blind and Deaf in Wogdie:
In Wogdie, 181km from Gerado, Nigat runs a program for blind and deaf students. It is one of the only facilities for such disabled pupils to get an education, outside of the capital Addis Abeba. Around 50 students attend the same classes with non-disabled students. Besides the regular teachers, trained personality attends, to support the needs of the blind and deaf students. They get additional education in Braille and sign language, as well as in the use of white canes, in order to simplify the challenges they face in their everyday life. After their graduation, many students participate as teachers for the next generation. In a country where disabled people are often kept at home and face discrimination, this program is a big step towards their exception and even caused a high respect of blind and deaf people in the area around Wogdie. Youth Centers:
In 2011 the Nigat Community Development Association started the construction of the Tita Youth Center. In an area where unemployment is high and the life of the youth is often committed to drugs, prostitution and begging, the TYC gets young people off the street and offers them an opportunity to receive education, do physical activities and connect to other youngsters. For that social workers, nurses and teachers offer girls clubs, drama, and run several sport teams. The facilities are now also used for English, computer classes and agricultural workshops for adults. Cooperating with the close by Priary School, NCDA also set up a library, equipped with a number of books and computers. The Youth center is a hot spot for the community of Tita where you find people enjoying different activities from the early morning until the night. In Gerado the construction of another youth center was finished on an even bigger compound, where a similar spectrum of activities will take place, as well as the ‘Community Conversation Programms’ (CCP). Important topics, like HIV/AIDS, home based care, voluntary counseling and testing or female ge***al mutilation are discussed. The participants get a certificate at the end of the course. Feel free to contact us for further information or if you have any questions. We would love to help you!
