Gulele/Addis Ababa

Gulele has three local units so far. WHAE focused mainly on firewood carriers in Woreda 6 mainly called Chefe and Meketeya, in Gulele sub-city The first and third local units were trained in weaving and started their own weaving facility with the investment from WHAE. Now these local units are working with leading designers in Ethiopia, including Paradise Design and their products have been featured in international markets, including at the Nobel Peace Prize souvenir shop while the Prime Minister was receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2019 in Oslo, Norway.

The second group, after receiving all the health programs, is now involved in 100% wool Carpet Making. This group has been making its high quality carpets for more than 5 years but marketing the products has been a challenge. So in addition to carpet making, WHAE invested in creating a self-help group so that the women can start their own small businesses to supplement their incomes.

Weaving Group

Weaving group earns more money than some groups in other regions. The women are paid by the number of scarves, curtains, and tablecloths they produce. They have also been trained in embroidery to fetch in additional income. Weaving group has been linked to Paradise Fashion and sells scarves to the designer which brings them an additional income.

Girls Mentorship

The mentoring program for girls run by Gulele has 42 participants. Because of the program's strength, in addition to never having dropouts, WHAE makes it possible for girls who want to continue their studies at the university and opens doors for others to pursue vocational training. When participants leave the program, whether it's because they've started university education or found employment, WHAE replaces them with new program participants.

Male Engagement

Gulele also has a male engagement program which currently targets young participants and the program offers quarterly trainings on peace, puberty and parental responsibilities, civility and volunteerism.