Secure incomes, new prospects
Millions of people have fled to Ethiopia or been displaced within the country. This poses enormous challenges for the communities taking them in. GIZ supports refugees and local people in finding work and strengthening social cohesion.
The market in Jigjiga, a city in eastern Ethiopia, is bustling with activity. Amid rolls of fabric and sewing machines, Badri Mustafa, Abdikadir Mohamed and Hinda Abdi bend intently over their work. All three are from the area, but they only met a year and a half ago. What brought them together was the search for opportunities in an environment that offered them few prospects. They met at the Jigjiga Polytechnic College, a technical vocational school. There, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH offers various training courses for refugees and the local population on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and The European Union cofinances the project.
Badri, Abdikadir and Hinda learned to become tailors and subsequently received start-up funding. They bought sewing machines and set up a small shop in a good location. ‘Our lives have improved significantly since then. The income is now enough to support our families,’ says Badri Mustafa. And their plans do not stop there: they want their business to grow so that they can in turn create more jobs for people in their community.
Creating access to further training and jobs
Ethiopia is both a place of refuge and a crisis region: it is one of the largest host countries for refugees in Africa. At the same time, ongoing conflicts, particularly in the north of the country, have displaced almost two million people within Ethiopia. This poses enormous challenges for the country. Employment and income opportunities are insufficient. There are very few vocational training courses available. This is where GIZ comes in, supporting the Ethiopian Ministry of Labour in expanding these and making them more widely accessible.
Young people in particular benefit from this: In vocational schools, they are trained in sectors where there is particularly high demand. These include, for example, agriculture, metalworking and air-conditioning technology. They also receive support in making their own business ideas a reality. Partnerships with local companies facilitate the transition from the training courses to employment. Around 3,200 people have already completed training courses. More than 4,200 have taken advantage of offers on further training to improve their chances of finding a job.
Learning together promotes cohesion
Eleven vocational schools have already been developed into inclusive schools with the support of GIZ. Here, refugees, internally displaced persons and people from the host communities come together and learn side by side. They strike up conversations in the classrooms, workshops and during joint activities. The schools’ psychosocial support services help to ensure that, over time, this develops into genuine togetherness.
The story of Brhan Byhane shows just how much of a difference this can make. The 29-year-old had to leave her home in northern Ethiopia and start over. ‘It was really difficult, especially mentally. I found it hard to approach other people,’ she says looking back. A training course in construction at one of the vocational schools is now opening up new prospects for her. ‘Today I’m talking to people again, supporting others and passing on this hope.’ For Brhan, the training course is just the beginning. Whether she will set up her own business or take up employment remains to be seen, but the next steps are already within her grasp. ‘I see the bigger picture. I am going to show who I am and what I can do,’ she says.
