Perspectives June 2016 | Page 15

“I am making more money than ever before. I can provide better for my children. I’m also feeding Supermoms to my sons who would not take porridge before.” Students and faculty then competed in a quiz contest on nutrition, with GUTS products as prizes. Similar campaigns targeted low-income neighborhoods in Dessie. Likie is not only about nutrition, but is also about empowering women. Likie Ladies are provided with uniforms, branded bags, and a modified bicycle to transport their goods door-to-door. They receive training, business support, and stocks on credit. Fifty Likie Ladies are currently active countrywide, and nearly all report that business is booming. One of them is Elsa Kebede, who has a degree in nursing and runs the Likie business on the side. Her sales have totaled more than $1,000 in less than two months. For GUTS Agro, Likie is more than a distribution network. It’s also a way to help improve health and nutrition among the poor while empowering budding women entrepreneurs to create new businesses with very low startup costs. One of the Likie Ladies, Zeiba, sums up her experience: “I am making more money than ever before. I can provide better for my children. I’m also feeding Supermoms to my sons who would not take porridge before.” 14