With the support of World Vision, this struggling farmer escaped the cycle of poverty and is now using his success to help others.

March 2009

By Jessie Lester, World Vision U.S., and Aklilu Kassaye, World Vision Ethiopia

As Bezalem Dinku surveys his orchard, he is pleased to announce that the days of struggling to survive are behind him.

“Desperation and fret, which humiliated my family personally for years, have left,” says this father of three. In their place, Bezalem found delight and prosperity. And it all began with the starts for 10 apple trees.

The burden of poverty

Bezalem once farmed simple cereal crops, such as wheat, which supplied a meager yearly income of $330 U.S. This small amount of money wasn’t enough to cover his family’s basic needs, and Bezalem was always worrying about how he would provide food and clothes for his young children.

At times, desperation forced Bezalem to borrow money at 30-percent interest, just to have enough to get by. Trying to pay these loans back made survival more difficult, yet Bezalem had no other options.

When World Vision first began working in his community, Bezalem was stuck in a relentless cycle of poverty, with no hopes of improving his situation. “[We] were regular victims of poverty. We shouldered all the burdens that poverty could bear and went through countless ups and downs of life,” he recalls.

Unexpected success

But Bezalem does not feel like a victim anymore, thanks to World Vision, who empowered him to overcome poverty. With 10 apple rootstocks and agricultural training, Bezalem began an apple plantation that has been more successful than he could have imagined.

World Vision showed Bezalem how to multiply the rootstocks through layering, and after two years of cultivation, he had enough rootstocks and apple cutlets to sell. His first sale brought in $1,000 U.S. — far more than he was expecting. Six months later, his second sale generated more than twice that much.

This money allowed Bezalem to pay off his debts and begin securing a more stable future. “The income I collected from the two round sales avoided all my family problems and invited me for further hardworking,” he says.

Opportunity for improvement

World Vision’s simple gift opened up a door of opportunity for Bezalem, who quickly took initiative to expand his business. He invested in a water pump, which allowed him to grow crops over a wider patch of land and provide employment for three other people. In two harvests, Bezalem earned $23,000 U.S. — an amount that would have taken him 35 years to make in his previous cereal business.

For Bezalem’s family, this means that the days of going hungry and worrying about how to meet basic needs are over. His three children are well fed, attend the best school in the area, and are finally able to dream about the future.

Helping others succeed

And the future looks increasingly bright, as Bezalem’s hard work continues to pay off. He recently built a new home that, in addition to housing his family, gives him rooms he can rent out. Bezalem is also growing eucalyptus trees and constructing more buildings to rent. His thriving businesses supply employment opportunities for his neighbors, and he shares his agricultural knowledge so that others can have successful plantations as well.

Bezalem once felt helpless, but because of the assistance he received, he is able to provide for himself and be a blessing to others. “I was weak and unable to stand on my feet, but with [the] stretched hand of World Vision support, I am able to walk with my feet and [be a] source of income for the others too,” he says.