Rise up! - how selling bread helped a young refugee find his feet
When Obsa phoned his mother to tell her about his new job, it was a moment of intense pride and relief. It felt like an exciting new chapter in a long, difficult story that began when he was just 15 years old.
“I was born in Ethiopia, near the border with Somalia but I had to leave because of a mistake - people thought I was a member of the Oromo Liberation Army,” 23-year-old Obsa says.
He was forced to flee his home, leaving his mother, brother, sister, and his father, a community leader who was also targeted by security forces and eventually killed. “I miss my family so much.”
The next few years were unbelievably tough for Obsa, before he was finally granted asylum in the UK in 2019.
“I was sent to live in Manchester until my asylum seeker status was granted, then in November 2022 I moved to Brighton because my cousin lives there,” Obsa says. “It’s a great city but very expensive.”
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While sleeping rough, Obsa was approached by charity workers who introduced him to Breadwinners. The project helps refugees get work experience in the UK, selling artisan organic bread at markets.
Obsa outside St. Mary’s Church, Brighton, where the Breadwinners street market is held every SaturdayFive months after he started working on the stalls, Obsa says the experience has been life changing.
“Before, my English wasn’t good and I had no confidence. Now I know how to speak to customers and sell bread - one day I hope to open my own shop. I have also made great friends.”
Breadwinners is just one of many good causes across the UK to benefit from National Lottery funding, receiving £49,755 in June 2018 to launch a new “Riser” programme to train and mentor young refugees and asylum seekers and prepare them for employment.
The funding was voted for via The National Lottery’s People’s Projects, which gives everyone a say in how National Lottery funding is distributed.
The People’s Projects is back again and looking for this year's winners, so have your say in how £4m of National Lottery funding is put to good use by brilliant community projects near you. Look for good causes in your local area and cast your vote at thepeoplesprojects.org.uk.
Obsa’s time with Breadwinners ends next month, and is a clear success story. “I’ve just had a job interview with the NHS and will soon start as a housekeeper and cleaner,” he says with pride.
“I miss my mother, but I talk to her all the time - she was so happy when I told her my news.”
Vote for a community project to win a share of £4m of National Lottery funding at thepeoplesprojects.org.uk
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