Rural-Urban Migration and the Expansion of Youths' Begging in Jigjiga Town, East Ethiopia

Nowadays migration is the hot issue of the world and Africa in general and Ethiopia in Particular. However, due attention has been given mainly to international migrations. The internal rural-urban migration has received less attention. Currently, internal rural-urban migration causes a significant impact on the socio-economic development of Ethiopia in general and Jigjiga town in particular. Located at the most eastern part of the country, Jigjiga town has been serving as the transit route for international emigrants and destination to internal immigrants. The main objective of this study is, therefore, to appraise the causes and course of flow of immigrations from the surrounding rural areas to Jigjiga town and assessing the economic activities of immigrants mainly beginning at Jigjiga town. Using the qualitative method, this paper tries to fill the gap in this regard. The data has been collected through interviews, FGD, non-participant observations, and text analyses. Snowball sampling was employed to access the immigrants at Jigjiga town.

The findings of thie study reveal that a significant number of destitute Oromos originating from East Hararghe Zone were a refuge in Jigjiga town where they were tried to make a living through begging in the streets, at the gate of the mosques, or going from house to house asking for food. The migrants, mainly women and children, were waiting for Friday midday prayers to end, hoping to get alms from people leaving the mosque and they have wandered from one individual house to another to beg cooked meal. Most of the migrants are addicted to drugs mainly chat and cigarettes. 

Nowadays migration is the hot issue of the world and Africa in general and Ethiopia in Particular. However, due attention has been given mainly to international migrations. The internal rural-urban migration has received less attention. Currently, internal rural-urban migration causes a significant impact on the socio-economic development of Ethiopia in general and Jigjiga town in particular. Located at the most eastern part of the country, Jigjiga town has been serving as the transit route for international emigrants and destination to internal immigrants. The main objective of this study is, therefore, to appraise the causes and course of flow of immigrations from the surrounding rural areas to Jigjiga town and assessing the economic activities of immigrants mainly beginning at Jigjiga town. Using the qualitative method, this paper tries to fill the gap in this regard. The data has been collected through interviews, FGD, non-participant observations, and text analyses. Snowball sampling was employed to access the immigrants at Jigjiga town.

The findings of thie study reveal that a significant number of destitute Oromos originating from East Hararghe Zone were a refuge in Jigjiga town where they were tried to make a living through begging in the streets, at the gate of the mosques, or going from house to house asking for food. The migrants, mainly women and children, were waiting for Friday midday prayers to end, hoping to get alms from people leaving the mosque and they have wandered from one individual house to another to beg cooked meal. Most of the migrants are addicted to drugs mainly chat and cigarettes.