In addition to growing roses in Ethiopia, Herburg Roses, Ziway Roses, AQ Roses, and Braam Roses were busy with a community project in recent weeks; they renovated eight houses in Ziway for 1.3 million Birr (about 23,250 euros) and delivered them last week.
"They were old houses owned by poor people and people with disabilities," says Jos Klijs of Herburg Roses. "They were really worn out; holes in the roof and walls that were falling down. The municipality was looking for investors and then the four of us took care of the houses, which were made of dried grass and clay."
The four farms, all Dutch-owned, provided people and materials to refurbish the cottages. Within six weeks, eight renovated cottages with stone walls and corrugated iron roofs were in place.
The reason for participating in this project was simple, explains Klijs. "After receiving the question from the municipality, we went to have a look and soon saw that it was badly needed. In addition, we always have a budget for projects like this because we think it's important that the community is well-off; after all, it's the people, or family members of the people, who work for us."
For more information:
Herburg Roses
www.herburgroses.com
Ziway Roses
www.hollaroses.com
AQ Roses
www.rosaplaza.nl
Braam Roses
www.braamroses.com