Between the end of our fiscal year (end of June), and the beginning of the Ethiopian New Year (September) we usually hold a general staff meeting in order to share some highlights of the past year, and make some predictions about the year to come.
This year we thought it was especially important to come together and give thanks for how everyone has supported each other in these difficult times. In particular, we wanted to single out some key staff who have been outstanding in their loyalty to the company.
Firstly, we honored all the staff who have worked for Sabahar since 2010 (reaching their 10 years of employment). It was a large group this time – 9 employees. This brings us to a total of 20 staff (out of 92) who have worked at least 10 years with Sabahar.
Then we surprised everyone with some new awards.
Chane Mengstie received the commitment to high quality work award. In these last months we have received a number of large orders for natural dyed silk scarves and shawls. As our head natural dyer, Chane has proven his skills by ensuring all the natural dyeing is done with great care and attention.
Tegegn Lamesgin received the above and beyond dedication award. This recognition is for his hard work in building new looms at Sabahar. In the last few months, we have built 3 new large floor looms with 4 or 8 harnesses, to enable some new products (for example the mechot throw). Though other weavers have also been enthusiastically involved in building new looms, Tegegn has really showed his leadership and skills.
Ayele Assefa received the innovation award. During the early days of the corona virus, everyone was scrambling to understand how to ensure working environments were safe. Very quickly Sabahar established hand washing stations that were mandatory for both employees and visitors to the compound. Observing that even turning on the faucet with bare hands could potentially create a risk for the next person, Ayele took on the challenge of making this process safer. We were all amazed at the ingenious device that he built that enabled hand washing to be done by only using ones feet to get soap, and to start and stop the flow of water.
Yawalachet Azene was particularly surprised to receive a special thank you. As our part time electrician, Yawalachet ‘saved the day’ when he managed to repair our ironing machine with locally found spare parts. We are all very thankful for his devotion to Sabahar.