Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Ethiopia
A Business Idea Born from Necessity
In the heart of Bahir Dar, a quiet revolution was taking place not in government offices or city boardrooms, but in the home of Meaza Abebe, a 39-year-old mother of two. With rising inflation and a husband laid off from a government cleaning job, Meaza had to turn her home kitchen into a livelihood.
“I started making injera for neighbors to make ends meet,” she recalls. “Then they started asking for more and even restaurants came asking.”
That spark gave birth to a dream: opening a small-scale food preparation and delivery business focused on nutritious, affordable meals for local workers and students.
But like many women across Africa, Meaza faced barriers: no collateral for a bank loan, no financial records, and little formal business knowledge. Her idea though viable was slowly dying for lack of fuel.
Rise Fund Global Sparks a Flame
In early 2024, Meaza discovered Rise Fund Global’s Micro-Enterprise Grant program through a WhatsApp group run by a local women’s cooperative. With support from her regional councilor and a community development officer, she submitted her proposal.
Within weeks, she was shortlisted and received:
- A $15,000 startup grant
- A 6-month business mentorship with a food entrepreneur in Addis Ababa
- Free bookkeeping tools and training through a Rise Fund partner NGO
The Outcome: 5 Employees, 200 Meals a Day
Today, Meaza’s kitchen is a certified micro-enterprise registered with Bahir Dar City Council. She now employs three local women three single mothers and two school dropout and prepares over 500 meals a day for nearby offices, boda drivers, and primary schools.
“With Rise Fund Global’s support, I didn’t just start a business I built a team. And now, our meals feed working people who can’t afford restaurants.”
Scaling Women’s Economic Power
Meaza’s story is just one of over 600 funded entrepreneurs in 2024, with special focus on:
- Women-led initiatives in food, crafts, tech, and health
- Youth entrepreneurs under 35 in South Sudan, Rwanda, Ghana, and Sierra Leone
- Informal workers transitioning into formal structures
“You Funded More Than a Business You Funded My Future.”
Meaza’s final words to our field team capture the spirit of the program: “I am now a registered taxpayer, a mentor to my own workers, and a mother who can send her daughter to school.”
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