Earlier this year, Glimmer launched our work in the Villages of Shoa, a community of 12 villages in Ethiopia’s Oromia region. Our experience working here has been overwhelmingly positive — the community is highly involved and has contributed 10% of the total program cost in cash.

Glimmer's model requires all communities to contribute labor or resources to projects. This creates buy-in and establishes a sense of ownership among residents. Cash, the most valuable contribution, is also the rarest. In Shoa, it signals that the community is strongly committed to Glimmer's work. Residents here are eager to improve their quality of life and create better opportunities for their children. 

Stakeholder collaboration is a key part of the Glimmer methodology and our process involves the community at every step. We select our projects based on villager feedback and launch each year with a community workshop to collect ideas and commitments. Villagers’ knowledge, support and expertise are critical in creating sustainable change.