Africa-Press – Gambia. In the heart of the East side of bustling Dakar, Senegal’s capital in the Hann Bel-Air neighbourhood, Cameroonian refugee Marie ETAH is conducting a standard motor vehicle service in one of Senegal’s premier automobile distribution companies, EMG Universal Auto.
For Marie, vocational training continues to be the key to rebuilding her life. This World Refugee Day 2025, her advice to other refugees echoes her own resilience: “Believe in yourself. We are capable, too. We must not be discouraged because of refugee status.”
The 29-year-old is on the brink of realising her dreams of becoming a mechanic. She recalls being particularly drawn to interests that often presented a challenge, and had a niche following, “I like challenges, different things. I wanted to be useful, to provide solutions, to be of service. Mechanics allow me to do all that.” Hence her interests in vehicle mechanics was born and honed once she undertook a course in auto-mechanics whilst still in Cameroon.
Though life has been far from kind to Marie, it has not taken away her courage and bravery.
Marie was forced to abandon everything and flee Cameroon alongside her husband, to neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) following the violent armed conflict that broke out in the North of Cameroon. Despite the significant disruption she suffered, she still continued pursuing mechanics while in CAR.
While in CAR she worked in a local neighbourhood auto-garage for around three years that allowed her to accumulate valuable hands-on experience before her move to Senegal where she fled to after she lost her husband and was assaulted.
Her move to Senegal required that she start over and in the absence of academic certificates that would capture her skills and competences, this would be an undertaking on its own. Enter Eminence Motors Guarantee, popularly known as EMG in Dakar, a motor vehicle enterprise that has been in Senegal for over three decades. Marie trains in the maintenance department, where precision is critical to client satisfaction.
Cameroonian refugee Marie Etah conducting a detailed diagnostic inspection on a vehicle at her place of work Eminence Motors Garage (EMG) in Dakar.
© UNHCR/Edwina Mapenzi Ayuko Ochieng UNHCR’s non-governmental implementing partner in Senegal, Green Village Foundation (GVF) was instrumental in helping Marie secure the EMG internship despite losing her certificates once she was forcibly displaced. Not only did she secure an internship but also was a recipient of psychosocial support and vocational counseling that slowly but surely allowed her to reconstruct her future.
A typical workday for Marie begins at six AM. when she wakes up and gets ready for the day. She does not live too far from the garage and often arrives on foot by 7.30AM. She cannot stress enough how important it is for her to have a hearty breakfast due to the physically demanding needs of her profession. She then starts her day promptly at 8AM, describing the garage to be most busy during morning hours. In a day she carries out maintenance checks on at least ten vehicles between Monday and Friday and alternate Saturdays. This profession continues to challenge her in all aspects; mentally, emotionally and even physically but she continues to step up to the challenge. “This job requires character, rigour, determination. You have to prove yourself and live up to expectations. Especially when you’re a woman in a man’s environment.” Evidently, not only has she become courageous but has also had her physical limits tested which have only strengthened her.
As she continues to learn the ropes of vehicle mechanics her biggest challenge lies in her work meeting client satisfactory standards. Failure to meet these standards may result in a vehicle being returned due to substandard repairs which has the potential of damaging the garage’s reputation.
She dreams of sharpening her skills in vehicle mechanics especially with the frequent technical advancements the motor vehicle industry continues to make. She looks forward to the discoveries in the profession she is yet to make as she continues to enhance her mechanics credentials be it through getting an academic diploma while continuing to build an arsenal of knowledge through even more hands-on experience.
Amongst the several benefits she has gained from this opportunity self-reliance is at the top. Even as an intern she is able to support herself as best she can, as a salaried intern earning over $100 a month enough to meet her needs on a day-to-day basis. She anticipates an even brighter future ahead especially if there will be even more opportunities for training or financial support for those who would like to become entrepreneurs.
Marie has made a good impression on her colleagues. Her colleague Sidibé values the professional relationship he has with Marie after just six months of working together, ” She is the one who welcomed me here. We work together, sometimes she’s the one who shows me things, I do the same too. She does her job very well. She’s very intelligent.”
The passion she has is not only apparent to her colleagues but also her manager, Muguette Samb ,”She has been here for two years. She loves what she does and does her best. I am 70% satisfied. What she lacks is speed since we offer an express service, but that will come with time,” said the workshop boss.
For Marie, that’s what resilience is all about: “Hang in there. Always. And to move forward despite the difficulties.“
Source: The Standard Newspaper | Gambia
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