Youth is the highest in African nations’ population. And it is the stage when economic, social and psychological transition is made to adulthood’s independence and awareness of our interdependence as members of a community.
As well, this is the power that could transform the continent by creating jobs through innovation or implementing their professions.
However, many African youth are overflowing to other developed nations either legally or illegally to look for good jobs, prosperity and better life being deceived by human traffickers.
Some end their life on the way to esteemed country; most of them scream for way to back home after arriving to the destination while the rest illegal migrants end refugee prisoners although very few succeed. This is not due to lack of job opportunity, but poor working culture and lack of awareness on the available job alternatives.
To assist its readers grasp experiences on how to win better life, The Ethiopian Herald selected a man in his thirties-Cheru Kussa-a father of a son and a daughter who has been shoe shiner, peddler, taxi driver, teacher, soccer trainer, basketball referee, gym trainer, refugee and now on the way to prosperity.
Childhood, ways through challenges
Cheru Kussa was born in a rural town named Awash Melka Kunture, next to Sabbata town in South West Shawa, Oromia State, which is 50 kilometers from the city.
His family moved to Addis Ababa at his age of two. He remembers nothing from his birth place as he left while breast fed.
He was brought up around today’s Sheraton Addis Hotel which is commonly called Filwuha that literally means hot spring that is public owned enterprise found around it.
His family was poor that he did not spend many of his childhood playing standard games. He played in groups with his age mates simple games. They used to tie ball which was made of used clothes on an electric pole and kicked it to fully rap the rope on the pole.
Though he liked to play with his neighboring friends, he did not spend most of his time on playing as a child because his mother had warned him not to act like children of the rich but to live to their affordable standard.
As well, she advised him, “My son, we have to assist one another. Your father is a guard and earns a little. We have to try our best. I earn a little by retailing crops which I bring from our home town. Your sisters take care of your brothers and work at home after school.”
Therefore, he had to work. And he started working as shoe shiner before his school age using the shoe shining materials she provided him.
Unless he had submitted what he had collected and was identified had bought something, he had been punished. She bit him angrily if she found him guilty.
Similarly, neighbors were used to follow neighboring children. If a child is heard of buying something without the will or order of his or her family, they used to punish them. Hence, the peers were not guiding one another to unethical activities.
Cheru says, “We feared and respected our neighbors as our families. Every neighbor was responsible for every child. And even there was time when neighbors punished others children for disobeying one’s own family.”
School life, ways through challenges
At his school age, schools were very limited that students were selected by draw. There were two alternatives in the lotto box-zero or one. Those who picked one, join school; while those who took zero were unlucky.
He went to the school draw program with his mother. And he picked number one unlike some of his friends who picked zero and joined the then Ediget Behebret but now Beyene Merid Elementary School.
Since school program was shift, he went to school every morning and shone shoes in the afternoons.
Meanwhile, Sheraton Addis Hotel construction provided him another more benefiting job opportunity. He advised his mother to be peddler. She agreed and supplied him with materials.
He sold cigarettes, tissue papers, gums, and candies to the people who worked on construction with his peers besides shining shoe. They rushed on one another to catch their customers though it was not liked.
Later on, they decided to individually identify a day for only one seller. That satisfied their customers and some of their customers tipped them on what they bought in appreciations of their good manners and working habits.
And one of the Swedish customers, Mr. Hurry approached Cheru for his special character and uniquely gave him tips with some school materials.
Cheru continued shining shoes and the peddler only to grade eight. He began new life at grade nine in a new school, Abiyot Kirtse Secondary School. Age and peers influenced him that he disturbed in class. They were absentees and spared time at some day clubs where they watched dancers and tried a little.
But in the second semester, he saw he ranked in thirties. He sat in the class and cried to himself recalling his mother’s advice and family expectations. He regretted and decided to change his friends to focus on schooling like his older sister Berhane.
As well, he did not let his mother and Hurry know it. He did all his homework in his class after the school. This enabled him to be the top middle student and Hurry continued assisting him.
Conversely, at grade ten, he asked Hurry to provide him driving license fee that Hurry asked: “Why do you need it?” Cheru told him: “I will own a car. Till that, I drive a taxi to earn money.”
However, Hurry refused and advised that he must focus on education not money earning. But Cheru collected some of the pocket money Hurry gave him and owned the second grade driving license for about 400 Birr though the license had no use as he cannot drive a taxi by it. To drive a taxi, it must be third grade at that time.
He again collected the regular money from Hurry by assisting him on some activities while he was in grade eleven and upgraded the driving license. He drove taxi in the summer breaks and earned more to support his family.
Doing this, Cheru completed grade twelve and scored good result that put him in the former Kotobe Teachers College regular program. His older sister Berhane also graduated from it in teaching certificate.
She advised him to choose Health and Physical Education since he liked sports than any other fields promising him 50 Birr every month. He made it his choice.
Cheru told Hurry that he has passed the regular program and owned the driving license. Hurry asked: “From where did you get the money for the license?”
Cheru told him that he was the source. Hurry said: “One person asked me for the same purpose 1000 Birr. I gave him but he never returned. Yours is very amazing and I will support you 250 birr every month.”
Nevertheless, Cheru told him, “I want to buy my family a television.”
Hurry immediately decided and bought it the next day. And Cheru started the new level with better feeling and hopeful life.
He shared dormitory with students from Afar and Somali State. They became intimate friends and began classes together happily.
