To contribute to the process of reintegration of returning Ethiopian migrant workers, the FAIRWAY Programme has provided support through cash transfers to Ethiopian returnees under the framework of the ‘Support to Reintegration of Returnees in Ethiopia’ agreement with the Ethiopian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

The initiative, launched in November 2020, aims to provide returning Ethiopian migrant workers with short-term financial assistance to support their sustenance needs and reintegration in the community. As at May 2021, 691 Ethiopian returnees (415 female and 276 male returnees), had received their first cash transfers, out of a total of US$120 per worker (payable in three instalments). This initiative is managed in collaboration with the Amhara Credit and Savings Institution (ACSI), a regional microfinance organization, to help returnees set up their bank accounts to receive their cash transfers.

Due to security challenges in some of ACSI’s areas of operations for this purpose within Ethiopia, the project suspended its operations temporarily but was later able to resume as the security situation improved. The project aims to reach 806 returning migrant workers by July 2021 with a cumulative transfer of US$ 100,000 to returnee migrants through this cash transfer initiative.