Rahel and her husband Anteneh run a café near the busy Piassa area of Addis Ababa, set up through our project with DDIA on Improving income for deaf people. Previously they had set up a cybercafé, but demand plummeted due to the advent of smartphones.
Undeterred, they attended training Along with other deaf people and obtained a starter kit for a catering business. They started with three other deaf people and have since taken on a hearing woman to do takeaway deliveries, and rent out space to a traditional coffee maker.
Rahel and Anteneh care for two children as well as working 6 days a week: they start at 5am, taking two taxis to get to the café by six. They are persistent and resilient, brimming with new ideas and looking forward to obtaining new and better premises through the local authority.