IIRR

A powerful reminder that when young people, especially women, are given the skills, support, and opportunity to lead, even long-standing cultural barriers can transform into pathways for livelihoods, dignity, and lasting community resilience.

Since 2024, the Mass Youth Employment in Apiculture (MaYEA) program, led by IIRR and partners, has been transforming Ethiopia’s beekeeping sector while creating opportunities for young people, especially women. Beyond increasing honey production, the program is breaking long-standing cultural barriers.

Bayde Wole, a mother of seven from South Omo, is one of the women whose life has changed through MaYEA. In her community, women were once forbidden from beekeeping. Through dialogue with elders and hands-on training, that taboo was lifted.

Today, Bayde runs her own beekeeping business, has expanded her livelihood with a bank-supported loan, and is part of a growing movement of Hamer women becoming professional beekeepers.

In just two years, thousands of women have stepped into opportunities once denied to them, proving that when tradition meets innovation, communities thrive and the future shines brighter.

Read more impact stories on our website
https://iirr.org/project-impact-stories/

🐝 Born Again Through Opportunity: Abraham’s Story

At 26, Abraham Abebe Haile from Kafa Zone, Southwest Ethiopia, once dreamed of becoming an athlete. At age 12, a tragic dog bite left him paralyzed in both legs, ending that dream. Still, Abraham refused to give up. From farming coffee and spices to raising chickens and building traditional beehives, he kept moving forward.

In 2024, hope truly returned when he joined the MaYEA Program, which supports youth, including persons with disabilities. After receiving training in apiculture, livestock, and entrepreneurship, Abraham grew from three handmade beehives to 25 active beehives and eight sheep, supported by a loan of 87,000 birr.

Today, Abraham dreams of engaging other youth, especially those with disabilities, to grow together and one day export honey.

“What has happened in my life feels like being born again.”

The MaYEA Program, led by IIRR and locally implemented by MELCA Ethiopia, continues to turn resilience into opportunity.

Read more impact stories on our website https://iirr.org/project-impact-stories/

Strong communities are built by people who know how to listen, learn, and lead together.

Through IIRR's Global Learning Program (GLP), practitioners from across the Global South, local officials, NGO workers, educators, and community leaders, gain practical skills to tackle real development challenges in their own communities.

GLP trainings are hands-on and field-based. Participants visit project sites, learn from one another, and co-create solutions they can put into practice right away. The program emphasizes quality, efficiency, and effectiveness, regularly reviewing how training translates into meaningful action on the ground.

So far, GLP has:

> Trained 12,700+ practitioners
> Delivered 620+ training courses
> Supported 370+ organizations

By strengthening people, not just projects, GLP helps ensure development efforts are more sustainable, inclusive, and impactful over the long term.

Learn more and get involved:
https://iirr.org/learn-with-us/

In many rural schools, learning is shaped not only by textbooks and teachers, but by access to basic health infrastructure.

According to global health agencies, proper handwashing with soap can reduce diarrheal disease by up to 40% and respiratory infections by around 20%, two of the leading causes of absenteeism among young children. Yet in many low-resource school settings, handwashing facilities remain limited or absent.

Through IIRR’s Clean Hands, Bright Futures initiative, schools in Cambodia are being equipped with durable, low-cost handwashing stations built from locally available materials, paired with practical hygiene education led by teachers.

Students don’t just learn what to do, they learn why it matters. Daily handwashing becomes a shared routine of care that protects health, supports consistent school attendance, and reinforces lifelong habits. These practices extend beyond the classroom as children bring new behaviors home, influencing families and strengthening community health.

Sometimes, the most transformative investments are also the simplest, because healthy children learn better, and healthy habits last a lifetime.