Conversely, one day a Somali student fought with him that created groups. Addis Ababa students stood on his side and screamed: “How can a rural group roar at us? We must beat them.”
This spread through the compound and Cheru was accused as initiator of the fight. College management decided to dismiss him; but Somali students begged them not enforce it. It was converted to six months job prohibition after graduation.
He kept all the secrets and continued the learning process driving taxi in summer breaks till graduation.
Public employment
After graduation, he continued driving a taxi believing that his document was not sent to city’s Education Bureau accordingly. But he was assigned to Ras Seyoum or former ‘Hizbawi Serawit’ Elementary School. He happily stopped taxi and started teaching.
Then he planned to continue his degree in the evening program. However, the punishment prohibited him from registration; therefore, he continued taxi driving after classes until summer break when he joined summer in service at the college.
After four years, he was transferred to Wandirad Elementary School from where he was transferred to Kokabe Tsebah Secondary and Preparatory School after completing BSc degree in Health and Physical Education.
Besides teaching, he has trained teachers and students at Kokebe Tsebah on soccer. He was also Yeka Sub-city soccer male team coach and Addis Ababa Basketball Federation referee.
Furthermore, he was gymnasium trainer of several hotels earning over ten thousands from each till he left for refugee.
Refugee Experience
Cheru says: “I had a very intimate childhood friend. He went to South Africa and invited me. As the legal route was believed to be impossible, I went illegally.”
It took him five days and nights to arrive at the border. And he felt at ease when he met his friend after 2 hours travel in South African territory.
After a month, he started a cloth boutique with critical orientation and assistance of his friend though it was not what he expected at home.
He remembers: “Every shop had to be closed before dusk or else citizens came and threatened us with pistols on our head. They come at sundown and order any open refugee owned shop saying: ‘you refugee guy, hands up! Give me ma money!’
One does not know when to lose either life or property. So, prosperity, complete freedom and respect to human dignity are only at home. Therefore, I decided to come home with the little I had collected to start a professional job.”
Self employment, current status
Cheru says he loves his profession. He wanted to serve his people with what he is good at. “Therefore, I envisioned a gymnasium that would provide standard and professional service, but begin with a little,” he noted.
“The critical problem I faced to begin job was workplace. Houses for rent were very expensive. We had to pay six months ahead. Finally, we decided to rent cheap one developing trust in ourselves to attract customers by our good services and materials.”
And they invited university classmates and relatives to exercise there till customers were obtained. They did aerobics and stretching using the unique resistance band that he brought from South Africa.
Customers came but saw only resistance band on the walls and tiles but not expected machines. Then they asked: “Is it not a gym? Where are the machines?”
Subsequently, they searched the ways to find some machines. First they bought three machines: electrical running, mechanical bicycle and chest stretching that cost 450 thousand birr. “We suffered to pay back this. Including this, we spent over 800 thousand birr to begin,” he remembers painfully.
To achieve the envisioned gym, they kept on working and searching for additional materials. “We knocked many doors and finally arrived at life fitness. It provided us machines for credit on the basis of monthly payback considering our performances and our customers’ interest.”
It provided them with machines that cost over four million Birr for credit on the basis of monthly payback considering their performances that they were able to complete all the necessary equipments.
Everything was not smooth. There were customer complains, employee problems, power and water shortage, personal interests and governmental obligations. “However, we continued working collaboratively with employees and customers.”
Then again, his father in law has a twin tower at Laga Tafo Laga Dadhi town and offered him to expand it there for free workplace. “Though we have the vision of expanding standard gymnasium in the city and major towns of Ethiopia through years, we told him that we cannot at this instant. But he insisted us to look for some ways.” He noted.
After discussing it with friends, they managed to decide the expansion. Cheru said: “I thought and talked about it with my wife. Finally, we decided to fully invest the little we have and go to Life fitness again for those which we could not afford.”
And it welcomed them supplying standard Italian gymnasium machineries for credit besides what they afforded that they started with total of over four million Birr.
In general, currently they have thirty pay role employees and two gyms those have equipments of over 9 million birr. The gymnasiums can serve 120 customers each though they began with several customers.
Social responsibilities
For Cheru, social responsibility starts from family. Before starting a business for himself, he built several classes for his mother so that she could independently rent them and earn some money.
Then he bought one of his brothers several woodwork machines since he has been working for others on the machines. As well, he helped the other younger brother to get Public I driving license that helped him to be a driver. Other brothers were at school and a sister was in a university.
Likewise, he believes that involving oneself in the public needs, especially in health related activities is putting forth a social responsibility. He says that there are several very simple and easily profitable businesses unlike gymnasium. “Investing in Gymnasium is not for immediate benefit but to protect the community from diseases caused especial by lack of exercises.
He also visits the nongovernmental organizations that work on the people in need and feeds street children occasionally supplying them clothes collected from gym customers.
Similarly, he voluntarily organizes the Addis Ababa Administrations monthly program Roads for Human-walking and mass sport program with his employees over 10 kilometers in his village.
Rewards
He has received over six trophies, many medals and certificates from public organizations. Most of them are from Addis Ababa: Youth and Sport Commission, and Health Bureau while few are from different business organizations.
In conclusion, Cheru says: “Regarding job, there are a lot of jobs for the youth; but the problem is attitude towards selection. Standard job cannot be given but it is created by those want it.” On exercising, he urges everyone to start it now. “The right time to begin the must do150 minutes exercise a week is now.”
The Ethiopian Herald June 21/2019
BY DIRRIBA TESHOME
