Story summary

The East African Migration Routes (EAMR) project, led by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), recently celebrated a major milestone140 remarkable youth, including 63 refugees, graduated from vocational training programs in tailoring, graphic design, hairdressing, and plumbing. The ceremony was held on 25th April 2024, in Addis Ababa. Among them was Adane, 25, who lives in Shiro Meda, woreda 6.

 Adane used to face tough times, often feeling low self-esteem and struggled with negative thoughts that made him feel helpless. However, after joining vocational training in tailoring, things started to change for him. The training gave him a fresh perspective and a sense of hope. Now, Adane is focused on becoming a top designer in Ethiopia and is looking forward to continued support from Save the Children to help him and his classmates reach their goals.

Adane’s story in his own words (Quotes)

"My name is Adane, and I live in Shiro Meda, woreda 6. The course has brought a lot of changes in my life. Before the training, I was feeling down in life. I had suicidal thoughts and felt so low. But I don’t have those thoughts anymore. I feel like a new person.”

“In my opinion, we can’t say a country is developed just by its buildings and infrastructure. True development is the change that people bring within themselves. For me, I have changed in many ways. In the future, I plan to be one of the best designers in Ethiopia.”

“Save the Children has been with us all the way, helping us. Now that we have finished our course and graduated, I kindly ask that Save the Children continues to support us in achieving our dreams.”

Background / Project information 

The East African Migration Routes (EAMR) project, a 10-year initiative by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), aims to develop policies and capacities to protect and enable self-reliance for vulnerable children and youth along the East African migration routes. Targeting children under 18 and youth aged between 15 and24, the project’s first phase (2020-2023) focused on strengthening child protection systems by establishing outreach teams and youth centers, ensuring timely identification, referral, and access to protection services. Additionally, it provided life skills and vocational training, as well as job market access support with seed funding.

On 25th April 2024, a graduation ceremony was held at the Inter Luxury Hotel in Addis Ababa. 140 youth (81 female), including 63 refugees, who completed vocational training in tailoring, graphic design, hairdressing, and plumbing at the Opportunistic Industrial Center Ethiopia (OICE), graduated. During implementation of the project, 753 youth (444 female) and 307 refugee youth (192 female) benefited, with 318 (168 female) receiving vocational training and seed funding to start their own businesses.