Story of Kifle: Migrant women survivors in Ethiopia

“The soldiers were shooting us from behind as we ran away in the forest. Some girls were raped and beaten. When we got caught the police made us sleep next to a toilet. We had to beg them for food,” shares Alem Kifle about her migration journey. “When you are an illegal immigrant, you are considered less than dogs.”

COVID-19 pandemic increased unemployment rates and the travel restrictions cut off safe migration paths for thousands of Ethiopians. Many like Alem Kifle were desperate for jobs to provide for their families turned to smugglers who promised for jobs. Her working journey ended with three months of imprisonment in a foreign country and then deported back home.

Many believe she could have found another option or a proper job however this is how she describes the situation she was in: “When I came back to Ethiopia, I had no money, and I was depressed. My son was living on the street and my daughter was living with a neighbour. In a situation like this, your own family can turn their back on you,” she says.

Due to COVID 550,000 migrants were expected to return form Gulf countries to Ethiopia, many came back with the trauma they experienced during migration

Kifle was referred to one of these specialized women’s shelters, run by the Good Samaritan Association (GSA) in December 2020. The GSA shelter provides safe accommodation, medical care, psychological counselling, and vocational training for trafficked, deported and returnee women survivors of violence. After completing vocational training that provides them with business skills as well as leadership and life skills, women receive small grants to start their own businesses.

“The fact that I was able to access these services gave me hope and courage,” says Kifle. At the GSA shelter she received immediate medical treatment and counselling. She was also trained in food preparation. With the startup capital she received from GSA, Kifle is now running a small tea and coffee shop in her hometown and raising her two children.