Begging around Yekechene Debre Selam Medhanialem Churchyard, Addis Ababa: Coping Mechanism or Livelihood Option
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Date
2011-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Begging is a very distressing problem in urban areas of Ethiopia, among which Addis Ababa is the
most affected. In development studies, though much has not been done and generalized, there is a
conventional view that begging is used as coping strategy and it is one forms of social capital that the
poor turn in their desperation until good times back Hence, this paper attempts to show whether there
exists a different scenario, a livelihood option, being critical of the prevailed view. To this end, a case
of one Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church vicinity in Addis Ababa was selected, Yekechene Debre
Selam Medanialem Church.. Though this study took the churchyard as a research site, it was as well
done on another spatial arena, Dera, Oromia Regional state where large number of migrant beggars
(78%) originated, to crosscheck source based cause of beggary. In the course of securing primary
data, a master list of beggars living around the selected churchyard are collected, by which it was
realized that there are more than 400 migrant beggars. Afterwards, largely qualitative, along with
quantitative methods of data generation such as in depth personal interview, focus group discussion,
quantitative case study and observation among the beggars, the hosting and the origin community,
and almsgivers and various concerned institutions are conducted in such a way that capture the
diverse realities of beggary, addressing the major objective of the study.
It is found that begging is virtually the problem of rural in dress of urban problem. Taking a case of
Dera, it is revealed that, source based causes are multifaceted, overlapping, leaving one destitute and
life threatened. These include landlessness, land fragmentation and degradation, rainfall variability,
labour deficit (due to physical and mental defectiveness, old age and poor health), long-standing
blood feud tradition, social disorganization, land slide with poor institutional context, making a given
individual to have poor asset mix and to follow the tracks of urban beggars. However, it is also
realized that non-destitute (who have land, labour and oxen etc) is also joining the life of beggary. At
destination around the churchyard, it is seen that with long-standing tradition almsgiving, unexpanded
and uncoordinated intervention from government and non-government organizations, beggary find a
breeding pool in the city, particularly around churchyard. On the other hand, using this larger context,
some beggars seems do not will to quit from begging evidenced by such as comparable non-beggar
migrants working in other productive activities etc. In the course of historical view of beggary in Dera,
it is realized that beggary, as migration, is perpetuated by feedback mechanism and information
exchange, that through time it become patterned, stagnant, normal etc. Therefore, it is concluded that,
with its shame and evil, beggary is not only used as coping mechanism but also as a livelihood option
to some groups. To tackle beggary, short-term and long term, preventive and curative interventions
are recommended.
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Keywords
Begging Around