The Ambassador’s Special Self-Help Program of the United States Embassy in Addis Ababa funds small-scale activities in Ethiopia that promote self-reliance and foster development. The Embassy’s support of GTLI through a small project implemented in 2012 has changed the socio-economic dynamics of the Hamar tribe and has provided the gateway to women’s empowerment and Integrated Functional Vocational Literacy initiatives in South Omo Zone. It created a model rural trading center operated by the Minogelti Women’s Cooperative, still operating and growing two years later.