Born in a poverty-stricken family in Ethiopia, she had migrated to Kuwait in search of livelihood. Her love with a Kadapa man made her move to India for turning a new page in life.
As fate would have it, her fiance died before tying the nuptial knot, leaving her in dire straits.
After leading a trauma-filled life for six years in Kadapa, Yemanebirhan Atsede Seteye finally reached home early on Friday.
Having been through turbulent times for several years, the 33-year-old woman stands today as a symbol of courage.
While working in the gulf nation, she had befriended Kamisetti Ramana, a native of Rajampeta, who was eking out a living as a car driver. It appeared to augur well when the two decided to enter wedlock in October 2015.
After arranging her a rented accommodation in Kadapa, Ramana had gone back to Kuwait for a short stint to make more money.
As her visa validity lapsed, she was in for another shocking news in the form of Ramana’s death in Kuwait. After his body arrived in Rajampet and the final rites were performed on March 6, 2020, Ms. Yemanebirhan started staring at a blank future.
It was then she poured out her woes to the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) in the Special Branch of Kadapa police, with a plea to send her back home.
“Being a stranger to the people around, the language, culture and food habits, and with no job to ensure sustenance, she was undergoing a lot of trauma,” Superintendent of Police K.K.N. Anburajan told The Hindu.
She had to experience another shocker when she tested positive for COVID-19 a few months ago, when the Police Department again rushed to her support.
Special Branch inspector U. Venkata Kumar and constable G. Subba Raju struggled for nearly one year to process the paper work by contacting the Ethiopian embassy in New Delhi.
Luck finally smiled on Ms. Yemanebirhan when she got the Emergency Travel Document (ETD), using which she flew to her homeland from Mumbai international airport.
In fact, the Kadapa police personnel escorted her by train to Mumbai and stayed till she boarded the flight.
Ms. Yemanebirhan witnessed emotional moments on Friday morning after meeting her family members waiting for her arrival at Addis Ababa airport.
