ADUGNA WODAJO2026-01-302014-06https://etd.hu.edu.et/handle/123456789/402This thesis explores the challenges faced by shoe shiners and their opinion on forming cooperatives in Hawassa City, Ethiopia. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach with a concurrent embedded design. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to ensure the representation of all sub-cities. The quantitative data was collected from 299 shoe shiners through structured questionnaire survey and 5 point Likert scale questionnaires. The qualitative data from 14 interviewees enriched the quantitative data. Data analysis was performed using statistical software for social sciences (SPSS-27), applying both descriptive and inferential statistics. The finding revealed significant disparities in the distribution of sex and age among sample respondents, with a noticeable dominance of young male participants, particularly in the 18–25 age brackets, which account for 74.6% of the sample. Furthermore, the educational levels among participants predominantly range from illiteracy to primary education. Factors contributing to shoe shiners' engagement in the job are working to be self-reliant, assisting their parents, having no one to support them, being forced to work by guardians, and the demand for shoe shiners. The result shows that shoe shiners have a low to moderate degree of knowledge, with a mean knowledge score of 3.18, but they have a good attitude towards creating cooperatives, with a mean attitude score of 3.59. Regression analysis showed that knowledge regarding cooperatives was a significant predictor, with a one-unit increase in knowledge associated with a 2.34 times higher likelihood of having a favorable view towards creating cooperatives. Younger shoe shiners showed higher odds ratios compared to older ones, suggesting that younger individuals were more likely to have a positive opinion of forming cooperatives. The study recommends various actions to promote cooperative formation among shoe shiners in Hawassa City, such as establishing a cooperative support center, and developing supportive policies and infrastructure to lawfully operate their businesses in the city and accessing different credit and financial services.en-USCooperativesHawassa CityInformalOpinionsectorShoe-shinersSocio-economic challengesThesis