A Qualitative Study on Internal Migrants in Ethiopia: Causes, Experiences, Perceptions, Challenges and Future Life Orientations

This study was aimed at investigating migrant youths life experience in a city. Specifically, the study explored the major reasons for abandoning rural areas, migration process, challenges encountered, their perceptions about city life, and their future life orientation. The study employed qualitative research methods; hence, the participants of the research were selected purposively. Unstructured in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussion guidelines were used for data collection. Accordingly, the migrant youths from Wolayta rural areas working around the premises of Addis Ababa University Main Campus were selected as the research participants. The study found out small amount of land holding, landlessness, lack of employment opportunities in their respective rural areas, high family size, household food insecurity, inability to pursue education and skill development and inability to afford medical services are among the major reasons for their migration as reported by the participants. High needs for self-reliance, high expectation of urban employment opportunities were also among the major reasons to migrate. In the process of their migration, the migrants got the information from either relatives or friends who had migrated before. The migrants, obtained information through phone communication and in the occasions of ‘Meskel’ or ‘Holy cross’ Holiday, the occasion migrant youths come back to their respective villages for the celebration, through face-to-face communications with those who had migrated before. The major challenges the migrant youths encountered after their arrivals were the inabilities to find jobs, high cost of living, inability to pursue education, inability to afford skill development trainings, and lack of comprehensive guides to facilitate easy settlements in the city. Nevertheless, the migrants have satisfied with their current living conditions. Above all, their independences and self-reliance’s created a sense of confidence and positive future life orientation. The government of Ethiopia has the five year Growth and Transformation Plan (2015-2020), to industrialize and solve sporadic ethnic conflicts among various ethnic groups. Migration can play a vital positive role in this regards. Encouraging migration through creating conducive situations in the city has paramount importance. It can easily provide skilled labor to industries as industries are available at large numbers in Addis Ababa and outskirts of Addis Ababa. It can also be an avenue to create inter-ethnic contact among various ethnic groups which will lead to integrations. The implication of the study demonstrates, the positive impacts of migration on the migrant youths life experiences’ and the country at large. The government should encourage the migrants by providing with services which help them cope up with urban life. This includes programs targeting the rural migrants in helping to have access to affordable housing scheme, education and skill development centers, medical services and job opportunities so that the migrants can settle permanently in the city.