For most Ethiopian women, employment comes with the additional burden of childcare and domestic responsibilities. Many choose to stay home to raise their children, often missing opportunities for education, employment, and other life-enriching experiences.Ensuring gender equality has been a core focus of UNIDO’s Leather Initiative for Sustainable Employment Creation (LISEC) project. Across its implementation, the initiative has targeted abattoirs, tanneries, and youth clusters to ensure equal opportunities for women. One key area of focus is promoting a conducive working environment for female employees in the leather value chain, particularly by supporting and raising awareness about the establishment of childcare services. Selamawit Alemayehu, 28, and Meseret Asres, 30, are two beneficiaries of childcare services facilitated by the Addis Ababa Abattoirs Enterprise (AAAE). Both women have faced significant challenges, including dropping out of vocational school due to poverty, migrating to Arab countries for domestic work, and working as waitresses before becoming a cleaner and office messenger at a local abattoir.To empower women in the leather industry, the LISEC project has supported AAAE by ensuring better working conditions for female employees. One of the initiatives was the establishment of a childcare facility for women who could not afford private daycare services for their preschool-aged children. This effort was guided by a gender analysis report that identified childcare as a major barrier to women’s employment and career growth in the leather industry. The project also included awareness campaigns highlighting the value that women employees bring to their roles.As part of this initiative, AAAE arranged access to a government-run childcare facility located at a safe distance from the abattoir, minimizing exposure to noise and waste.“The childcare facility is the safest place for my child,” says Meseret. “I can focus on my work during the day and still have time to breastfeed.” Meseret faced pressure from her husband to leave her job and care for their child, but financial constraints made working essential. While her neighbors initially helped with childcare, this support was short-lived. “I’ve been able to keep working thanks to this childcare service,” she adds.Selamawit’s story highlights a supportive partnership. “My husband takes our daughter to the daycare center in the morning, and I pick her up in the evening,” she says. According to Selamawit, the childcare service has made her child feel safe and allowed her to socialize with others.In Ethiopia’s patriarchal society, women often bear the primary responsibility for childcare. This burden can limit their access to education, hinder their career development, and restrict their physical availability for jobs requiring consistent presence. By providing childcare services, initiatives like LISEC have enabled women to explore their full potential through education and employment opportunities.

Getting a safe haven and a reliable income was all that was on his mind when he fled Ethiopia.A local smuggler he met in Gondar promised Yonas a smooth journey through Djibouti and Yemen, saying he would arrive in KSA in a few days. The smuggler also assured him he would easily find a well-paying job as soon as he arrived and would earn a lot of money in a short time.As the icing on the cake, Yonas was told he did not need to pay anything in advance. It was an offer he could not refuse. However, what he encountered after crossing the Ethiopian border into Djibouti was a different story.“We crossed through the Djibouti desert and waited for a couple of weeks for a boat ride to Yemen,” the young man says, recalling how he left for Yemen. “We were beaten and pressured to pay up before boarding the boat. Then we were shackled onto a leaky boat for the sea journey to Yemen.”Yet Yonas was still ambitious to cross over and arrive at the promised green pasture in KSA. He had to further endure thirst as he walked through the desert in Yemen while eluding traffickers who prey on migrants like him.Yonas came across compatriots intercepted by traffickers and tortured to extort money from them. Many migrants had to convince their families back home to wire a hefty amount of money for their release. Those who could not get the money were beaten badly and, fortunately, he did not go through that ordeal. He is among the thousands of Ethiopians who have traveled irregularly on the Eastern migration route to the Gulf States.“We had to walk long distances in the scorching heat for days with not much to eat. It was very draining and dehydrating, and we had to leave behind those who could not carry on,” Yonas said, sharing his grim experience.During this journey he saw decomposing dead bodies on the roadside, a reminder of what would happen to him if he fell behind.“Some migrants are beaten so badly by traffickers that they are left with major body injuries, with many unfortunate ones perishing,” Yonas described, with tears filling up his eyes. “I witnessed almost a hundred dead bodies and many migrants who walked away with broken limbs”.Luckily, Yonas survived his journey and was repatriated to Ethiopia from KSA. Reflecting on his ordeal, he is glad to be back in his country in good health. When the security situation in his hometown improves, he is eager to return to his old life as a driver of a three-wheel taxi, popularly known as bajaj.His compatriot, Mohamed Assefa is another fortunate returnee. This young man fled the conflict in the Amhara region “It has been 14 months since I left Ethiopia. I had to flee as the conflict was approaching my university."“We witnessed a lot of hardships along the Eastern route, and we saw raping, killings, detention and extortion; it was very difficult,” says the young man who was a student at Woldiya University in North Wollo, Amhara.He has seven siblings and says, “I hope my family is doing well and the ongoing conflict has not reached them.” Mohammed also hopes to return home to complete his studies.These young men are among Ethiopian migrant returnees whom IOM was able to support through a donation received from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief). The funding allowed IOM to provide essential non-food items and emergency shelter to migrants returning to Ethiopia from the Eastern route, and to raise awareness on the realities of irregular migration as well as regular migration pathways among people living in communities of high irregular migration and migrant returnees.

