An Ethiopian Village Shares Work, Earnings, Successfully

11/08/2013

Awra Amba, Ethiopia

From VOA Learning English this is As It Is.

I’m Caty Weaver.

Today we’ll share some interesting business news from sub-Saharan Africa.

We go to Nigeria, where electricity is sometimes hard to find. Some villagers have turned the problem into a money-making situation.

But first, we look at the cooperative economy that is helping a village in Ethiopia succeed.

A Cooperative Economy in Rural Ethiopia

Awra Amba is different from other rural Ethiopian villages in its beliefs, education levels and general development. It operates under cooperative economic policies.

Christopher Cruise reports that efforts are being made to see if the system that has been successful there could work in other parts of rural Ethiopia.

Awra Amba is a small northern village of about 500 people. It was established in the early 1970s by Zumra Nuru, who was seeking a new way of life. The village operates on a philosophy based on equality and working for the good of the community.

Government officials and development organizations are trying to learn why the village is successful.

Zumra Nuru says he knows why. He says it is because everyone works for each other. He says all of the members of the cooperative believe they are working toward the same goal.