January 14, 2018, Addis Ababa

You are cordially invited to a series of publicly important events that showcase the positive outcomes of our Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) and/or community development programs.

About Awash Wine SC
Here in Ethiopia, we have a proud tradition of wine making that stretches unbroken to the reign of the Queen of Sheba and beyond. Established in 1936, Awash Wine is Ethiopia’s longest established wine maker. Through the years, we have grown to be a market leader with the most beloved brands interwoven with the cultural fabric of the Ethiopian society.
Since its privatization in September 2013, significant investments have been made to upgrade facilities and further improve its product quality. Awash Wine SC owns two manufacturing facilities in Addis Abeba and a 517 ha farm located in Oromia region, Arsi Zone, Merti wereda, in the Rift Valley along the Awash River, 180 km from Addis Ababa.
Registering fast growth through innovation, quality of employee commitment and change management practices, the company has managed to lead Ethiopia’s wine market, eight out of 10 bottles consumed being our brands.

Corporate Social Responsibility:
We at Awash Wine SC strongly promote programs that enhance the wellbeing of our employees and their families, our business relationships and the community residing in and around our holdings.
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The Awash Farm Community Development Program
Community background
The Awash Merti Farm is located in an isolated rural area with limited infrastructure (e.g. water, electricity, school, clinic). The level of poverty in the area is high as illustrated in the baseline survey processed early 2017 where 84% community respondents are not able to fulfil sufficient food to their family on a year-round basis,
40% use non-protected water sources (ponds, irrigation canal), 80% of mothers have given birth at home and 40% of the kids 3-6 year have been sent to Kinder Garden school.
In this context, AWASH WINE supports their communities by providing housing, potable water, health cares, and food subsidies. And We have been undertaking various community support activities which focuses on a number of targets:

–Water Supply for both drinking and farming activity: – Generally, the three sub kebeles (Dole, Dokecho and Melke) are almost in a similar direction regarding their water supply. People and animals use the same source of water from the canal. Commonly the communities use rivers and ponds for their water supply. Because of shortage of clean water, the communities are vulnerable to waterborne diseases.

-Awash Wines recognize the responsibility to provide access to water for the community and their livestock. Existing investments have been made to the communities as identified below
o Awash Wine dug a borehole that provide clean drinking Water for its employees as well as the two camp communities (Korkoro and Harar camp) as well as Dole Doketcho community who is in close proximity to the Harar Camp. In this project Awash invested in pipe line that run for over two KM distance to supply the community. Now the community have access to clean drinking water
o Construction of water reservoir for farming: – Awash Wine is working with the woreda Administration and the community to build a water reservoir that will provide water for 88 ha of land. In addition, Awash Wine will cover the cost of water pump and pipe line from the Awash basin canal to the reservoir.

– Solar panel: – While Awash Wine provides electricity for the Korkoro Community due to its proximity to the main electric line supplied by Awash Wine, the Harar Camp community is not beneficiary to this power source. While Awash is making every attempt to supply the community with electric power, at present solar power is supplied to every house hold.
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-Energy saving cooking solutions (Injera mitad) Awash Wine supplied energy saving cooking solutions for each house hold in both camps

– Farm school: – Kindergarten- children between the age of 3 to 6 doesn’t have any pre-KG or KG to attend prior to joining the elementary school until the age of 6 or 7. Awash has now provided two KGs with three full time teachers and three attendants at Korkoro and Harar camps. Currently over 100 children attend at these KGs.

-School expansion: – Merti woreda school provide education only up to grade 8 and upon completion students must go to the town of Abomsa, more than 25 Km away, to continue their secondary education. This contribute to a high level of drop out. In this regard, Awash is providing support to Merti school to build two new blocks to start grade 9 and grade 10.

– Sanitary blocks (toilet and shower)
With a consultative process with the Farm Community through community conversation which is held on a biweekly basis, Awash is building two sanitary blocks (toilets, showers and cloth and hand washing units) for both communities. The design as well as selection of location is done with the community involvement. The design and construction work is also done by locally organized youth with Merti Woreda recommendation.

– Clinic: – The community are forced to travel on average 5km to reach the Upper Awash Clinic which is the nearest health care facility. Thus, communities face problem of accessibility to basic health services; pregnant women unable to reach health center as soon as needed; also difficult when emergency cases happened. In this regard, Awash is seeking to create a primary clinic by 2018 and within two years a medium clinic to service the workers and surrounding zones. Recently Awash secured the building permit from the Arsi Zone and the contractor is mobilizing to start the construction activity.

-Supporting Small and Micro Enterprise (SME) to participate in the design and construction of sanitary blocks, clinic as well as supply of school furniture, guard houses, fence etc. Awash works with Merti woreda in providing business opportunities for young graduates to organize themselves and provide support to Awash.
Awash will reiterate its commitment to support the community in providing job opportunities as well as providing resources for the betterment of the community in the areas of Health, Education, Clean drinking water and other areas.

-Supporting 2190 displaced people
The latest in the series of contributions made by Awash Wine is its resolve to support some 2190 Oromo people affected by the recent violence between the Ethiopian Somali and Oromo ethnic groups. The Company has donated 40 tons of maize along with nearly 100,000 ETB subsidiary costs.
By supporting the long-term development of communities residing around its facilities and farms, the company wants to emphasize faith in its future and determination to promote a collaborative living. Upholding its founding CSR principles, Awash Wine SC as well strives to set the pace for all of us by playing an active part in community development.
Awash Wine SC would like to seize this opportunity for the invited media outlets for giving the media coverage for the positive outcomes of our Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR).
Encouraged by the astounding results achieved to date, Awash Wine SC is now geared towards a successful future with even greater determination and confidence.
Accentuating the decisive importance of our drives to the well-being of the community, we would like to invite media outlets to join us on a working visit to Arsi Zone and share the spirit by attending various events to be held on January 15 and 16, 2018.
Showcasing our community-oriented effort, the action-packed events hold nice opportunities for the media to share the good practices that, we believe, are worth replicating to other areas as well. Program schedules are listed in the below table.