Birke Beyene

My name is Birke Beyene. I am 73 years old. Currently, I live with my children in Addis Ababa. I worked for 30 years as a teacher in a government-owned school in Addis Ababa until my retirement. I have been living off my pension fund since I retired seventeen years ago, however, it is not enough to support me. The rising cost of living and price of food has made it difficult to live in Addis Ababa over time. That was the reason I planned to take some action to support my life. Someone in my family who understands how to launch a small business encourages me constantly. She ultimately encouraged me to begin. I used to know how to make Ethiopian Tej, a popular traditional beverage among the Ethiopian communities. Tej is fermented honey juice. I therefore began producing it for sale. It went so well that many customers are now stopping by my workplace to taste it. I’m very happy I established this little business at this age. Many of my friends and older people in my community have been motivated by my efforts since I proved that I am capable of doing it despite my age. It has been a while since I first learnt about the local Older People Association. I joined right away. I was able to contact many older people because of the association. I began encouraging others to accomplish their best to support their lives. Eventually, I received a nomination to lead the Yeka Sub-City District 08 Older People Association in Addis Ababa, and I have done so ever since. As we collaborate frequently with the Ethiopian Elderly and Pensioners National Association and the local government administration office, my experiences as a teacher have aided me in carrying out a variety of jobs. Principally, we work together with the older persons in our locality to raise the voices of the older persons, engage in advocacy work, and attend and take part in review meetings with the Ethiopian Elderly and Pensioners National Association and HelpAge. Furthermore, the OPA works a lot visiting homebound older persons who are having difficulty getting food support, are abused, and are facing challenges. We try to bring due attention to them. Since I started leading the OPA, I have found that many older people’s issues are getting attention at the district level. More importantly, I usually attend the International Day of Older Persons (IDOP), where issues affecting older people are raised.