IWD 2024: A Mother and Daughter's Inspiring Journey to Empowerment
This International Women’s Day we're rallying behind the call to invest in women and accelerate progress. In a world facing multiple crises that are putting immense pressure on communities, achieving gender equality is more vital than ever. Ensuring refugee women’s and girls’ rights across all aspects of life is the only way to secure prosperous and just economies, and a healthy planet for future generations.
In 1998, 46-year-old Getachew Wolde and her husband moved to Kenya from Ethiopia seeking refuge and a chance to rebuild their lives. On arrival in Nairobi, her husband started a small business selling second-hand clothes. Unfortunately, a few years later, Getachew's husband passed away, leaving her as the sole provider for the family.
Alone with five children to support and educate, the future appeared bleak. Getachew attempted to continue her late husband's business, but the responsibilities of taking care of her young children made it challenging to sustain the venture.
Later, Getachew decided to rent a space and open a salon, but the revenue it generated barely covered her family’s food expenses and she was forced to seek help from friends. "Sometimes I wouldn't have any clients, meaning no money to take home, and we would go to bed hungry,” says Getachew. “I was in a lot of debt from constantly borrowing from friends.”
“I plan to move to a bigger space and buy more salon equipment. I could not have dreamed of this if I had not joined the savings group.”
— Getachew, 46, Ethiopia
Soon Getachew’s eldest daughter, Ashu, had to drop out of school to help her mother shoulder the responsibilities. "My daughter worked at the salon with me or went out looking for work in hotels and people’s houses to wash clothes,” says Getachew. “It was the only way we could survive."
In 2021, Getachew met a Community Incentive Worker from RefuSHE who introduced her to the Women’s Ambassador Group (WAG) in her Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh. “We met with [the Community Incentive Worker] at the school where I was taking my younger sons,” says Getachew. “She told me about RefuSHE and the chama [savings group]. I was happy to hear it was made up of other refugee women and I immediately joined.”
When Getachew joined the group, she started saving the small money she earned from the salon. Over time, she was able to secure loans, which proved invaluable during financially challenging times at home.
“I was saving Ksh 500 a month when I first joined,” says Getachew. “I was able to get a loan and after one year, I had increased my savings and my loan limit.”
Access to these loans has allowed Getachew to expand her salon business. “I plan to move to a bigger space and buy more salon equipment,” says Getachew. “I could not have dreamed of this if I had not joined the savings group."
Getachew also has plans to start a business selling injera, traditional Ethiopian flatbread fermented with teff flour. “I have always wanted to start this business, but I did not have enough money before,” says Getachew. “This year it is something I know I can achieve thanks to the support of RefuSHE.”
Through her WAG membership, Getachew also learned about RefuSHE's Girls Empowerment Program (GEP) which presented a great opportunity for her eldest daughter who had dropped out of school. "I was thrilled to discover that RefuSHE offered tailoring training for refugee girls,” says Getachew. “My daughter enrolled and I felt at ease knowing that her life was taking a positive turn."
“My mother has had a difficult time, but I am glad to be back in school studying tailoring which I have grown to love. Pattern drafting is my favorite class."
— Ashu, 23, Ethiopia
Getachew’s 23-year-old daughter, Ashu, a young mother to a 2-year-old son, acknowledges that life has been challenging for their family. However, things have started to improve. "My mother has had a difficult time, but I am glad to be back in school studying tailoring which I have grown to love,” says Ashu. “Pattern drafting is my favorite class."
Ashu also has a passion for modeling and was excited to be involved in RefuSHE's 2023 Fashion Challenge event in October. “It felt incredible to be on stage during the Fashion Challenge,” says Ashu. “If given another opportunity, I would love to pursue a career in modeling."
Aside from tailoring classes, Ashu has been receiving counseling at RefuSHE which has helped her cope with the trauma of her past. She reflects that the loss of her father was devastating. “Seeing my mother struggle to meet our daily needs, and feeling unable to help much, made me very sad,” says Ashu. “RefuSHE introduced me to counseling and it has been helping me address these challenges."
This year, Ashu is set to join the Grade 2 tailoring cohort where she will learn more advanced skills. She eagerly anticipates completing her training so she can establish a small business specializing in making deras and hijabs. "During the December holiday, I began purchasing materials from the market to make deras,” says Ashu. “I made a profit of Ksh 100 for each dera I sold. Once I finish my training, my goal is to open my own tailoring shop and produce deras in bulk to sell."
Both Ashu and her mother now lead improved lives and credit RefuSHE for transforming their circumstances.
For Ashu, access to education means acquiring skills that will enable her to secure a dignified income and support her son. “Once I establish my own business, I will be able to provide for my son and ensure that he doesn't face the same hardships I've experienced.”
For Getachew, being a member of RefuSHE’s WAG means she can continue to save money, access loans, and afford her family’s basic needs. Today, Getachew is proud that all her children are back in school. “I am no longer in debt since I joined the WAG,” says Getachew. “My salon business is also growing, but what makes me the happiest is seeing my eldest daughter back in school.”
This International Women’s Day, let’s come together to transform the challenges that refugee women and girls face into opportunities that shape a better future for all!