By Workwoha Mekonen, Director,
Business Development and Action Research, ORDA
It was in the morning of 24 August 2010 at 9:20 Am when a team of experts, from ORDA and Oxfam Canada arrived at Worekalo Ela Kebele, Qutire 
14 in Habru district, North Wollo Zone. After being introduced with members of the Community Conversation team, the very humble and committed CCF (Seid Nigatu) invited the team to visit a farm where women were demonstrating their plowing skill. Impressed by the change taking place, questions were posed to the CC group:
When did this engagement of women in plowing started? The answer was straight forward: "After the project intervention." Then the second question was about women's prior experience and engagement in plowing? One woman responded, "Yes, I used to plow!" Then the team asked "how/why and what their experience was? How do they feel now after having seen more women taking up this role of men?"
As a result, the center of the discussion became at this woman, Hawa Endris Ali, and her husband Ato Fantaw Addisie who was also in the meeting.
The reason why Wro. Hawa has been engaged in plowing because her husband Ato Fantaw was most of the time sick. As the situations worsen, the couple suffered from loses of male children who could have taken up the plowing role at least after some years. The family managed to secure support from friends and family members. But, how long will they depend on such support? It becomes increasingly frustrating to receive frequent support that Hawa boldly took up the plowing role in a bid rescuing her family from starvation.
Did the community encourage Hawa as brave, taking her destiny in her own hands? Let us follow the story ...
New generation of Women engaged in plowing Hawa pointed out "My fellow women considered me as showy, pretending to be smart and impressive by engaging in men's business, and labeling me as if I failed to play my role as a woman. Because the perception against such women is taken as someone who is not capable of taking care of her family responsibility at home properly" and is not encouraged or accepted, especially by fellow women". Participants commented one possible reason for the women to see her engagement to this very traditional role of men as threatening is because she could be seen as a standard to measure women's contribution to their family. Partially, they have a reason because the men will get a good excuse to harass their wives', even though they actually do not want their engagement in plowing. Because, a man that employs females' labor for plowing is the most disrespected in this community, which was also Ato Fantaw's painful experience. But, it was not for showy or to humiliate others. Had they been able to see it genuinely, Wro. Hawas' effort was never to be showy reasons, but rather to rescue her family and be exemplary that sends a message "Look at me how I can plough; observe me how I win poverty".
On the other hand, Ato Fantaw tells his heart breaking story that most part of his life was not productive and his poor health was aggravated by the mourning of his lost children. "I always feel sorry for my wife that she was double burdened with both a man's and a woman's responsibility on the one hand due to my poor health and on the other, we were not fortunate to enjoy the love and support of our children. I suffer from inferiority and a feeling of helplessness". My fellow men considered me as weak and incapable of taking care of my family. As a result, I experienced low self esteem, sense of isolation and deep experience of poverty and marginalization. I always ask myself, is it not because I am sick and have no son to protect the family that my wife is exposed to what is not her traditional role? This feeling was more painful than the difficult life we had".
This sad emotion of Ato Fantaw was shared by the team, because, children especially male children are considered as a social insurance in rural Ethiopia, and the possibility of not having, and even much worse, losing them is so devastating.
Wro. Hawa finally concluded the couple's story by saying, "Thanks to this project, the community started to understand plowing role can well be played by women as well. Today, I am happy and proud to be pioneer for women's plowing in my community. I am grateful for this project that made my role to "shine" and not a reason for mistreatment any more".
This great effort of the couple (woman's plowing) to overcome their problem, should have been appreciated, encouraged, respected and rewarded. However, due to the perception associated with the gender based division of labor, the family instead suffers from criticism and marginalization. While the couple deserve to be happy and proud of what
they do and who they are, they were let down by their community to pass through a sad and depressed life. How long then should such biased thinking be tolerated and allowed to affect families with capabilities to challenge their problems? Shouldn't there be a space and avenue open to women and men who would like to go out of their traditional role?
From the hard realities of this couple's life experience, the gender based division of labor exposes families either to the very problem itself, or face discrimination and marginalization if they went out of the traditional way to fight the problem. This affects individuals and families at the forefront but the national development as a whole that need to be challenged and changed. ORDA's gender work emanates from this very principle. What was embarrassing for Hawa and Fantaw is an act of bravery and exemplary to the community, showing the social nature of the division of labor. Yet, it requires more work to help people understand the consequences associated with the division of labor and the need to bring about social change.