Risko Assefa, the dedicated Community-led Learning Project Leader at Vita in Ethiopia, has been at the forefront of transformative change for the past three years. From Vita’s recently constructed Arba Minch office in South Ethiopia, Risko’s efforts have focused on preserving the nearby forest’s natural beauty while empowering local communities. Speaking from the heart of 40 Springs within Nech Sar National Park, she and the team continue to champion sustainable development initiatives.

Innovative Food and Forest Solutions

The 40 Springs area, abundant with fish and surrounded by lush forest, is a critical resource for the local community. Preserving this natural wonder requires innovative solutions to longstanding problems. Risko and the Vita team have introduced improved cookstoves designed to reduce fuel consumption by 50%. These stoves conserve valuable forest resources and significantly improve women’s health and safety by reducing indoor air pollution and the risk of burns.

Gender Empowerment Through Practical Solutions

For the women in the community, these cookstoves are empowerment tools. Traditional cooking methods with three-stone fires demand excessive firewood and time, exposing women to smoke and limiting their ability to engage in other activities. The introduction of improved cookstoves has freed up valuable time, enabling women to pursue income-generating activities, care for their children, and further their education.

Risko shares a story of a local producer who, before the project, had no employment and spent her days caring for her family. Now, she manufactures improved cookstoves, earning an income and gaining respect within her community. Her story shows the transformative power of practical, community-driven solutions.

Building Better Futures

The impact of the cookstoves project extends beyond individual households. In one village, the community constructed a seven-kilometre road to facilitate the delivery of the stoves. This infrastructure development also enabled the construction of a previously stalled church and improved access to emergency services, such as ambulances for women in labour.

The project’s success is rooted in its community-led approach. Risko explains, “The community is in the driving seat, identifying problems and creating solutions with accessible materials. We at Vita act as facilitators, providing the necessary support to help them succeed.”

A Model for Sustainable Development

This model of community engagement and empowerment is more comprehensive than cookstoves. Risko envisions applying the same principles to address other challenges, such as agriculture and climate change. The key is collaboration and leveraging local knowledge and resources.

Women play a central role in this initiative. Women are at the heart of this project, from producing and distributing the stoves to benefiting from their use. The project ensures that no one is left behind by addressing the specific challenges women face.

A Brighter Future with Vita

Risko Assefa’s work with Vita showcases the power of community-led development. By harnessing local knowledge and resources and focusing on practical, sustainable solutions, she and the team are helping to create a brighter, more equitable future for all. Through their leadership, Vita’s projects preserve natural beauty and transform lives, one improved cookstove at a time.

In Risko’s words, “A woman is not born or made just to cook or to take care of her kids. Everyone can do that, but she has some value in her—something that she’s made of. She has to go out and catch that thing that makes her happy.” Her vision and dedication inspire and drive change in communities in Ethiopia.

Listen to Risko’s Vita Voices podcast episode at the following link: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/vitavoices/episodes/2024-08-22T01_35_34-07_00