From Poor Migrant Worker to Successful Business Owner

Kifle Kirba is hard at work, dressed in his white beekeeping outfit and mask in Bullesa kebele, 10 kilometers from the town of Aleta Wondo in Ethiopia’s Sidama region. He props open the door of a roughly constructed, open shed a few meters from his house. In the shed are twelve modern beehives.

Sidama region is one of Ethiopia's most densely populated areas, and most farmers have landholdings that are less than half a hectare. In Kifle’s case, five other households share the small plot of land on which he lives, so farming was never an option. However, despite his lack of land, Kifle now earns income by supplying honey to several merchants in Aleta Wondo.

Kifle started his modern beehive operation four years ago. Before that, he could barely make ends meet and support his family as a migrant worker.

“I used to travel to other places to search for work, whatever I could get.”

Things worsened when his home at the time, constructed in the traditional Sidama method using straw and mud, collapsed. He did not have the resources to rebuild it. Bullessa kebele’s officials, seeing the difficulty he was experiencing, recommended that he join the World Bank-supported Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP).

The PSNP is a productive safety net program established to reduce poverty in rural Ethiopia by providing temporary employment through public works and sustainable employment opportunities through a complementary livelihoods program that promotes income diversification. The program also provides cash support to individuals unable to work, from extremely poor households.   

Its current program phase is supported by the World Bank’s Strengthen Ethiopia’s Adaptive Safety Net (SEASN) Project ($1.1 million) and a World Bank-executed multi-donor trust fund ($370 million) with contributions from 13 other development partners complementing government financing.

Participating beneficiary households join the PSNP through a community targeting process that takes place every five years. Once selected, PSNP households with able-bodied labor are temporarily employed (for six months of the year) in public works and participate in community asset-building activities, including watershed rehabilitation. Households without able-bodied individuals are entitled to receive cash transfers for 12 months a year, without public works participation.

Kifle joined and in addition to employment in public works, he was also selected to receive complementary livelihood services.

PSNP’s livelihoods services focus on boosting the earnings of households participating in public works, helping them to eventually transition out of the program. Those selected receive a grant or loan of $300 and training in financial literacy and business planning. After this, livelihood beneficiaries can choose a livelihood activity to focus on. For Kifle, the choice was straightforward.

“My great-grandfather used to keep traditional beehives, so I was exposed to the beekeeping practice from a young age. In the past, I even kept two beehives. However, through the safety net program, the kebele’s livelihood experts trained me on modern beekeeping practices and gave me knowledge. They provided a model beehive, which I then used to make my own. Soon, I began getting honey and money. I have reached the stage where I am, by following their advice, working with honey, and selling bees.”

Kifle continues: “I’ve received many benefits [from the safety net. Through the livelihoods program] I’ve earned money; I’ve saved money. We worked according to a five-year business plan; I built a house with the money I earned,” he says, pointing to a well-constructed modern Sidama house. “I did not have a house of this kind in the past. I’ve built a home where my children can rest.”

 With his new small business up and running and the extra income it brings, Kifle is now ready to leave the program and support his family with his newfound skills and sustainable livelihood. The business and life skills training he received has set him up for success and also given him the tools to grow his business over time. This growth could even create jobs for others in his community. This kind of social protection and economic inclusion support is crucial to providing jobs and income diversification for poor rural households in Ethiopia, ultimately enhancing inclusive growth.