“I once worried every day about how I would support my children. Today, I have my own business, earn an income, save money, and dream of creating jobs for other young people,” says Kalkidan.
Kalkidan once looked for work. Now she creates it
A new beginning
Kalkidan is a 27-year-old mother of two. Conflict forced her from her home, and she arrived in Dabat area, Ethiopia, as an internally displaced person without work, without much of a support network and unsure how she would provide for her children. Her situation began to change when she joined a youth skills programme run by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), funded by UNICEF's PROSPECTS II project.
On 20 February 2025, NRC launched a youth education and training programme at Alem Wach Refugee Site in the Dabat area, for refugee, internally displaced and host community youth. It combined basic education, protection, vocational training, livelihoods support, life skills and psychosocial support. Working with Dabat Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College, NRC provided market-oriented vocational training and Kalkidan trained in poultry production.
As a young mother, getting to class regularly was its own challenge. NRC's daycare service at the TVET College meant Kalkidan had somewhere safe to leave her children while she trained and completed the course.
Training that led to a business of her own
After the training, Kalkidan and nine classmates started a business group called “Kalkidan, Awotu and Their Friends Small Enterprise”: a poultry production group. NRC, with funding from UNICEF, gave them start-up capital to turn what they'd learned into an actual business. Today, the group produces and sells eggs and chickens, and the income supports its members and their families. Kalkidan is no longer simply looking for an opportunity to work. She has become a young entrepreneur creating her own employment.
One small enterprise can grow into a bigger dream
Kalkidan's poultry business now covers her children's needs and contributes to the family income. She has also started saving with Tsedey Bank and her savings are growing beyond what she spends.
“I want to establish a large poultry production business in North Gondar, employ other unemployed young people, and create opportunities for displaced people. I want others to benefit from the opportunity I received” she says.
Today, the clucking of chickens and the daily collection of fresh eggs are the sounds of Kalkidan's own business, one she built from nothing, egg by egg.
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