Women power for Lake Tana

Sustainable jobs and circular economy for people and nature

“Lake Tana is the source of my life.” We hear this answer again and again, whenever we ask people living in the Tana watershed: What does the lake mean to you? It is also Selam Desta’s and Amasaya Getahun’s answer. The two women work in concert with NABU Ethiopia on behalf of the nature surrounding Ethiopia’s largest freshwater lake.

Lake Tana: An imperfect idyll

The extensive wetlands and inflows of Lake Tana represent half of Ethiopia’s freshwater resources. They provide the livelihoods for more than 200 million people in Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan. Migrating cranes find a place to rest in the wet meadows surrounding the lake, and a patient observer can glimpse hippos gliding through the water at twilight, while on the shore, a family celebration unfolds. The lives of the local people revolve around the lake.

But there are cracks running through this seemingly idyllic vision. Selam Desta, who is from Ethiopia herself, knows this well. She lives 50 kilometres to the north of the lakeshore, in Gondar, a city in the mountainous Amhara Region. The biggest threats for Lake Tana and its watershed are the spread of water hyacinths, the introduction of waste and contamination into the lake, and the development of new infrastructure, especially buildings, along the shore. “Through the water hyacinths and environmental pollution, we have significantly fewer fish in the lake”, reports Amasaya Getahun. She too lives in Gondar.

Due to the clearcutting of natural forests in the watershed and the inadequate regulation of waste and sewage management, the amount of water in the lake has also dwindled and the quality of the water is suffering.

Surviving and thriving: Recycling jobs for local women

As of late, Desta and Getahun have been doing their part for the survival of Lake Tana. Desta possesses a bachelor’s degree in management, but like many in the region, struggled for a long time to find a position. Today, she leads the new paper recycling centre in Gondar. Getahun also works here, as Desta’s deputy and one of 20 employees.

The centre was opened in 2022, as part of the project “Water for Life”, coordinated by NABU Ethiopia. It continues to operate within the current project “Lake Tana Alliance”. In trainings, Desta and Getahun learned how used paper can be recycled, processed and remarketed sustainably.

Gondar: A role model for circular economy

“The collection and processing of trash from the region helps to protect the environment from pollution and preserve the natural resources of Lake Tana and the city of Gondar”, Desta explains, leading us to her workplace. We pass sacks stuffed to the gills with light green and pale pink paper scraps. A few tattered boxes stand in a corner.

The waste paper is sourced from partners in Gondar, neighboring hospitals and offices. The employees blend it with water, press it and dry it. Then Desta, Getahun and their colleagues manufacture paper cake trays and filing folders. Cafés in Gondar number among their biggest customers. “We plan to add egg cartons to our inventory soon”, says Getahun. 

Sustainable jobs at Lake Tana

Sustainable jobs are one key element of protecting the Lake Tana watershed and its biodiversity over the long term. “People with little or no income often have no other choice than to cut stands of trees and papyrus along the lakeshores and to sell the plants”, says Beatriz Waldmann, NABU project manager for the “Lake Tana Alliance”. When people are doing better, the entire ecosystem profits.

On the north shore of Lake Tana, jobs like those at the paper recycling centre are more important than ever. Since August 2023, the Amhara Region has been experiencing armed clashes between the security forces of the federal government and local militias. These are the aftereffects of the armed Tigray Conflict, under which the people in the region continue to suffer. Production at the centre was not immune to the situation and had to be scaled back. “Due to the existing security problems in Gondar and the region, only about 3,000 kilogrammes of waste paper per month are currently being collected and processed”, explains Selamawit Fikru, finance expert for NABU Ethiopia. During normal operations, it’s at least three times as much. 

But the will and engagement of the women in Gondar remain undeterred. “I hope that we can recruit more than 100 employees to benefit from the work at the company”, says Desta. The foundations are laid for this step, and demand for the products remains high. A smile flits over her face: Just recently, she discovered one of her cake trays at the buffet of a wedding party. “And in government offices they prize the quality of our filing folders, which hold their own in comparison to those imported from Addis Abeba.” The products of the paper recycling centre have found their market and are in circulation. At Lake Tana, circular economy is a way of life.

Laura-Sophia Koschwitz (reprinted and translated from Naturschutz heute 3/24)

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