In Dire Dawa, a city where traditional industry meets modern ambition, a revolution is taking shape. Mistre Bahru, a civil engineer turned social entrepreneur, founded KERKEHA (ቀርከሀ) Skill and Talent Match Center. This initiative is transforming the definition of work readiness in Ethiopia.
“I was unemployed for three months, then I decided to give free service as an assistant engineer at Melaku Tesfaye General Construction, working for free for nine months just to gain real world experience… I was learning and developing different technical and soft skills that can help me secure a job.”
These words sum up not just Mistre’s gritty beginning but a generational tale of African graduates facing a brutal job market that rewards experience over potential. It was during those unpaid months that she realized how vast the chasm was between theoretical education and real-world skills a realization that would one day evolve into a full-blown mission.
After landing a role as a site engineer and managing two commercial building projects simultaneously, Mistre began to see not just flaws in the system, but also the enormous, often wasted potential of young Ethiopians like herself.
KERKEHA: Rooted Like Bamboo
“KERKEHA was born out of both frustration and hope.”
The name itself KERKEHA, from the Amharic word for bamboo carries the spirit of its founder’s philosophy. Mistre explains:
“Bamboo spends up to five years growing roots underground, without any visible growth above the soil… That’s exactly how I see many African youths. They are investing time, energy and struggle, often unnoticed until they get the right environment to shoot upward.”
This metaphor isn’t just poetic it’s strategic. Like bamboo’s 2,000+ uses, KERKEHA recognizes that African youth are multi-talented but underutilized. The center offers more than training; it provides a soil-deep incubation environment from which young talent can spring forth with power, direction and purpose.
Bridging the Gap: From Knowledge to Work
What makes KERKEHA more than just another training center?
“We provide targeted skill training in demand based areas—construction, digital literacy, marketing software, graphics design, employability skills and entrepreneurship… But we don’t stop at training. We actively partner with companies to offer internships, match graduates with job openings, and support them through soft skills development,” Mistre says.
This full-cycle approach means KERKEHA isn’t merely about certificates; it’s about competence and connection. The curriculum is adaptive, driven by market data and deeply aligned with employer expectations.
From Engineer to Entrepreneur: The Hard Pivot
Mistre’s leap from a stable job to uncertain entrepreneurship wasn’t smooth.
“One of the toughest personal decisions I made was resigning from my job, even though it took me a long journey of volunteering and persistence to earn it. Walking away wasn’t easy… Starting from zero, without guaranteed income or external support, was daunting. But every obstacle made my mission clearer and my determination stronger,” she recalls.
She also challenged societal expectations head-on. In a culture where employment is the gold standard of success, opting to “create” jobs instead of “get” one felt like mutiny. But that’s exactly the kind of revolution Ethiopia’s youth have been waiting for.
According to Mistre, “The construction industry is evolving fast with technologies like digital supervision, software-based design tools, and sustainable building practices reshaping how we work.”
Yet much of Africa is still working with yesterday’s knowledge. At KERKEHA, emphasis is placed on practical experience, internships and the kind of hands-on mentorship that makes a difference on a real site.
She laments, “In many real-world scenarios, skilled laborers who’ve learned on-site often outperform new graduates… There’s a major disconnect between classroom learning and field application.”
What sets Mistre apart is her devotion to purpose over profit.
“Volunteering isn’t just an activity for me, it’s part of my identity.”
From helping build an elderly center to running free soft skills workshops and youth-parent dialogue sessions, Mistre’s ethos is deeply communal. KERKEHA, too, carries this torch offering free training, mentorship and counseling to those who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
The Tech Leap: KERKEHA Goes Digital
KERKEHA is not just grounded in local soil it’s reaching toward the digital sky. Partnering with Mesirat, a gig economy project backed by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented by Gebeya Inc, Mistre is building a digital marketplace for gig workers.
The upcoming platform will allow users to:
- Create digital profiles showcasing skills and certifications
- Access mobile-friendly training (technical + soft skills)
- Connect with employers or clients
- Track work history and build credibility
This hybrid model blends online theory with offline practicals a combination designed to birth digitally literate, hands-on workers ready for 21st-century challenges.
Words to Young Dreamers
Mistre’s advice to budding entrepreneurs and engineers is golden:
“Surround yourself with more experienced people… ask questions constantly. Your technical skills are only one piece of the puzzle… Start small but dream big and more importantly, start now.”
She continues, “Like bamboo which grows unseen for years while building deep roots your early work may not be visible at first. But when the time is right, you’ll rise faster and stronger than you ever imagined.”
Looking Ahead: The Five-Year Dream
KERKEHA is still young, but Mistre’s vision is mature:
“In five years, I see KERKEHA becoming a national hub for skill and talent development… Our ultimate vision? To transform lives through dignity, opportunity and innovation.”
With that, the bamboo metaphor comes full circle KERKEHA’s roots are deep, its vision tall and its mission clear. And if the story of Mistre Bahru teaches us anything, it’s this: real impact begins underground, in silence, in struggle and then suddenly, gloriously, it rises.
