Success Stories & Impact

"Now, We Are Human Too" — The Voice of the Mena Families

Mena Family with their livestock

“Before SEED, we only saw ourselves as clay diggers. But now… we are farmers, savers, mothers and fathers, and above all, we are human beings.”

This transformation cannot be measured in numbers alone. It is seen in the smiles of children once excluded, in the pride of mothers who now walk to market with heads held high, and in the community gatherings where Mena families are no longer absent—but present, welcomed, and heard.         

“We have no words,” one father said softly. “But for the first time, we feel like we exist.” This is not just a story of success—it is a story of rebirth. Thanks to the SEED Project, the unseen has been seen, the forgotten remembered, and the rejected Accepted. 

"Now, We Are Human Too" — The Voice of the Mena Families

“We had no voice. No place. No worth. We were just the people they called ‘Mena’—not human, not neighbors, not even worthy of being seen. “These were the heart-wrenching words spoken by a mother from the Mena community, as she recalled the painful reality of life before the SEED (Social and Economic Empowerment of Discriminated) Project reached Loma Woreda.

For generations, Mena families lived on the margins of society—excluded, humiliated, and silenced. Though schools stood just a few meters from their homes, their children were too often kept away—not by distance, but by discrimination and shame. Children would come home crying, asking their parents:

“Why don’t we go to school like the others? Why do they call us Mama? Why won’t they play with us? Why can’t we go to church too? “As parents, they had no answers—only pain. They could neither give their children an explanation, nor protect them from the cruel isolation that came simply from being born into the Mena community. They were excluded from churches, social gatherings, burial grounds, and even community savings groups. To many, they were just “clay diggers”—nothing more.

But then SEED arrived—not just as a project, but as a lifeline. Through sustained awareness-raising, community dialogue, training for religious leaders and norm setters, the project began to chip away at deeply rooted stigma. 

It restored not only dignity—but hope. Today, that same mother speaks with tears of gratitude in her eyes: Now, our children carry exercise books and walk proudly to school with the other kids. They laugh, they play, they sit side by side. For the first time, they are not asked why they are ‘different.’ For the first time, they belong.”

The changes go beyond the classroom. Through income-generating activities, Mena families now own oxen, cows, and goats—assets they once believed were only for others. They have become members of self-help groups, saving, borrowing, and building dreams with others at the same table.

Restoring Dignity in Death—A Landmark Step Toward Social Inclusion Access

  • Limited opportunities for economic advancement and personal growth;
  • Social and economic marginalization, leading to exclusion from community life;
  • Lack of access to economic resources and inequitable social services;
  • Shortages of raw materials for traditional livelihoods such as pottery production, compounded by difficult transport conditions;
  • Minimal returns for intensive labor, especially among traditional artisans;
  • Widespread stigma and negative attitudes from mainstream communities; and
  • Persistent physical, verbal, and psychological harassment and abuse.

These issues were evident not only in economic settings but also in critical social spaces:

  • Schools, where children from marginalized groups faced bullying and neglect;
  • Churches, where exclusion and discrimination often went unchallenged;
  • Health services, which were either inaccessible or delivered with bias;
  • Markets and public meetings, where participation was restricted or discouraged;
  • Community economic groups, from which the marginalized were often left out.

This harsh reality called for more than short-term aid—it demanded a strategic and sustained response. Thus, with insight from the assessment and commitment from DKA Austria, ECC-SDCO/S developed the SEED Project: a comprehensive intervention to break the cycle of discrimination, promote economic empowerment, and foster inclusive social structures. What began as a vision rooted in justice and compassion is now a growing story of transformation. The preceding success stories reflect the tangible change that the SEED Project has brought to the lives of those once silenced and sidelined.

For generations, members of the Mena community, a historically discriminated minority group in Loma Woreda, were denied one of the most basic expressions of human dignity — the right to be buried alongside others in communal or church grounds. Deep-rooted social stigma, harmful cultural taboos, and entrenched discrimination forced Mena families to bury their loved ones in isolated areas, reinforcing their marginalization even in death.

This painful tradition began to change with the intervention of the SEED (Social and Economic Empowerment of Discriminated) Project, which made social inclusion and dignity for all a core focus of its mission.

Through strategic engagement with religious leaders, cultural elders, and community norm setters, the project carried out targeted awareness-raising sessions, community dialogues, and inclusive training workshops. These initiatives boldly challenged long-standing misconceptions and discriminatory norms—particularly those related to death rituals, burial grounds, and community belonging.

Religious institutions, particularly the Church, became active allies in promoting equality. Faith leaders who once passively upheld exclusionary customs became vocal advocates for unity and social justice. The transformation was profound: for the first time in living memory, members of the Mena community were buried inside church compounds alongside other community members.

This act symbolized far more than just shared burial space—it marked a deep healing of historical wounds and a powerful declaration that all human beings, regardless of background, deserve respect in both life and death.

Community members, including those outside the Mena group, expressed admiration and support for this breakthrough. As one elder stated during a community gathering:

“Now we see that the ground does not discriminate. We all return to the same earth. This is how God intended it to be.”

The success of this initiative has become a beacon of hope and a model of transformation for other communities struggling with similar exclusion. It stands as a testament to the power of awareness, inclusive dialogue, and persistent advocacy.

Thanks to the SEED Project, dignity has been restored, walls of division have begun to crumble, and a new chapter of unity has taken root in Loma Woreda

How is DKA Austria helping in Ethiopia

Initiation SEED (Social and Economic Empowerment of Discriminated) project 

The Social and Economic Empowerment of the Discriminated (SEED) Project was initiated by the Ethiopian Catholic Church – Soddo Catholic Secretariat (SCS) in response to the deep-rooted marginalization experienced by minority communities in Dawro Zone,Loma Woreda. Following an in-depth needs assessment conducted in May 2020, and with the generous support of DKA Austria, the SEED Project was born—designed as a transformative response to address the multi-layered challenges faced by the most excluded.

The assessment revealed a painful reality marked by:

  • A profound sense of voicelessness and invisibility within the wider community;