Our partner Good Samaritan Ethiopia (GSE) recently organized a celebration of 73 young women who have completed their vocational training in design / sewing, cooking / catering and hairdressing.
Thanks to the support of the Ivar Løge Foundation, these women have had the opportunity to take a 6-month course at Good Samaritan Ethiopia, which gives them the skills they need to get a job. 55 of the students have already taken and passed the national test * in their field and the rest should take the next month. 17 of the students have also received a loan to start their own small business. We congratulate!
* In Ethiopia, all candidates in vocational education must take a national exam. On a national basis, 25% remain. At GSE, all candidates have passed this exam in the last four years. GSE has therefore been approved as a Center of Excellence, which means that they are one of the few exam centers in the country.
Marta Ayele, 25, is one of the girls who has participated in Good Samaritan Ethiopia’s 6 months vocational training. She joined to gain the necessary professional knowledge that would enable her to earn money so that she could support herself and her family. She hopes to be employed in one of the hotels or restaurants in the local area so that she can complete the training. The life skills training, which is part of the vocational training, changed her plans – and she began to think about how she could utilize the skills she had acquired in the vocational training so that she could establish her own small business.
Thanks to a loan, Marta bought a small machine that makes french fries. Marta lives near the local market, and she gets potatoes cheaply.
Marta now runs her french fries business successfully, but she thinks she can make a better profit if she changes areas. The rent is challenging – and this is not covered by the loan she has received.
Marta says she will strive to have her own café and restaurant business. Then she will hire her friends and create job opportunities for others.
