A FORMER SEX WORKER’S JOURNEY TO INNER PEACE:
SENAIT LEMMA’S STORY.
Author: Fana Abay, Marketing and Communications Director, PSI Ethiopia
We all experience pain at some point, but peace is finding meaning and unconditional love and support, even if it looks different than we expected or wished. This is the story of Senait, a 35-years old former sex worker’s journey to finding inner peace at a drop-in center where female sex workers can access comprehensive, stigma-free and friendly clinical and social services.
Senait Lemma was born in the small town of Assella, in the Oromia region. In her early twenties, she married and quickly became the mother of a healthy son and daughter. Although everything was going well, her husband’s verbal and physical abuse was unbearable. Senait said, “The violence and abuse got worse when my husband started coming home drunk. I was miserable and just wanted to leave.”
After several attempts to work things out and end the abuse, Senait divorced her husband against cultural beliefs. She recalled, “My decision was not easy; I had to leave my fiveyear-old daughter and seven-year-old son because I did not have the financial means and family support to provide for them.”
After the divorce, Senait went through a lot of guilt, shame, insecurity, and depression. When she moved to her parents’ house, she hid her true feelings and put on a brave face. Senait did not want to burden her family and began to help with farming and cooking around the house. As usual, her parents, in-laws, and community elders tried to mediate for Senait to return to her family, but she refused. She said, “Ending my painful and abusive marriage was the only way I could survive.”
Around the same time, Senait’s aunt, who lived in Hawassa, visited the family. Senait was excited to follow her aunt and move to a big city that would offer her more opportunities for employment and a better life. Senait said, “I asked my aunt to take me to Hawassa so I could change my life, but she refused. I knew there was no hope for me in Assella; I had to go somewhere where I could make something of myself and my children.”
ESCAPING THE CONSTRAINTS OF RURAL COMMUNITIY
A few days after her aunt returned to Hawassa, Senait boarded a bus to the same destination. She said, “I had great expectations about moving to Hawassa; I hoped to change my life and the lives of my family members back home.” When Senait arrived in Hawassa, she called her aunt to pick her up from the bus station. Although Senait’s aunt was disappointed, she let Senait stay and work for free as a dishwasher and cook in her restaurant.
Senait had been living with her aunt for two years but was still dissatisfied and unhappy with her new life in Hawassa. The life she had imagined in the city did not meet her expectations, and she once again felt abused and exploited with out a cent in her pocket. She expressed her frustration, “My aunt did not care about me, and she did not pay me. So, I wanted to leave my aunt to look for better opportunities, but I did not know where to start; I had no friends or family to ask.”
During this ordeal, Senait met Hana, a young woman who sold grass in her neighborhood. She said, “I was excited to meet someone with whom I could openly share my disappointment with my life and my desire to leave my aunt.” She added, “When Hana saw how miserable I was, she encouraged me to leave my aunt and told me there were other ways to make a living. I was relieved when I decided to leave my aunt, but I was still disappointed that my aunt showed no remorse. She was just happy that I finally left.” Senait left her aunt with only a few clothes, hoping the city would finally offer her the life she had been looking for.
SEX WORK AS A SURVIVAL STRATEGY
Shortly after leaving her aunt on her nightly walk, Senait saw some young women (sex workers) dressed nicely walking up and down the street; curious to see what it was all about, she stopped and watched them. Suddenly, a 60-year-old man offered her 200 ETB ($3.64) for sex. Senait remembers the first time she had sex for money: “I could not believe what had happened. I was so happy because it seemed like an easy way to make money instead of begging.”
This was the beginning of Senait’s life as a sex worker. Although Senait experienced verbal and physical abuse, she remained in sex work. She said, “Once again, I was abused and exploited, but for someone with little education and no support, I had no choice. Besides, the money was too good, and I easily earned 600 ETB ($10.92) daily.” Fortunately, six months ago, Senait was having breakfast at Tejbet, a local pub, when Genet Bogale, the Coordinator of the Hawassa Drop-in Center, came to talk to her and other sex workers. Senait remembers that day as if it were yesterday, “I was very sick that day.
I looked very fragile and had no energy. When Genet asked me to undergo counseling and an HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) test, I did not hesitate like other days because she was kind, like a mother. For the first time, Genet made me feel that my life was important; she cared for me and valued me.”
JOURNEY TO INNER PEACE
Senait was scared because she already believed she was HIV positive, but she decided to go for counseling and get tested for HIV at the Hawassa DIC (Drop-In Center). The Hawassa DIC is one of twenty-two centers supported by the USAID MULU Key Populations Activity (2018–2024). The DIC is a safe place where female sex workers can access comprehensive, stigma-free and friendly clinical and social services. In addition, the DIC also provides space for entertainment, rest, a kitchen for cooking, laundry, and shower facilities for free.
After Senait’s HIV test, it was confirmed that she was indeed positive. Initially, Senait was sad by her condition, “I was always afraid that one day I would contract the virus because I work in a risky job”. After in-depth counseling sessions at the Hawassa DIC with Genet and Hiwot (Peer Educator), Senait was referred to a hospital, where she started antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment. Due to the high prevalence of cervical cancer among sex workers, Senait was also screened for pre-cancerous lesions. Senait was happy that her cervical cancer screening result was negative: “I was delighted to learn that at least I was not at risk for cervical cancer.”
Senait’s decision to stop sex work stemmed from discovering her HIV status. She explained, “When I found out I was HIV positive, I immediately decided to stop sex work because I knew that if men forced me to have sex without a condom, I would destroy the lives of many other families.” She continued, “I do not know why, but most men do not want to use condoms and would do anything to avoid wearing one even if I told them I was HIV positive.”
Senait used all her savings and asked some friends to help her open a small business selling coffee. Senait says, “Now I earn between 300 and 500 ETB a day. I am incredibly happy with my new life. When I discovered my HIV status, life gave me a new meaning and appreciation”. She adds, “After I started treatment and quit sex work, I feel healthier and at peace. I can sleep well at night without fear of abuse.”
Now a volunteer, Senait frequently reports on the friendly clinical and social services the DIC provides in Hawassa. Senait adds, “The DIC is የእናት ጓዳ (my mother’s kitchen), my sanctuary. I receive all care and treatment services free of charge and without judgment. I never thought I would find so much love and peace in such a center among peers and medical staff who treat me like family.”
Stories like Senait’s are far too familiar. A generation of young girls and women, yearning for a better life and escaping the constraints of their traditional rural communities, migrate to vibrant cities, lured by the promise of opportunity and a better future. But harsh realities often dash their hopes, leading them into sex work as a survival strategy.
ABOUT USAID MULU KEY POPULATION ACTIVITY
USAID MULU Key Populations Activity is a national leader in implementing innovative HIV programs for key and priority populations (KP/PP). MULU KP pioneered the establishment of Drop-in Centers (DIC) in Ethiopia, community-based centers that provide comprehensive HIV services, including index case testing, HIV self-testing, community-based antiretroviral therapy services (ART), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), condoms, and lubricants for KP/PP. Other clinical services offered include cervical cancer screening and treatment, TB screening and referral, TB prevention therapy, and sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment. The USAID MULU KP Activity and DICs (Drop-in Centers) are designed with a user-centered approach to provide comprehensive and friendly clinical and social services that are stigma and discrimination-free, promote meaningful engagement with the health system, and ensure high-quality service.
