LocationsEntrepreneurial women rebuild their lives after conflict and trauma
August 1, 2024
Women are trying to rebuild their lives following the devastations to lives and livelihoods wrought by a two-year conflict in northern Ethiopia.
When the northern Ethiopia conflict spread to Magale town in Afar region, Zeyneba moved with her children to Logia town. Her husband stayed behind to protect their home and restaurant. Tragically her husband lost his life, and when Zeyneba moved back home a year and a half later she was forced to confront the daunting task of rebuilding her shattered livelihood.
“After 12 years of unwavering companionship, my husband was no longer by my side, leaving me adrift in a sea of uncertainty. His absence weighed heavily on my heart, and I grappled with feelings of loneliness, helplessness, and despair” Zeyneba said.
Aster had also fled her home in Guya village, Tigray region, to seek refuge from the conflict. She was sexually assaulted by armed groups on the roadside. Her husband divorced her when he learned that she had been raped.
The stigma around SGBV is not only faced by the victim but can also extend to the family. "My child is ostracized at school because of the incident that happened to me," Aster said.
Zeyneba and Aster are part of over six thousand people who received livelihood and other support from the Peace Support Facility.
Aster and 92 other SGBV survivors received psychosocial support and entrepreneurship training. They also received cash grant to help them set up a livelihood. Aster used the ETB 40,000 (approx US$ 700) grant to open a small coffee shop at the Guya Health Center. Her shop soon became a bustling hub of activity helping her earn enough income to pay for her children's upkeep.
Zeyneba received ETB 27,000 in livelihood assistance which she used to purchase and restock her restaurant with three to five goats twice a week. Her business is picking up and she says that it currently generates an average monthly income of ETB 21,000. Zeyneba uses her income to send her children to school, cover household expenses and she has enough left to reinvest back into her restaurant.
More than 6,156 people (4,243 female and 1,913 male) have so far benefited from livelihood support through the PSF.
*The Peace Support Facility is supported by the Governments of Germany and Japan, with resources also coming from UNDP's core partners and Funding Windows. The currently targets Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions, with support areas focusing on local governance, human rights and social cohesion; basic social services, economic revival; and development solutions to internal displacement.