In 2017 three small scale projects in Ethiopia and one in the Comoros were supported by the Czech Embassy. In Ethiopia the projects were: Marketable Vocational Skill Training for Orphan and Vulnerable Children implemented by Shiny Day Social Services Association in Hawassa, Improving the Life of Vulnerable Women project implemented by Muday Charity Association in Addis Ababa and Constructing Cost-effective Modern Potato Warehouse project implemented by Participatory Poverty Reduction Organization in Lemo Woreda. In the Comoros the project Improvement of results of students at Shitsangani Primary School by setting up a database for social and school monitoring of students implemented by the organization Initiative pour Alternative Citoyenne (IPAC) was located on the second biggest island on Anjouan.  

Shiny Day is a local resident NGO operating in SNNPR, particularly in Hawassa area. In the past years, SDSSA has been directly supporting more than 1,000 OVC, 647 trafficked children and over 500 women with its different program interventions. The project with the financial assistance from the Czech Embassy has trained 30 OVC (from which 18 female) on metalwork, woodwork, tailoring and design and provided them with academic and material support. As a result, some of the beneficiaries were employed in private companies and are able to earn income contributing to the improvement of their livelihood and reduction of the number of unemployed youth. Others were able to pass their national exams due to the support rendered to them in addition to the trainings offering them with livelihood options.

Muday Charity Association has also been supported by the Embassy to implement a project on improving lives of 200 vulnerable women through providing skills trainings and initial capital to run micro-businesses. The basic skills trainings were focused on pottery, crafts work, shoe making and sewing. Moreover, materials like raw material for crafts and leather production and stationery materials, as well as sewing, shoes, pottery and weaving machines were purchased for training purposes in addition to the startup capital. Currently, most of the targeted widows and single mothers have started producing their own income and the trainings have boosted their confidence and the habit of working in groups.

The third project, construction of cost-effective modern potato warehouse was implemented by PPRO, is among the best performing small-scale projects supported by the Czech embassy. The targeted farmers had problem with post-harvest handling, particularly due to outdated storing system which devalued the prices of their subsistence yields in the markets. The climate condition in the area is usually very hot, leading to rotting of potatoes thereby contributing to food shortage. With the support given by the embassy, two air diffused certified potato stores with the capacity of 25-30 tones were constructed. 40 households grouped in two farmers group benefited from using the warehouse and the local administration now plans to replicate the activity to the surrounding areas. In addition, the farmers were provided with certified potato seeds and given training on improved agricultural production and soil and water conservation. As a result, soil fertility and yields have improved and households’ food insecurity problem has been reduced and the local authorities are planning on replicating this project to other woredas.

The project in the Comoros on the island of Anjouan was aiming to help a primary school by reconstructing a reading room for the students, organizing out-of-school activities and creating a database that will follow their social and school results. The reading room is now a pleasant place for the students to learn with all the needed equipment. Volunteers are coming to the school to help the students in learning how to read. Especially the result of the students of the 5^th grade increased thanks to these various activities.