A Messy Road to a Destination of Beauty

"Every mother hopes to give her children a brighter future than the one she herself experienced. As Mintewab Sileshi so touchingly states, 'I have a strong belief that my children deserve a better childhood than mine.'"

Being the oldest of 11 siblings I was considered as the second mother of the house who takes up overwhelming family roles. Born and raised in a rural area of Ethiopia, I was only able to pursue my education up to 5th grade and was told by my parents to migrate to an Arab country and support them economically. My parents made significant sacrifices to pay for my journey from Ethiopia to Beirut. They sold their cattle and a portion of their land to pay the fees for the broker who arranged my travel. They had witnessed the transformative impact of remittances on the lives of their neighbours, whose children had found work in various Arab countries. It was in the hopes of a better future that my parents supported my travels to Beirut.

Since there was no direct travel to Beirut at the moment, the brokers took me alongside others to Sudan where we stayed for months finding temporary employments to support our stay there. But still the numerous strange people that I had to face in addition to the language barrier made me regret my decision and filled me with hopelessness and fear. Eventually, I arrived in Beirut and started working in a household as a maid. Fortunately, my employers were good people. They allowed me to have a personal time.

The madam did not hinder me from using my time as I wished. There was a hair salon in the neighbourhood where my employer's house is located at. I used to go there and work as a part-timer. That is where I have learned the skill to utilize the electronics and style hair in addition to braiding. Four months after my arrival I was able to pay the broker’s debt who processed my trip in full. By the sixth year I had no option but to decide to leave and come back to Ethiopia due to the infamous explosion in Beirut.

When it was time for me to leave Beirut, my employers acknowledged they couldn't pay the full salary they owed me. But they did cover the cost of my plane ticket and handled the departure arrangements, which I appreciated given their financial difficulties. I was left with the bags that I brought holding them as treasures earned from the six years of my stay there.

Upon my return to Ethiopia, I found myself in a dispirited state. All the money I had been sending home to my family had vanished, leaving me to start over from scratch. The devastating news had a profoundly demotivating effect. I spent a few months staying with my family before making my way to Addis Ababa. There, I was registered as a returning migrant worker by government officials, who provided me with a workspace. I tried my hand at a hair braiding business for a time, but it simply did not flourish as I had hoped. Disheartened, I was forced to quit and resigned myself to becoming a housewife once more.

It was during this challenging period that an opportunity arose. With the support I received, I was able to jump out of my depression and begin supporting myself and my family economically once again. Equipped with training, startup capital, and ongoing consultations, I launched a new venture that proved far more successful.

To keep my customer base strong, I've incorporated an effective marketing strategy - hanging up a poster with my phone number. This is something I hadn't done at my previous location, but I learned from another hairdresser that it can really help attract new clients. My current short-term goal is to purchase a hairdryer. This investment will allow me to improve the speed and quality of my service, enabling me to serve even more customers. It's all part of my drive to build a thriving, sustainable business.

Gradually, I have reclaimed my sense of purpose and independence. It is incredibly empowering to rejoin the workforce, to occupy myself with productive, income-generating work. The headaches and hopelessness that had enveloped me as a stay-at-home mother have given way to a renewed sense of pride and accomplishment. Though the road back was not an easy one, I have persevered, and my efforts have borne fruit.