“What is more heartwarming and fascinating than seeing citizens, who were once suffering from social distress and economic misery, and living in multidimensional poverty, reinvigorating their hopes? What feels as deep pleasure and fabulous as watching them their faces glowing and their eyes sparkling with revitalized hope and determination for their perspective on life has changed from worse to better and their future has become promising?”
This was stated by Mayor Adanech Abiebie while expressing her joy on the eve of the graduation ceremony of the first batch of women sheltering at ‘Lenegewa’ Women’s Rehabilitation and Skill Development Center and took.
‘‘Lenegewa’ Women’s Rehabilitation and Skill Development Center was established five months ago by the Addis Ababa City Administration with the aim to transform the lives of vulnerable women who were commercial sex workers and those compelled to lead life in the street.
During the inauguration ceremony of this state-of-the-art rehabilitation center which has an intake capacity of 2,000 women at a time, it was stated that it would provide a holistic approach to empowering destitute and socially disadvantaged women. Disadvantaged women will be empowered through receiving the necessary vocational education and skills development training, ranging from beauty courses that cover topics such as hairdressing, makeup, nails, and skincare to fashion and textile, babysitting, woodwork, food preparation, and other similar areas.
Concurrently, they will be provided with psychological counseling services to alleviate psychological distress and help them to get speedy recovery from their trauma and boost their emotional resilience thereby making them self-supportive citizens.
Currently, it seems that the Rehabilitation Center is fulfilling its dream of lessening the burden of those vulnerable segments of society through providing them with life skills and vocational training.
By equipping those women with the skills and knowledge needed in the labor market, it is enabling them to lead a better life. Recently, the center graduated the first batch of its trainees in the presence of the Mayor of Addis Ababa City Administration Adanech Abiebie, Deputy Mayor and Head of Industrial Development Bureau Jantirar Abay, and other guests.
The graduates are the first batch since its establishment in March this year, it was learned.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Mayor Adanech said that the Center has proved that it is possible to bring about change in a short period by addressing major social problems. In this respect, the Women’s Rehabilitation and Skill Development Center is playing a vital role in repairing the fractures in society.
Mentioning that the graduated trainees have been supported to get out of their dire living conditions by offering training and psychological counseling, for the past four months in five departments, and 18 professional fields, she said that the Administration will continue its support in their next moves.
According to her, the City Administration has prepared sheds and other materials that are crucial for the new graduates to start their own businesses.
The Mayor also thanked those kind-hearted individuals, who stood by the side of the City Administration and played irreplaceable roles for the dream become a reality.
“Once again, on behalf of the graduates, I would like to thank all kind-hearted investors who stood by the side of the Administration so that we can carry out people-centered activities that kindle a glimmer of hope in those people and build a city where social justice reigns. This is just the beginning; we still need to improve the lives of many destitute women who are suffering from a number of social and economic fractures. So, I would like to call on all stakeholders to strengthen your cooperation,” she urged.
She also congratulated graduates of the first batch of the ‘Lenegewa’ Women’s Rehabilitation and Skill Development Center. “I would like to congratulate all graduates of the Center who are filled with glittering hope, happiness, and ambition, and entrust you to be role models for others by being successful in your professional field,” she added.
As per ENA, the trainees graduated after meeting the requirements and the passing grade of the Certificate of Competency (COC). Of the total 302 trainees who took the training, 94 percent passed the Certificate of Competency (COC) and qualified for graduation, it was learned.
While speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Center five months ago, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) also underscored the significance of the center in addressing the challenges of women.
The center will have a paramount meaning in mending national fractures by transforming the livelihoods of vulnerable women and building their skills thereby enabling them to contribute to the efforts to realize the prosperity of the nation. “This project is an exceptional endeavor among all the projects we have undertaken in Addis Ababa thus far,” he remarked.
Lenegewa’ Women’s Rehabilitation and Skill Development Center, which lies on 10 ha of land and is located in Akaki Kaliti Sub City, provides a wide range of services to rehabilitate livelihoods and transform the skills of vulnerable women in the city and the country at large. The center can take in 10,000 impoverished women at a time and it comprises skill development hubs, psychological consultancy, mental health service facilities, training centers, and recreational quarters, it was learned.
It is known that the Addis Ababa City Administration has been undertaking various activities targeting to improve the lives of the disadvantaged segments of the city; thereby making the city where every resident leads an enjoyable and satisfying life.
The Administration has been reconstructing dilapidated houses of the poor, sharing meals during holidays, and putting food on the tables of students among others. In turn, it was possible to address social problems and bring about change in the lives of several households. The establishment of the ‘Lenegewa’ Women’s Rehabilitation and Skill Development Center has also this same motive- enabling vulnerable women to become self-reliant through providing vocational and life skills training.
BY STAFF REPORTER
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 17 AUGUST 2024
