Most women in rural Ethiopia have limited opportunities to earn a living. They generally have fewer assets than men and have difficulty getting credit to set up small businesses. Banks aren't easily inaccessible as they are located far away in towns and cities and can charge exorbitant banking fees.

To give women a safe place to save their money, access small loans and obtain emergency insurance, CARE established the Village Savings and Loans Scheme. The scheme has two components: it's a social fund where members contribute a fixed amount each fortnight that can be used for expenses such as funeral expenses, school fees or hospital costs. The other component is a savings and loan fund where members save and loan to each other at interest. The interest accrued from the loans is divided among the members at the end of the year.

Birtukan Husien, a wife and mother of three, was trained in financial management and planning by CARE's local partner SOS Sahel. With CARE's help she established a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) with some of her neighbours.

Loan associations are largely self-managed and do not receive external capital. Under the CARE-supported program, village agents are trained to help form and educate village savings and loan clubs and coach members in income-generating activities. Training in numeracy and reading skills is also part of the package offered to members.

'I started a small business by taking a 300 Ethiopian Birr [A$18] loan from the VSLA in January 2013 as working capital,' says Birtukan. 'Then I started trading in maize flour, buying the flour from a town, and selling it in my local market. I usually purchase and sell 3100-kilogram bags a week. The purchase price is 280 Birr [A$17] and I sell it for 320 Birr [A$19], with gross profits of 40 Birr [A$2.4] per bag.'

Thanks to the association, Birtukan did not have to go to local moneylenders, who typically charge interest rates of 100 per cent. 'The VSLA saved me from paying such large amounts of interest. I can use the income to cover the expenses of my children's schooling, their clothes, and for their meal at the school. I could soon also be able to cover our household expenses,' she says.

Birtukan is a great example of the program's transformative potential and one of the many women benefitting from the AACES program. Her future looks bright. 'I have a plan to expand the business again because there is a good demand in the area,' she says. 'I will buy another donkey to increase sales two-fold.'