$64,000 Donation Goal
Lack of opportunity for these young girls, combined with the fact that only 15% of high school graduates in Ethiopia are accepted into universities, result in a huge population of unskilled and unemployed youth.
About This Project
Our plan is to seek out the poorest of young women and men before they turn to seek to make a living on the streets. The DevXchange New Livelihood Project is implemented through a local NGO “New Hope Integrated Development”. The committee carefully searches for candidates among the hundreds if not thousands of potential candidates for training in vocational skills. Demelash and Asdinek, the project managers, along with the schools the trainees attended, seek to help these young women to find employment and in some cases to start their own businesses.
Terengo
She was a house maid for 7 years for a private home where she earned 150 Birr per month. (Just to give you an idea for comparison—a simple guard would have made about 1,000 Birr per month at that time.) She had no way to get ahead or out. She told Demelash, our Project Manager, that her life was very hard and they ended up inviting her into Vocational Training for sewing. Someone from our team shared with her about the hope and purpose they had found in Jesus and she became a Christian. She graduated the course and went out to look for work. The team followed up with her a few years later to see how she was doing. She has married and her husband has also become a believer—they have 2 sons. They were able to purchase a sewing machine and were working together very successfully. They were making a family income of about 500 birr per day!
Yabsira
Yabsira is 19 years old and a recent graduate of Hairdressing Vocational Training.
She comes from a poor family and wasn’t able to finish high school. She lives with her mother and father and three sisters. Two of her sisters have husbands and children and they all live in one small house. She shared she couldn’t get any work so she just sat. Then she got the opportunity through Newlivelihood to receive Vocational Training in Hairdressing. Now she is employed at a hair salon and her life has gotten much better.
Change A Life
$65 a month for one year provides vocational training for an at-risk girl who might otherwise be pressured to enter the sex-trade.
Together with your support of only
$65/month for one year,
we can change a life.
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Mulunesh's Story
Mulunesh is 25 years old and lives in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia in a very small rented mud house. She was living in Debre Markus, a town around 220km from Bahir Dar with her large family. Her father and mom have 8 children, and she is the 3rd daughter. Her family decided to support her to complete her psychology degree at Debre Markus University with the expectation that she would be able to provide for the family. She finished that course about four years ago, but the sad thing is that she has not been able to get a job – in fact, not any job. Finally, she had to take work as a day laborer on construction sites carrying rocks and materials all day for very little money. Her family lost all their resources to help her get her degree, but it didn’t help her or them at all.
Mulunesh heard about The Newlivelihood Project giving three months of vocational training and covering all the costs. She was very eager to start and wanted to learn to be a men’s barber. She did very well and completed the program and found employment at a barber salon in Bahir Dar.
She now has a good income and says she is a happy girl with joy in her life! She said if her income continues like it is, she will be take her one small brother and one small sister to live with her in Bahir Dar. After a few years, she hopes to save her money and start her own barber salon with her family.
She thanks God and all the Newlivelihood staff and all the donors through Devxchange International who have provided her with “this is golden chance”. She says may God bless everyone involved!!
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Senayet's Story
Senayet, age 23, was born in the town of Bahir Dar. She lives with her mom and brother in a rented small mud house. Her father died about a year ago. Senayet graduated from grade 10, but had not been able to find any job for four years. Only her brother was able to find some employment, working at a government office he tried to cover as much of their living expenses as he could, but it was never enough. She was approached and offered to join our Newlivelihood program. She was excited at the chance and chose hair dressing. After she graduated, her brother decided he would help her to open a beauty salon and took out a loan for her. Her business is doing very well and she is able to use half of her profits each month to go towards the loan and still is well able to cover her family’s food and living expenses.
She told our team members how thankful she was for the Newlivelihood Project and Devxchange International and all those who give to make it possible. She said that God opened for her this very good chance to change her life, and she feels lifted and inspired to work with all her strength. She also promised that within the next few months, she will employ two new girls who have graduated from the Newlivelihood Project to work in her service center.
