FAIRWAY in Ethiopia is supporting returnee migrant workers in enhancing business/entrepreneurship skills to facilitate their reintegration within the country, providing them alternative to remigration. To support this initiative, ILO/FAIRWAY is collaborating with Digital Opportunity Trust-Ethiopia (DOT-E) for providing business skills training to returnees referred by the concerned government authorities in Amhara, Addis Ababa and Oromia regions. Beside providing core business skills to the returnees, the partner is also providing women empowerment trainings to women returnees which is instrumental in boosting motivation and self-esteem.     

From 26 to 28 July 2022, the partner organized women empowerment training for 63 women returnee migrant workers participating in the business skills training in Shashamene town, Oromia region. This women empowerment training is offered to the women returnees who have completed Start Up (similar to ILO's Start Your Business) module recently.   

During three-days long women empowerment training, 63 women returnees divided in four different groups were sensitized on different issues related to sex, gender and societal norms on men's and women's roles. The three-day training package is divided into 11 different modules where facilitators motivated women returnees to review, reflect and value their own strengths and capacity and to understand the contribution they made for their family and society.

The participants of the training stated of realizing the truth that there is no difference in men's and women's capacity except the biological one. They have expressed their realization that discrimination on women is the result of social, religious, and political norms and that should be challenged by utilizing and demonstrating the strengths that women have. Different stories of successful women were also shared during the training to motivate the women returnees together with giving value to their own life and work.