Gode, Somali Region, Ethiopia – In a significant step toward addressing internal displacement, the Somali regional authorities have successfully relocated 524 households, comprising of 2,570 individuals, from the overcrowded Qoloji IDP sites to a new settlement in Bayahow, Somali Region. This milestone, achieved through a collaboration between the Somali Regional Disaster Risk Management Bureau (DRMB), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and other partners, is part of the country’s Durable Solutions Initiative (DSI). The relocation, conducted in four phases since early December, culminated this week with the final movement of 132 households (662 individuals). The initiative focuses on voluntary and dignified transitions for displaced families while providing them with opportunities to rebuild their lives. “This is more than just moving people. It’s about restoring dignity and creating opportunities for displaced communities to thrive,” said a senior DRMB official. The Bayahow settlement has been equipped with essential infrastructure, including a health center, schools, water and sanitation systems, and community spaces. The host community has warmly welcomed the new residents, fostering a sense of unity and collaboration. Each family was provided with housing, essential non-food items, relief assistance, and medical support. Hafid Abdirahman, one of the relocated individuals, expressed gratitude for the smooth process over the 620-kilometre trip: “We were well cared for during the journey and are excited about the opportunities here. With farming support near the Shebelle River, we can finally build a better future.” The initiative goes beyond immediate resettlement by focusing on long-term sustainability. With support from the regional Agricultural Bureau and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), plans are underway to help families start farming or restock livestock. Youth employment programmes and small business development initiatives are also being introduced to ensure economic independence. The project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), highlighting a global commitment to finding durable solutions for displaced persons in Ethiopia. Local leaders have also played a crucial role in ensuring smooth integration. “The host community’s acceptance has been incredible—100 percent,” said Abdu Ahmed Elmi, Shebelle Zone Early Warning Coordinator. The success of Bayahow is being hailed as a model for future initiatives under Ethiopia’s DSI framework. “This progress shows that with planning, international support, and community involvement, we can create lasting solutions for displaced populations,” said an IOM representative. As Ethiopia continues its efforts to address internal displacement caused by conflict and climate change, Bayahow stands as an example for sustainable solutions and rebuilding communities. 

Hawassa, Sidama Region, ETHIOPIA: Beteledet Abraham is the Executive Director of the Association of Women with Disability in Hawassa Town. She became part of the Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) peer-to-peer discussion sessions three years ago and is now serving as a facilitator raising the awareness of young people with disabilities on issues such as Sexual and Reproductive Health, life skills, and gender-based violence. She is very happy to look back and reflect on the great strides that are being made in empowering young people with disabilities. “We meet every month in the peer-to-peer discussion sessions, and we share our respective life experiences during the discussions,” Beteledet says, mentioning that an average of 25 to 30 young people with disabilities gather in the discussion sessions at a time. Young people with disabilities face quite a lot of challenges in accessing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and services as well as protection services. These challenges are driven by various barriers including physical, behavioural, communication, economic, and others infringing the rights of persons with disabilities. UNFPA’s Partnership in empowering young people with disabilities People with disabilities make up a significant proportion of the population that is most disadvantaged socially and economically. Approximately 17.6 % of Ethiopia’s population lives with disabilities where the majority are young people. [1]Marshet Belay, SRH Project Officer at the Regional Coordination Office of ECDD in Hawassa, Sidama Region, says that through UNFPA’s support ECDD is implementing a project called SRH+ which aims at empowering young people with disabilities with information and quality services. As part of the project efforts are being made on improving access to integrated sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence services for young people with disabilities. One key initiative being supported on the provision of information to encourage service seeking behaviour and utilization by young persons with disabilities is the digital platform called Minch (source in English). “This toll-free platform has been instrumental in providing persons with disabilities with vital information on SRH and GBV,” notes Marshet. The digital information provision platform and peer-to-peer education sessions are playing an important role in empowering young people with disabilities to make informed choices about their SRHR and building their confidence to seek services. They have now started to stand for their rights and are seeking services at different institutions. Capacity building and sensitization of service providers“The big challenge for young people with disabilities who mustered the courage to go to health institutions was disclosing their problems to health professionals due to the stigma,” indicates Beteledet. She underscores that the peer-to-peer discussions have proven to be vital in boosting their confidence to seek and use services. The successive capacity building and sensitization works done on service providers was also critical in this as it has resulted in meaningful attitude changes among the service providers which is encouraging young people with disabilities to seek and use services.  In responding to gender-based violence, ECDD with support from UNFPA, is providing legal aid services up to filing charges against perpetrators and in the court of law. Survivors also get psychosocial services and are referred to health institutions to get medical services, including services at the One Stop Center at Adare Hospital. In the peer-to-peer discussion sessions persons with disabilities are getting awareness as to what they should do and where they should go in the event of encountering gender-based violence which has resulted in the cases being increasingly reported. “I and some other members of our association have repeatedly received threats on our lives from perpetrators because of our efforts in helping survivors of gender-based violence seek justice,” states Beteledet. She says that this has not deterred her from doing her work in any way as she is driven by the difference she is making in the lives of young people with disabilities. [1]ECDD (2010) General Overview of Disability in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.