YOHANNES DEMISSIE
Before the project:
Yohannes was ex-soldier, wounded as he joined the defense force, disarmed soon due to the fall down of the Derge regime and 20 years ago he came back home. Since he had no skill he could utilize except military training and was handicapped, he was forced to the street of Addis. While he was living in his plastic shelter on the street in Lideta Sub City, he read SDE’s announcement posted by the Office of Labor and Social Affairs of the city calling homeless people to apply for skill training. He applied and joined SDE’s Homeless People’s Project in 2012. He has been trained on tailoring and shoemaking skills and graduated in 2013.
After the project:
As he graduated from SDE's project, he was offered employment opportunity at Peacock Shoe Factory but found it not paying enough and started labor work. Not satisfied with the latter job, he made his mind to work on sewing and applied for SDE to support him buying a sewing machine. After reviewing his situation, SDE bought him a machine and now earning his income through tailoring.
His current status:
He is now married, has a child, lives in a rented house, earns a reasonable income from sewing that enables him to support the family and has the plan to buy one more machine from his bank saving and he is able to employe SDE graduate to help him expand his small business.
His Opinion:
He said, "SDE is the basis of my today’s personality and should deserve many thanks, therefore". He added, "For those beneficiaries with special needs-like me, supporting them by providing seed money to buy working machines and tools is a crucial element to enable them to be self-dependent”.