Reducing poverty among rural youth and women in Ethiopia
“More than the money I am making, I am happy to be working on my own small livestock business which I can develop into something big,” he said.
© Emily Enberg Packer
For many poor Ethiopian youth, Saudi Arabia was the promised land. They set off on a perilous journey, paying traffickers to ferry them across the water to Yemen, where they took their chances in a war zone to reach the Saudi border.
Kiflom, 24, was one of many who left in search of a better life. He set off in 2013, hoping to return with the start-up capital to set up a small business in his hometown of Atsbi-Wenberta, around 100 km from Mekele, the capital city of Tigray.
He found work as a shepherd in Saudi Arabia, but his dream came crashing down around his ears when the Gulf state began cracking down on illegal migrants.
In six months in 2017 alone, the Saudi authorities deported an estimated 70 000 Ethiopians.
“It was a traumatising experience, as I had to leave all of my belongings behind,” he said. “I needed to rebuild my life from scratch.”
Kiflom’s prospects improved, however, when he got involved in a pilot project that helps landless youth and women begin small ruminant fattening businesses.
The project saw an opportunity for change in the strong correlation between poverty in Ethiopia and the lack of livestock ownership. Agriculture accounts for around 37 percent of Ethiopia’s Gross Domestic Product, according to the World Bank, with the livestock sector contributing approximately one‑third of this.
The project combined training in productivity improvements with the strengthening of producers’ organizations and improved access to financial services, allowing people to set up sheep and goat fattening businesses.