Local partners

Kafa Forest Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
Partner |
The Kafa Forest Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union was established in March of 2004 and is comprised of 26 coffee cooperatives with nearly 6,632 smallholder farmer members. The union supplies Kafa Forest Coffee directly to markets around the world. It is engaged in processing and marketing sun-dried (unwashed) coffee for export. The union also sells spices, honey, pepper, and other non-timber products for local consumption. The union's objective is to increase farmer/member income through training, market promotion, assisting in the fair trade/organic certification process, and providing equipment to improve coffee quality. The Kafa Forest Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union has an operating area of 10 districts, which comprise the forest coffee areas located in the southwestern part of Ethiopia.

Liben Pastoralist Development Association
Partner |
The Liben Pastoralist Development Association is a non-governmental organization established in 2006 and operational in Liben district of the Oromia Region. The major objective of this organization is to alleviate social and economic problems that pastoralist communities encounter. Organizational aims of LPDA are informal basic education, human and livestock health, water development schemes and small-scale irrigation, conflict resolution among pastoral communities, capacity building and microfinance for women, lobbying and advocacy, early warning systems, and emergency intervention in pastoral areas.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Partner |
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) is federal government office that has formal government structures at regional, zonal and woreda levels and is responsible for the development of the country's agricultural sector as whole. MoARD aims to ensure the food security of the nation; to promote agricultural production, processing, and exports; to transfer new agricultural technologies and innovations to rural areas; and to train and develop human resources in the sector. Oxfam's partnership with MoARD was crucial to improving the lives and livelihoods of poor coffee farmers in Ethiopia.

Ministry of Federal Affairs
Partner |

Moyale Primary School
Partner |
Moyale primary school is a government school established in 1963 and administered under the Ministry of Education. The vision of the school is delivering quality education to both boys and girls in Moyale under the existing government education policy. In 2006 the enrollment at Moyale primary school was 1,263 boys and 963 girls in kindergarten through grade six. The students come from various ethnic backgrounds.

Oromia Pastoral Area Development Commission
Partner |
Oromia Pastoral Area Development Commission (OPaDC) was established in 2002/03 as a commission responsible for the development of the pastoral areas in Oromia National Regional State. Its mission is to bring about people-centered integrated and sustainable developments that harness the knowledge, experiences, and culture of the community to contribute to the improvement of livelihoods in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities. In support of this effort Oxfam funded the Dhakat small-scale irrigation scheme in the Chobi Abbaya locality to harvest flood water for both supplementary and dry-season irrigation. OPaDC supervises all development schemes for the effectiveness of the envisioned development in these areas. It has established a project office, Oromia Pastoral Community Development Project (OPCDP), which runs and supervises the implementation of the diverse projects in selected pastoralist districts in the Oromia Regional State.

Oromia Pastoralist Association
Partner |
The Oromia Pastoralist Association (OPA) is a non-profit organization established to enable pastoralist elders to play an active role in the debate and policy processes that affect pastoralist life, and to make proactive efforts for pastoralist issues to get recognized by the government and other development agencies. The organization's mission is to facilitate better learning and sharing of information with pastoralists about their rights, to mobilize pastoral resources, and to work with the government to fully appreciate herding as an important livelihood system and way of life for a majority of the population in the lowlands of the region. Under its peace keeping project, Oxfam supported OPA to enhance and safeguard the peaceful coexistence among the people in the region by strengthening local capacities for conflict resolution.

Oromiya Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
Partner |
Coffee makes up about 60 percent of the export income for Ethiopia. It is produced by small-holder farmers. The Oromiya Coffee Farmers Cooperatives Union, which is comprised of 115 cooperatives with 100,000 members, was established in 1999 to produce quality coffee and export it to international markets. Since the union's establishment, Oxfam America has been technically supporting it to get access to the international market through the fair trade system and assisting with the certification process for producing organic coffee.

Oromo Grass Root Development Initiatives
Partner |
HUNDEE-Oromo Grassroots Development initiative is a registered indigenous membership non-governmental organization mandated to provide development assistance and human rights education to resource poor communities in Oromia National Regional State. HUNDEE maintains developmental relationships with local communities through its five decentralized area offices operational in North, West and East Shewa and Bale Administrative Zones. The organization prmotoes community cereal banks and networks, integrated community environmental protection and education, provision of modest economic support to destitute older persons and women-headed households, community sensitization on women's right, gender equity and community awareness raising on HIV/AIDs. Oxfam's partnership with HUNDEE addresses the well-being of children in four localities of Chaliya district of Oromia regional state.

