Reconciliation through Livelihoods in Addis Ababa

23 January 2023|JRS Addis Ababa team

Access to occupational skills training and entrepreneurial IGA initiatives are deemed to be the leading contributors to successful refugee livelihoods as well as refugees’ integration with the local host community. JRS Ethiopia under JRS/RCC livelihood project in consortium modality with five other Catholic-based Congregations with a fund from the Global Solidarity Fund (GSF), is undergoing a livelihood project called Addis Ababa Inter-Congregational Network Job Creation project, targeting refugees, returnees, and IDPs. Joint efforts are being made to engage both refugees and host community people in vocational training programs in order to find new ways to reduce dependence on humanitarian assistance by developing interventions that promote the economic inclusion and self-dependence of refugees, returnees, and IDPs.
to find new ways to reduce dependence on humanitarian assistance by developing interventions that promote the economic inclusion and self-dependence of refugees, returnees, and IDPs.

Job creation through small business start-up support is one of the main components of the project with a lead role of JRS, in which case the target beneficiaries including refugees from different nationalities and Ethiopian host community members are purposely integrated to form groups and establish joint ventures which enable JRS to attain a double fold objective of smooth integration and to promoting social cohesion of refugees with host communities and at least temporarily mitigate the legal and procedural barriers of refugees (since refugees cannot able to access business license in Ethiopian legal context to date) that promote self-reliance, financial independence and empowering refugees plus Ethiopians. For further comprehension, the following testimonial video link can be accessed.