Polishing the Future: from Street Labor to Micro-Entrepreneur

It is clear that the “opportunity cost” of attending school is often too high for families living in extreme poverty. As this might happen elsewhere, the dropout rate for boys in secondary school in Lalibela is frequently linked to household shocks.

So, the fate of these children is then being dependent on very small “survival trap” activities: some may move from place to place holding a small wooded shoe shine box, some may walk around the town carrying a small box with few candy in it and more. This is because these activities of being a shoe shine or selling candy offers them immediate liquidity. For a child who hasn’t eaten, the 20 ETB earned from one polish or the few birrs earned from selling candy is more tangible than the theoretical benefit of a diploma four year away.

To break the cycle of “survival shining,” PBF provided a structured financial package aimed at shifting these youth from unregulated street labor to micro-entrepreneurship.

By providing a fixed location (Kiosk), the youth are no longer viewed as “vagrants” by local authorities but as legitimate taxpayers. This has drastically reduced “traffic humiliation” and police harassment, which were previously cited as major reasons for youth distress.

These kiosks serve as both professional shoe-shine stations and retail points for related leather-care products and travel essentials. This “Hybrid Model” has successfully stabilized the income of 13 youth beneficiaries, making them less reliant on volatile daily foot traffic and more integrated into the local retail economy.

Previously, a shoe shiner’s income was limited to the number of customers they could physically serve. By financing the construction of small, aesthetic metal kiosks, we have enabled beneficiaries to generate secondary income streams.

New Revenue Channels include:

• Leather Care Retail: Sale of locally sourced polishes, brushes, and protective waxes for tourists and residents.
• Ancillary Goods: Sale of small necessities (socks, laces, bottled water, and maps) to visitors heading to the nearby Rock-Hewn Churches.
• Shoe Repair & Modification: Kiosks provide secure storage for tools, allowing for more complex repair work (stitching, sole replacement) that cannot be done on a mobile stool.

Conclusion

PBF’s donation in collaboration with our local partner Hearts for Humanity Charity Association has done more than just shine shoes; it has polished the potential of young men who were previously overlooked. By treating this “informal” work with professional respect, we have created a pathway out of systemic poverty.

Mesay Mekuanint