Finding Her Way in Kuwait: The Voice of an Ethiopian Returnee
Published: Feb 26, 2020 Reading time: 5 minutes
After more than a year of contemplating her return, Frehiwot finally arrived back in Ethiopia. She had worked as a maid in Kuwait for four years. Frehiwot was an only child to a single mother, and at eighteen she had completed high school with the dream of studying law. However, her plans were interrupted when her mother was incarcerated for taking part in political protests. Being the only child of her mother, and with a baby on the way, social norms forced Frehiwot to give up her dream and migrate to Kuwait to support her mother and new-born.
“It was difficult being the cook, cleaner and nanny to everyone”
Working in Kuwait wasn’t quite what she expected. “What was waiting for me in Kuwait was very different from what my agents had described. The first family I worked for had twenty-two members and just two maids - I was the second maid. It was difficult being the cook, cleaner and nanny to everyone,” Frehiwot describes. “The men in the house came home drunk, used explicit slurs and often hid my bedroom keys so I had nowhere to sleep. The women deliberately removed chairs from the kitchen to make sure I was always on my feet cooking, and this strained my back,” she adds.
Not long after, Frehiwot contacted her agents to send her to another family but they refused. She describes this time of her life as very hopeless and said of her turmoil: “I decided to end my life and almost jumped off a building; it was a group of Indians who saved my life.” When her employers heard about Frehiwot’s suicide attempt, they let her go.
Given the circumstances, Frehiwot was still determined to continue working in Kuwait. “I believed that I had to bear the difficulties if I wanted to support my mother and new-born. Many things tempted me to go back home, like hearing of my mother’s probable death sentence, but that didn’t stop me, what good would I be to her there if I couldn’t help her financially?” says Frehiwot.
“I knew I couldn’t stay”
Frehiwot’s agents found her another family- this time an Ethiopian family. “I thought I had found home in the UAE, but I was wrong. My employer didn’t care if I was Ethiopian, she treated me bad. She made me sleep on the floor next to her dog and made me work past midnight. This experience was particularly hurtful for me, I knew I couldn’t stay,” she describes. Frehiwot contacted her agents once again. “I worked for the new family for two years and they were good to me. I remember we cooked and ate together, they even allowed me to cook my traditional food.”
But this didn’t last long, because things at home were starting to fall apart. Her mothers’ case seemed hopeless, her boyfriend insisted she come home to care for their baby and her father had passed away. Putting the love and care of her family first, Frehiwot soon returned home.
During the first five years after her return, Frehiwot worked hard to fight for her mother’s case and her mother was released. “I had no job for five years after my return, and had used up most of my money fighting for my mother’s release. I stayed home most days and it wasn’t until my friend informed me about the SINCE program that I felt a little hopeful,” she says.
Stemming Irregular Migration in Northern and Central Ethiopia (SINCE) is a program funded by the European Union and implemented by the Embassy of Italy in Ethiopia. It contributes to the reduction of irregular migration in five regions of Ethiopia - Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, Tigray and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region [SNNPR] - by improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable people, that is, potential migrants and returnees. The ‘Job Creation for Potential Migrants in Addis Ababa’ is part of the SINCE program and is led by People In Need together with Alliance2015 partners Concern World Wide, International Volunteer Service for Development (VIS) and Organization for Child Development and Transformation (CHADET).
Frehiwot became one of the most motivated trainees in the program. “Since I was young, I was always interested in designing and making shoes and this opportunity to work on leather shoes stirred up my childhood dreams. I remember being so excited that I brought samples of my previous work to show my trainers at Yeka Industrial College. It wasn’t much, but I was willing to put in the effort to excel at it,” she describes. Frehiwot is now doing an apprenticeship at Ethio-International Footwear Cluster Cooperative Society (EIFFCOS).
“I can only grow from here”
When we asked Frehiwot if migrating again was an option for her, she replied: “Am I earning enough money now? No. But life has taught me that you have to start from the bottom sometimes and that’s okay because I can only grow from here. Who knows, I might even end up opening my own business someday, there are endless possibilities now!”
Here is Frehiwot’s message to potential migrants: “I can’t tell anybody not to migrate, I don’t have that right. But I will say this; it’s okay to start small and it’s okay to go back to school again. And when you fail at something you shouldn’t be discouraged, you should be grateful that you are living in your home country where you speak the same language and where you are surrounded by the people you love.”
For the past two years, the SINCE project has trained over 1400 returnees and potential migrants and has connected them with more than 50 private companies working in the leather, metal and construction sectors.
This article was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of People in Need and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
