ILO entrepreneurship training helps Ethiopian returnee rebuild after tragedy

Assela, Ethiopia (ILO News) – Seventeen-year-old Semira Maye left her newborn daughter in Asela, a small town in Ethiopia, and boarded a flight to Dubai in November 2023. What began as a casual conversation with her aunt about a job opportunity in Qatar quickly became a decisive, pressured choice made with limited time. Just four months after giving birth, she was in a foreign country, facing the dual burden of adjusting to a new environment and repaying a debt of 120,000 Birr that she borrowed from her aunt.

Semira migrated through a trusted informal intermediary, her brother-in-law, but upon arriving in Dubai, she was handed over to an unfamiliar intermediary, who placed her in a small apartment with other migrant workers from different countries. Therefore, she was confined to an apartment without a phone or internet for almost a month. A chance meeting with a Nigerian migrant worker staying in the same small apartment gave her the opportunity to call her aunt and explain her situation. Soon after, she was assigned to the household where she would be employed.

If I hadn't attended the SIYB (Start and Improve Your Business) training, I wouldn’t have started this clothing shop.

Semira Maye entrepreneur in Assela town, Ethiopia

The employer first took her to his mother's house so she could learn some skills before starting her duties. Although Semira was hired for cleaning and cooking, she felt overwhelmed when she saw how complex Arabian cuisine was, with many spices and varieties of food, and feared making mistakes. However, her employer's reaction surprised her. They told her that their children liked her, and if she didn't cook, the other maid would, so she could focus on cleaning and taking care of the kids. This moment stayed with her. "I realised they valued me," she later said, "which made me decide to stay with my employers."

The household had seven well-behaved children, making the work manageable for a while. She worked with a Ugandan woman for eight months. When that woman left, and a new girl arrived, the situation changed. The employer asked Semira to take care of cooking as well, not trusting the new maid's cooking skills, leading to tension among the workers.

Few months after the new maid started working in the household, they detected a gas smell from the kitchen. Accordingly, they informed their employers, who recognized it as a serious issue and advised them not to cook until the problem is fixed. In light of this, the family relied on takeouts for the coming week. However, the smell persisted, and technicians didn’t arrive for maintenance.

After using a takeout meal for a week, the second maid decided to cook. Despite Semira's warning about the danger, she ignored it and turned on the gas. This caused a fire that destroyed five houses. Her colleague later died from her burns three days afterward. Semira survived but spent three months in the hospital, undergoing two surgeries, including skin grafts, before returning home.

She returned to Ethiopia, unable to walk and with heavily bandaged wounds. She spent two months in the hospital in Addis Ababa before going back home, Asela. A doctor from her hometown advised using pure honey on her wounds, and after a few weeks, she saw signs of recovery. Her wounds gradually healed, and despite serious injury to her right leg, she eventually managed to stand and walk.

When she finally had the physical and mental strength to think about her next steps, she asked her family to help her find a shop to rent. However, her family kept saying they couldn’t find any suitable shops to rent. Once she felt well enough to search independently, though, she discovered several new shops that had opened not far from her family's house. She later understood why her family didn't want to help her find a shop to rent.

While abroad, she transferred 333,000 Birr to her father's account because her personal account was inactive. However, she later realized that most of the money she had sent to be saved had already been spent. After considerable arguing, her family returned her 110,000 Birr in one instalment and 30,000 Birr in another. Although more than half of her money has not been returned to her, Semira decided to open a small clothing shop with whatever amount she had.“Sitting at home was making me feel depressed, and all I really wanted was to go outside and work," said Semira.

While she was searching for suitable shops, a friend of hers encouraged her to register for the "Start and Improve Your Business" (SIYB) program, organized by the Organization of Women in Self-Employment (WISE) and supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) programme, funded by the UK FCDO. At first, Semira didn't take the training seriously, attending only for the stipend, dreaming of buying a furry coat she had wanted for months. However, by the end, her attitude towards business had changed completely. "When my friend mentioned there was a stipend (allowance), I took part just to buy the coat I had dreamed of for months, using that allowance money." Said Semira with a smile.

The SIYB training helped her recognize what she could realistically handle alone. Her family had been pushing her to open a small coffeehouse or a food-related business, but such ventures typically require at least two employees, and even small restaurants usually need more than four staff. Therefore, she decided to start a clothing shop that she could manage herself. Accordingly, she found a suitable location for her shop, negotiated the purchase of equipment for 25,000 Birr, and opened the business. For the shop, she invested 150,000 Birr in total, including the monthly rent of 5,000 Birr.

Moreover, through the support of the BRMM programme, Semira took a 35,000 Birr loan from a SACCO at eight percent interest, which helped her significantly to add more items to her clothing shop. As per her agreement to finish her loan within a year, Semira is repaying her loan monthly, and she is currently on track. Based on the SIYB training she took, she records all her transactions, including income and expenses, and handles her customers eloquently.

She states, "If I hadn't attended the SIYB training, I wouldn’t have started this clothing shop." Said with sincere appreciation. Semira plans to pay off the current loan quickly and borrow more so she can buy more equipment in order to meet her customers' needs. In two years, Semira sees herself in a larger shop, selling higher-quality clothes, generating a sustainable income for her and her daughter, Sibone, whose name means "I am proud of you".

© ILO

© ILO