In the begining of September we experienced a milestone that felt bigger than numbers our very first Etalem Community Event. It’s been only a year and a half since Etalem began as a small pilot: one apartment complex in Mexico, 3 customers, and 5 Etalems whose names we still remember like family. What started as an experiment has now grown into 300+ registered Etalems and 200 active customers across Addis.Yesterday we paused to reflect on this journey in a room filled with laughter, shared stories, and honest conversations.We recognized the Etalems who are setting the standard — the ones our customers call family. We listened closely to long-standing concerns and worked through solutions on the spot. We introduced new tools and policies from our clock-in/clock-out bot to new quality frameworks because excellence deserves structure. It was about honoring and making Etalems part of process to deliver excellence. Some Etalems stood up to share how far they’ve come, reminding us why this mission matters.Another highlight was when we awarded the first upskilled graduates of our Center of Excellence, more to come in the coming few monthsAnd then came the answer that left us all quiet for a moment. When asked “What does Etalem mean to you?” Etalem Weynishet said:“Etalem is where we solve people’s household problems as if they were our own while building our own future.” That sentence captured it all. Etalem is not just a service. It’s a sisterhood of problem solvers. It’s about trust, growth, and futures built together.Kudos to the whole team for making this happen and for getting Etalem here.