Helvetas is a Swiss development organization doing a lot of work in Ethiopia. From suspended foot bridges (yes, you read that correctly) to vocational training, they are partnering with the community to increase sustainability and build generational change.

For this short film they wanted us to capture the impact their partnerships with vocational training institutions are having for families and their communities. There is a big demand for skilled workers in Ethiopia and these schools can play a role in filling that need.

Helvetas’ way of placing people in these programs is different though. They use an incentive model when partnering with schools. The institutions are only paid 80% of the student fees up front while the remaining 20% is paid once the trainee has found a steady job or has established a successful business.

Already they are seeing results. About 2,000 people have already received a three month training (80% of which are women) and over 75% of them have gained employment. Those are exciting numbers and it’s this kind of outside-the-box thinking which got us excited to do this film!