In the mountainous highlands of northern Ethiopia, sheep rearing is helping vulnerable single mothers and widows lift themselves out of poverty. Both bountiful and sturdy, sheep are a valuable asset that can be a powerful springboard for new income streams, as well as a safety net that can be sold to raise cash in times of need. Tihras Zenebe is one of the many women who has thrived since receiving a “sheep package” from Farm Africa.

For many years, Tihras lived a decent life, with a healthy income and happy children. Her situation became precarious after her husband died in 1998, leaving her to provide for her five children alone. In dire economic straits, Tihras started working as a day labourer on a large farm to make ends meet. This in turn prove problematic, as nobody was on hand to look after her children. Her children often missed school because they were hungry or couldn't afford the necessary school supplies.

After being selected to take part in Farm Africa's sheep rearing project, Tihras received three pregnant sheep and training on how to care for them. Her hard work nurturing her sheep paid off as her flock grew. "To my pleasure, the sheep gave birth to four and I transferred three of them to another woman a year after their birth as I had promised to do."

"I currently have nine sheep including the three I received from Farm Africa. I have sold 23 sheep so far and have bought a cow and chickens from the sale of the sheep." Tihras credits Farm Africa's long-term support as crucial to her success, "Farm Africa's community facilitators initially organised three-day training on goat and sheep husbandry. After I received the sheep, they visited me regularly and advised me on how to build a clean shelter for the animals, to have them vaccinated and other important things I didn't know before."

Drought hit Tigray hard in 2016, causing widespread food insecurity. Historically, women's socio-economic position in Tigray made them more vulnerable to drought and other weather extremes. Tihras' hardy sheep flock proved to be a boon: unlike the majority of people living in her community, Tihras didn't have to rely entirely on government support to survive the drought. "During this time, I received animal feed from the government, but I also sold some of the sheep and bought grain for family consumption."

The goat and sheep rearing scheme was part of Farm Africa’s Sustainable Agriculture for Improved Food Security project, which was funded by Irish Aid and the UK Department for International Development.