Resolution Studio

In 1954, Wonji Sugar Factory began making sugar near Adama, about 110 km from Addis Ababa. It was the first modern sugar factory in Ethiopia, built during the time of Haile Selassie.

Before this, most people farmed their own land and grew different kinds of crops. Wonji’s large fields were turned into sugarcane farms, and water from the Awash River was used to grow one main crop.

The factory also changed how people worked. Many people became workers with fixed hours and a monthly pay. People moved from different places to work there, and new communities grew around the factory. Schools, homes, and clinics were built. Some workers learned new skills, but many still did hard, repetitive jobs. Life became more organized around the factory and its schedule.

Wonji sugar factory helped Ethiopia make its own sugar instead of buying from other countries. It created jobs and helped grow the economy. But it also brought new challenges. Farming became less diverse, and people started to depend more on one system.

Wonji was a beginning and the change.

Long before a group of early Muslims crossed into what is now Ethiopia, seeking safety not among their own, but under the protection of a Christian king.

Making Ethiopia one of the first lands to shelter Islam.

Reminding us that faith is about humanity, coexistence, and the courage to protect one another.

Moving into higher-paying sectors is rarely a straight line. It’s a series of pathways, and many women are blocked before they even begin.

Education is one of the first gates.
Not just access to schooling, but staying in school long enough to build usable skills.

From there, skills development becomes critical.
Technical and vocational training, digital skills, and industry-specific capabilities are often the bridge between informal work and more stable, higher-paying roles.

There is also the question of transition.
Moving from informal work into the formal sector requires entry points, apprenticeships, and systems that enable women to transition into new roles without incurring disproportionate risk.

And across all of this sits a constant condition. Safety.
The ability to move, work, and participate without fear shapes every decision along the way.

Which is why closing the gender pay gap is not just about wages.
And making the system efficient enough for women to move through these pathways with less resistance.