1.
Can you start by telling us how the Wendem Kalid Foundation was
founded?
It
was in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Addis Ababa was in
lockdown, and all restaurants, hotels, and other services were shut
down. As I was driving through the streets, I saw firsthand how
homeless people were particularly having trouble during this period.
I decided to help by sheltering 150 people in rented villa houses in
our neighbourhood and providing them with food. That's how we
started.
After
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, the former President of Ethiopia
Sahle-Work Zewde and former Mayor Takele Uma Benti visited us, we
attracted influential board members, including former ministers and
celebrities. We also carried out fundraising efforts that enabled us
to purchase the land and property that is now the foundation of our
work.
2.
How does the Wendem Kalid Foundation help the homeless to find jobs?
Why is this important?
Getting
a job is an essential step in the reintegration of homeless people.
Regular, paid employment is the key to getting people off the street
in the long term. But due to prolonged homelessness, they experienced
a decline in their skills and various social and economic hardships,
traumas, and social isolation. Therefore, reskilling, physical and
mental rehabilitation, vocational training, and connecting with
employment opportunities are crucial.
That
is why we developed the employability training, which started in
February 2024. With the support of Invest for Jobs, we provided soft
skills and vocational training for more than 141 homeless people,
including 30 women. The participants were able to develop
communication skills, problem-solving skills and work-readiness
habits (self-esteem, goal setting, teamwork and collaboration, time
management, resume writing, etc).
Once
the training is completed, the goal is to help participants find a
job in one of the companies in the foundation's network. So far, we
have worked with Ethiopian companies in the banking, catering,
laundry and construction sectors. Through the training, we ensure
that these companies can employ workers, who are then placed
according to their individual skills and motivations. As of December
2024, 33 (including 9 women) had been placed in skilled jobs or had
been able to start their own businesses for more than six months.
3.
How has Invest for Jobs supported your work?
Invest
for Jobs helped us with funding and by bringing in consultants for
the employability training. It enabled us to help people experiencing
homelessness find work and provided technical assistance to the
foundation by training for our staff, supporting the development of
our website or helping us purchase essential office equipment and
supplies.
4.
What challenges has Invest for Jobs helped you to overcome?
The
support from Invest for Jobs was crucial for our operations. For
example, the support with capital formation and capacity building,
for example on financial management and governance, enabled us to
quickly establish ourselves professionally and avoid common pitfalls
that would have held us back significantly. The help in the areas of
technology and data management has also been invaluable to us.
The
local personnel were familiar with our project even before it was
formally established, so they were aware of our unique circumstances
and challenges. Invest for Jobs regularly visited our facility in
Addis Ababa to monitor developments carefully and provide very
specific assistance. This close contact with various experts was
particularly invaluable to us.
The
Wendem Kalid Foundation is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in the context of Invest for
Jobs on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development (BMZ).