Both in the USA and in Ethiopia, I Pour Life focused on advancing education and preparing youth for independence. We have a particular focus on supporting youth who have odds stacked against them. Tesfa and Meaza are two women who have worked hard to overcome the challenges they have been faced with.
Tesfa’s Story
Tesfa Tadela is 18 years old and a single mother of a 3-year-old boy. She was raised in a rural area and worked in the dump.
Once she became pregnant, she was unable to work and had to beg in the streets to provide for her son. They were both starving and had no place to live. Every tomorrow was uncertain as they struggled to survive. Tesfa was desperate to get a job but lacked the skills to find one.
The I Pour Life program helps youth find purpose and learn how to achieve their purpose in life. One part of the program provides skill training for the youth who want to pursue jobs in the work industry.
Through this program, Tesfa was trained in hairdressing for five months. Now she is employed and is earning a great salary. Tesfa is now able to provide for her family because of her own hard work. She increased her confidence. She believes in who she is and the life she is living every day.
Meaza’s Story
Meaza Derase is 25 years old and a single mother of a 5-year-old child. Meaza has worked hard to find a career but because she did not finish school this has been difficult for her.
To take care of her son she was working a labor-intensive job. Because of the strenuous nature of her work, Meaza suffered from constant back pain. She was desperate to find a job that required less physical energy.
She came to I Pour Life to search for any opportunity that could help her and her children. Through a partnership I Pour Life formed with CAWEE (a non-governmental organization), Meaza got an offer to receive training for clothing design.
I Pour Life was able to give Meaza four months of training, two months of learning in a trade school, and a two-month internship practice. She has now finished training and is employed in designing clothing.
Both of these women are defying the odds and following their dreams. During this pandemic, I Pour Life has initiated an emergency response to meet critical needs for families like Tesfa’s and Meaza’s. The community of Kore, Ethiopia is living with an extremely limited food supply, causing many in Kore to forage the trash dump for scraps and supplies for their families. You can support women like Tesfa and Meaza by donating here!Spread the love