Oromo Self-Help Organization
Partner |
The Oromo Self-Help Organization (OSHO) is a non-profit, non-political, and non-religious humanitarian organization founded in 1999 with the aim of contributing to relief, rehabilitation, and development efforts in the Oromia region. Since its establishment, OSHO has been engaged in the implementation of relief, rehabilitation, and development activities. The organizational aims of OSHO are environmental protection, improved agricultural practices, water development and water resource management, pastoralist development, relief and rehabilitation, and social development intervention.

Oromo Self Reliance Association
Partner |
The Oromo Self Reliance Association was established in 1995 to help poor rural communities bring about sustainable socioeconomic development and a better quality of life through implementing integrated rural development projects in the Oromia region. OSRA's programs focus on the provision of clean drinking water, protection of the environment, income diversification, and the promotion of cereal bank associations and microfinance initiatives.

Relief Society of Tigray
Partner |
REST, Relief Society of Tigray, was established in 1978 to serve the needs of the people in the liberated areas of Tigray during the civil war and the Tigrayan refugees in Sudan. Today, REST is the largest operational non-governmental organization in the Tigray region implementing a wide range of relief, rehabilitation, and development programs. REST envisions a poverty-free and food-secure society in Tigray. The operational components of REST are food security and relief, environmental rehabilitation, gender equity, income diversification, and HIV/AIDS prevention.

Research Center for Civic and Human Rights Education
Partner |
Research Center for Civic and Human Right Education (RCCHE) is a legally registered, non-partisan, secular membership organization established by a group of civic educators in August 1997. The general assembly of all members is the highest organ of authority. Membership is open to all ethnic and social groups, and at present there are 1,000 members composed of Oromo, Amahara, Somali, Gurage, Afar, and other ethnic groups. There is a board of directors elected by the general assembly for a period of three years. The board is responsible for overall activities and provides guidelines and policy directions for the organization. The executive committee, which is led by the executive director, is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the organization. RCCHE has 20 staff members (14 men and 6 women) and five field offices.

Rift Valley Children and Women Development Association
Partner |
Rift Valley Children and Women Development Association is a non-profit, non-governmental, and secular development organization established in 1993. The organization is primarily concerned with promotion of the welfare of the poor, particularly children and women, who are the most vulnerable groups of the society and constitute 47percent and 27percent of the population of the area respectively. RCWDA's mission is to contribute to the establishment of a productive, sustainable, and self-governing healthy society.

Selam Environmental Development Association
Partner |
Selam Environmental Development Association (SEDA) was founded in 1992 as a non-profit, non-political, and non-governmental organization devoted to ensuring sustainable environmental and human development in Ethiopia through a participatory and integrated development approach. SED launched its first intervention in 1995 in specific Rift Valley areas where environmental degradation was the most critical problem. Prior to that, SEDA was involved in building the awareness of influential community members about the severity of environmental degradation and SEDA's plan for rehabilitation. As a result, the community, having been initiated in the program, has contributed its land where SEDA carries out environment and household food security projects.

Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
Partner |
The Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (SCFCU) was founded in 2001 and is comprised of 42 member co-ops representing 86,675 smallholders in the Sidama zone. The members of SCFCU produce shade-grown coffee in garden settings, which is the most favorable ecological condition. SCFCU provides services in the form of developing producer/buyer linkages, warehouse space, promotion of the coffee, training and education programs, and saving and credit services. SCFCU members produce about 35,000 tons of organic Arabica beans per year, with eight of the member co-ops registered by the Fair Trade Labeling Organization.

SIIQQEE Women's Development Association
Partner |
SIQQEE Women's Development Association (SWDA) is a secular, Ethiopian-registered nongovernmental organization. It was established on July 16, 1997, and aspires to see a country where gender equality prevails, and women are economically, politically, and socially empowered. SWDA was founded by a single mother from Addis Ababa who desired not only to try and make women's lives easier by helping them within their given gender roles, but to implement a grassroots effort to foster social change by empowering women to challenge unequal gender roles and exercise their civil liberties. SWDA's mission is to enable poor women to have equitable access to and control over resources. SWDA also assists socially and economically marginalized women in their self-help effort through the provision of individual and collective supportive services, creating an enabling environment for women to know and exercise their human rights. Oxfam works with SWDA to empower the "Kenaf Kebele" women and youth as well as maintain and protect the environment which will ultimately serve to secure sustainable livelihoods.