(00:24- 00:31) The Somali Regional State of Ethiopia is huge resources of livestock. (00:32- 00:37) The pastoral communities major economic activity is the livestock. (00:37- 00:45) There was no commercial slaughterhouse within a radius of 600 kilometers. (00:45-00:49) Construction started in September 2012. (00:49-00:54) Women formed slightly more than 50 percent of the construction workforce. (00:54-01:00) At the end of the month when we paid the salaries, the women would use the income to take care of the household. (01:02- 01:05) This facility is one of the most modern facilities in Africa. (01:05- 01:10) It sits on a 345 hectare farm which is rich in water. (01:11-01:19) The machinery, the electro-mechanical, the other facilities in the factory is state-of-the-art. (01:19-01:24) The UAE (United Arab Emirates) inspectors said it’s the best they’ve seen in Ethiopia. (01:24-01:31) At full production, we expect to employ about 200 permanent employees. (01:31-01:35) Out of the 200, we expect about 30 percent to be women. (01:36-01:41) And this will have a major economic impact on the communities… (01:41-01:50) around us and as far away as 1,000 kilometers where there are a lot of animals. (01:50-02:01) There will be more than 1,000 other secondary jobs created through interacting with the factory. (02:01-02:07) The facility itself has got the largest refrigeration facility in Ethiopia. (02:07-02:10) Going forward, within the next one year, (02:10-02:16) we expect to reach 50,000 sheep or small ruminants per month. (02:16-02:24) This translates to so many households who will benefit by having a ready and accessible market for their animals. (02:25-02:29) I worked before in Addis Ababa in a halal exporter abattoir. (02:29-02:33) This one is very nice, all machinery. (02:34-02:42) I would like to thank USAID and Mercy Corps for the support they’ve given to this facility. (02:42-02:47) Without the support of USAID, this facility would probably take ten years to build.