“I live for my child, I don’t want him to go through what I went through”

After experiencing sexual violence, Dekitiu found Siiqqee and joined one of its self-help groups in Gindo, Ethiopia. With Siiqqee’s support, Dekitiu has grown in confidence and now runs her own business whilst sharing her experience with other women. She is looking forward to the future for her and her son.

“My mum died when I was baby, so I was raised by my stepmother and father. My stepmother treated me like a maid. My father wanted to send me to school, but my stepmother refused. My brother agreed that I had to study, and stood up to my father and said that if I didn’t get to study we would leave.

I was able to join school, but during grade 2 I got my first marriage proposal. My father wanted me to marry, but I didn’t want to get married. So I told my teachers, and the school wrote a letter to my father. They saved me but I got three other proposals. When I refused to drop out of school, my stepmother would only feed me once a day.

My brother and I ended up leaving home. We got a small hut. I was able to continue my education, and I started selling ingredients to make a local drink, together with my brother. We sold this to support my education. But by grade 7 I started struggling, I failed and did the entire grade again but failed again. I also became sick and dropped out of school.

One day, I was collecting wood when a stranger came up to me and raped me. I couldn’t report it because I didn’t know who they were. I got pregnant, but I only found out by the time I was four months pregnant. I went to the hospital and asked for an abortion, but the doctors told me that it was a risk to my life to have an abortion. My brother told me to abort and threatened me that he would leave me if I had a child. But I decided to keep the baby because I was afraid of what the doctors said to me. My brother was very disappointed and left us. 

The pregnancy was very complicated, I had to go to the hospital three times a day. After giving birth, I became a maid and worked a lot to support my baby. After two years I reconciled with one of my brothers, so we continued making arache (the local drink) to sell.

I found out about Siiqqee through a community facilitator. As I was a young woman with a baby, I was selected to form part of the group. For the first training, we received a small amount of money (per diems), which I saved. With these funds, I opened up a bank account with 50 birr (£1.38), and with the remaining funds I bought two chickens. I started selling the eggs as well as using them to feed my child. My chickens then reproduced, so I had four chickens. I sold them for 650 birr (£18), and deposited half in my account. With the rest, I bought two sheep.

I also learnt through Siiqqee how to scale up my business, and started sharing my story. This allowed me to come out of my trauma. I learnt about saving time, as well as saving money.

When I got my second training from Siiqqee, with 180 birr (£4.99) I bought clothes for my child and shoes for myself. I sold the two sheep for 2200 birr (£60) – I originally bought them for 1100 – and I bought a calf which I left it at one of my brother’s houses.

Saving has helped me maximise my business and profit. I live for my child, he’s almost 3 years old now. I don’t want him to go through what I went through.

God has given me health and I do a lot of things – I plan my time, food, clothes, etc, I’ve learnt how to plan my time properly and I am now able to provide advice and counselling to others.

In the future, I hope to open a cafeteria to sell food so I can make enough money to change my child’s life for the better.”

To support more women like Dekitiu, please support us today.