Skills for a Shared Future: How Bethlehem Turned a Bold Dream into a Thriving Community Enterprise

On World Youth Skills Day, we celebrate the power of equipping young women and men with the right skills, training, and support to shape their own destinies, secure dignified and fulfilling work, and build sustainable livelihoods that transform their communities.

The heavy glass amber bottle catches the warm afternoon light in Adama City as Bethlehem Abreha presses a clean, modern label for her natural hair oil onto its surface. It is a simple, repetitive movement, but to Bethlehem, each label feels like anchoring a lifelong dream to reality.

Only a few years ago, Bethlehem was a fresh Marketing Management graduate with a stubborn, passionate vision but an empty bank account. While her classmates took traditional, safer career paths, Bethlehem was pulled toward the rich, earthy scents of cold-pressed oils and the quiet craft of handmade hair care. She wanted to create a hair care line that was completely natural, chemical-free, and crafted with genuine care. However, passion alone cannot purchase raw materials. In the beginning, Bethlehem was entirely on her own, operating with just ETB 200,000 in starting funds and often overwhelmed by doubt, wondering if her big ideas would simply fade away.

The major turning point in her journey came through her participation in the SEED Program, an initiative led by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. This program provided her with comprehensive entrepreneurship training, which was quickly followed by essential business development support designed to help young women and men successfully transition into leadership and enterprise ownership. Through this partnership, she secured a vital business loan of ETB 341,580, gained access to new market opportunities, and was provided with a dedicated physical working space. Far more than just financial and physical support, the program handed her a mirror that showed her what she was truly capable of achieving as a leader.

Today, the quiet workspace in Erecha Woreda hums with a completely different energy. Bethlehem now watches her business partner balance a measurement scale while five dedicated team members carefully blend, bottle, and pack their signature hair oils. Her business has become a true community asset, enabling local young women and men to access dignified and fulfilling work with monthly earnings ranging from ETB 5,000 to ETB 50,000.

If her college degree taught her how to sell, her business training taught her how to connect deeply with others. Before receiving this support, Bethlehem simply made and sold her product. Today, her entire business is built on deep customer care, where she and her team follow up with buyers, listen to feedback, and treat every customer as a valued partner in their success. She often reminds her team that their customers are their greatest asset, and by listening to them, they are building lasting trust.

In addition to building her production capacity, Bethlehem has actively expanded her reach by participating in various high-profile business forums, entrepreneurship exhibitions, and national trade events. These platforms have allowed her to showcase her natural hair oil innovations to wider audiences, connect with industry peers, and attract new retail partners. By stepping onto these public stages, Bethlehem has not only grown her market share but has also positioned herself as a prominent, inspiring role model for other aspiring young women and men entrepreneurs across the region.

The results of Bethlehem’s hard work and consistency speak for themselves in undeniable numbers. Her initial starting funds of ETB 200,000 have grown into an impressive business value of ETB 1.5 million. Her product presentation is professional, her ingredients are locally and sustainably sourced, and her local distribution networks are expanding fast.

What began as a risky leap of faith has transformed into a sustainable, community-lifting beacon of success. As Bethlehem seals the last box of the day, her heart is full, knowing that this beautiful, natural evolution is still just the beginning of a very bright future.

This World Youth Skills Day, Bethlehem’s story reminds us that when we invest in young women and men, build their skills, and offer the right financial and technical support, we are not just building businesses, we are creating pathways to dignified and fulfilling work and securing a shared, prosperous future for everyone.