Mr. Zerihun Sheleme Erensa, the current Chief Executive Officer of Awach, had previously traversed an undulating path that cleared the way for the establishment of ASACCOS Primary Cooperative Society Ltd. (ASACCOS Ltd.). The degree to which Mr. Zerihun contributed to the establishment and development of the SACCOS cannot be measured simply. Awach SACCOS was made possible by his dedication and hard work.
Mr. Zerihun Sheleme Erensa
Mr. Zerihun Sheleme Erensa, the current Chief Executive Officer of Awach, had previously traversed an undulating path that cleared the way for the establishment of ASACCOS Primary Cooperative Society Ltd. (ASACCOS Ltd.). The degree to which Mr. Zerihun contributed to the establishment and development of the SACCOS cannot be measured simply. Awach SACCOS was made possible by his dedication and hard work.
Mr. Zerihun had been engaged in philanthropic community service, in which one of the intervention areas in the program was improving the livelihood of parents to enhance the holistic development of children through the establishment of community savings and credit schemes. He observed the life changes of the program beneficiaries; whereas the lives of the serving staff were subsistence, poverty was knocking on their doors. The situation demanded the scarification of someone to volunteer; then, Mr. Zerihun dedicated himself without any payment to organizing the first 41 founding members (33 female and 8 male) with an initial capital of 15,236.00 Birr to start what he visualized and dreamed, which was the beginning of the Awach SACCOS. This shows his unreserved sacrifice for his vision.
Awach SACCOS Ltd. is a legally registered and recognized organization in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (registration number 147/98), and it was re-registered on October 25, 2021, by the Federal Cooperative Agency (FCA) with registration number 005/09 to work all over Ethiopia.
Awach is preparing to celebrate its 17th anniversary with its members. Through all its journey, the SACCOS has reached 143,095 members (88,402 males and 54,693 females); 1.4 billion birr shares have been sold to members; 8.1 billion birr has been collected for savings; and 13.4 billion birr has been given as a loan to about 36,108 members. And with this loan provision, many households have benefited and changed their lives. To put this in perspective, around 131,557 members and their families either directly or indirectly benefited from our SACCOS saving and loan services. In addition to the service given to SACCOS members, Awach has introduced children's saving to encourage parents to save for their children and to plant the habit of saving in children.
Regarding corporate social responsibilities (CSR), Awach SACCOS has established the Awach Foundation to reach vulnerable children, destitute mothers, and their respective families. The foundation is working here in Addis Ababa and in Oromia regional state. This responsibility loudly speaks to Awach's concern and its management’s enthusiastic heart to address what the communities are facing.