Zewdnesh's story
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Meet Zewdnesh
"My name is Zewdnesh and I am 26 years-old. I have a son who is eight years old." Zewdnesh is a member of a frankincense enterprise project in her village, ran by Tree Aid's partner organisation SUNARMA.
Through the project she has learned how to earn an income from her local frankincense forest while protecting it so that it is around for many years to come. Now she is confident that she can build a better future for her son.
Before the project
"Before the introduction of the project into the area, we didn't have sufficient materials to produce and collect frankincense. We lacked training on how to tap the trees and we also struggled to get a proper market to sell our products."
As a result, frankincense tappers came from other regions and the trees were often damaged. This also meant that Zewdnesh's community were unable to protect the frankincense forest, or to earn an income from it.
Since joining the project
“The project delivered materials and training to support the local communities. For those who engage in frankincense collection, their livelihood has been improved.”
Since joining the project, Zewdnesh says that, “the forest resources are being cared for properly and we are using them efficiently”. This means that their local forest will be protected and can thrive, providing benefits to her community for many generations to come.
Looking to the future
As well as learning how to use her local forest to provide for her family, she now knows how to protect it and ensure it is around for her children's future. She said, “We are benefiting a lot from this project and my life is getting better and better”.
When talking about her son, Zewdnesh said “I am working hard to save money for him and educate him to give him a better chance for the future."
