Twenty-six-year-old Abraham Abebe Haile lives in the highlands of Southwest Ethiopia, Kafa Zone, known to be the birthplace of coffee.
Abraham narrates his personal story:
“I was born in 1999 in this kebele that is covered with trees, as you can see. All went well for me until I was 12 years old and a Grade Six student. I used to enjoy running downhill and uphill here and at school because I was then inspired by the victories of Ethiopian athletes like Haile Gebreselassie. I often listened to the radio and always dreamed to be an athlete.”
As if to hide his evident emotions, Abraham briefly looked down and said, “Obviously, my dream did not come true simply because a small, mad dog from the neighborhood bit me when I was 12. I was taken to hospital where the doctors ordered 15 anti-rabies injections, and I took 13 of the shots. I could not continue taking the injections because my nerve was completely damaged at that point, which caused complete paralysis of my two legs. I was bedridden for the following two years. After two years, I gradually managed to walk on my knees and tried to make myself useful to my parents. I planted coffee, sugar cane and spices such as cardamom. I also kept some chicken in the house,and had a traditional beehive, which I had built.”
Abraham continued sharing his story, ”My engagement in such activities helped me to feel less desperate at the time, but I began to feel truly hopeful again only in 2024 when I joined the MaYEA program. In May that year, MaYEA participant selection committee members from the kebele came to my family’s house and told me in detail about the program which they said included people living with disabilities like myself. I told them I’m happy to join. Of course, deep inside, I was thinking ‘this is a godsend’.”
Abraham proudly showing some of his beehives
With a feeling of satisfaction on his face, Abraham described what happened after he became one of the participants of the MaYEA program in his Kebele: ”Once I joined the program, MaYEA trainers gave me training on apiculture, poultry, sheep fattening and how to make beehives. I also received training on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, marketing, business plan preparation, youth engagement and disability inclusion. After I received the training, I made my first three transitional beehives from locally available materials which made everyone happy including the trainers and my family.”
“Recently MaYEA helped me to take out a loan for 87,000 birr from Cooperative Bank of Oromia. I’m currently expanding my business with the loan I borrowed. I now have a total of 25 beehives with colonies in each of them, and eight sheep I bought for fattening. I’m sure I will return my current loan, and take more loans and continue expanding the apiculture and sheep fattening businesses. I have a plan to engage other youths in my neighborhood so that together we can increase the quality and quantity of our product and become honey exporters. I want other young men and women-particularly those with disabilities-to have the same opportunities as I’m given. And I will work tirelessly towards that end. ”
Abraham feeding his sheep
Abraham expressed his gratitude to MaYEA program staff who he said helped him selflessly. ”Since – for obvious reasons – I could not go to the kebele where other participants were being given the training, MaYEA staff had to come to me frequently for over two months. They also took me to the capital Addis Ababa which is over 490 kilometers away from my house in this deep forest. In Addis Ababa, I participated in Mastercard Foundation’s 4th Annual summit.
“The event was a great opportunity for me to showcase and sell my products, and network with other beekeepers. To me, who had at one time lost all hopes and dreams because of one unfortunate incident, what has been happening in my life in the last two years is like being born again.”
Note-The MaYEA program, led by IIRR, is locally implemented in this area by MELCA Ethiopia.
