Revitalizing Alemitu's Life and Marriage

"My name is Alemitu Weldetensay, and I live in Bara Eyesus Kebele, Sekota Woreda, Wag Himra Zone. I am married and have one child. To support my family, my husband and I engaged in a local off-farm small grain trading business, and he also worked as a day laborer. Despite our efforts, the income we earned wasn’t enough to cover our monthly household expenses. As the cost of rent and basic needs increased, we faced separation. During this difficult time, I turned to my kebele, Bara Eyesus, and engaged in the local grain trade to survive.

ORDA-Ethiopia selected me as one of their beneficiaries, and I received youth soft skills training called 'Work Ready Now' for 11 days, along with 2 days of micro-franchise (saleswoman) training. Between June 2022 and April 2023, I joined a Youth Village Economic and Social Association (VESA) group called 'Edget Bednget.'

The training gave me a foundation to explore income-generating activities in my local environment. Inspired by the training, I decided to open a small kiosk as an off-farm trade venture. The kiosk cost 7,000 ETB to start, of which I contributed 2,500 ETB, while ORDA-Ethiopia supported me with 4,500 ETB.

With this initial capital, I earned a net profit of 3,500 ETB in my first trading round. In the second and third rounds, I continued exchanging goods and reached 5,000 ETB in cash and 20,000 ETB in assets, totaling 25,000 ETB. Thanks to ORDA-Ethiopia, I have rekindled my marriage and regained my freedom.

Now, I’m planning to expand into more income-generating activities, such as snack-making and poultry value chain tasks."