From Tullamore Credit Union to Ethiopia - a bond forged in hope

As part of the Tullamore Credit Union 60th anniversary celebrations in 2023, an initiative designed to spread the credit union message to a wider audience was proposed.

At the request of the business development team and approved by the Credit Union Board of Directors, a partnership was formed with Irish charity, Self Help Africa.

This partnership has given scores of women, across Africa and especially in some of Ethiopia’s most remote districts, access to savings and credit for the first time through local savings and credit cooperatives. Low-interest loans, supported by a donation on behalf of the members of Tullamore Credit Union, are helping mothers in rural Ethiopia feed their families, grow their farms and send their children to school.

Within months, an initial ‘revolving fund’ of €10,000 (600,000 Ethiopian Birr) provided by Tullamore CU has helped women co-operatives grow by more than 60 percent, with families predominantly led by young people and women generating more than 1.3 million Ethiopian Birr in income. With new access to funds, they have been able to buy hundreds of sheep as well as cows, boosting their income potential and resilience.

“Sometimes, all someone needs is a chance. This partnership has offered that chance to be seen, to be supported, to be self-reliant and it is a bond forged in hope from Tullamore to Ethiopia,” Clara man Ronan Scully, who works with Self Help Africa, said.

Participants were selected carefully, prioritising female-headed households, young people, and those living in poverty. Almost all were already members of local credit and savings co-operatives, and the majority (85 percent) had previously taken loans for business activity.

The aim is to expand the partnership, improving more people’s market access and creating a sustainable system for the farming families’ economic independence.

For Tullamore Credit Union, the partnership is not about charity but investing in ambition.

“At the heart of the credit union movement is a belief in people helping people. We are proud to stand beside these communities, not as donors, but as partners in progress. It’s humbling to see how our small support can unlock such strength and dignity,” Caroline Collins Murphy, Deputy CEO of Tullamore Credit Union, said.

This is only the beginning. With continued support and improved training, the vision is to expand this model and to deepen the impact, improve market access, and create lasting systems for economic independence.

Together, Self Help Africa and Tullamore Credit Union are not only helping people save and grow. They are restoring dignity, sparking entrepreneurship, and cultivating a legacy of resilience and self-belief in places the world too often forgets.

If you would like to support the work of Self Help Africa and for further details of the charity's work go to www.selfhelpafrica.org and also see details of the work of Tullamore Credit Union at www.tullamorecu.ie.