who we are
the chance to learn
Zewednsh Yeshitela left her parents' village in the north of Ethiopia when she was only 8 years old. They felt that staying with relatives in the capital, Addis Ababa, would give their daughter a better future: the chance to go to school and to escape from the rural poverty back home. But with little money for books, pens and uniforms, how would Zewednsh afford to even begin her education?
Although she started out working as a housemaid, Zewednsh is now able to attend one of MRDF partner Emmanuel Development Association's education centres. Unlike most schools, there are no fees or charges for school equipment, and the centre is designed specifically to help orphans and other children who would otherwise be too poor to get an education. The school day is divided into morning and afternoon shifts, so that students who need to work as well don't miss out on going to school.
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"I am happy at school," Zewednsh, now aged 13, explains, "I would like to get a job and help my family, but I don't want to go back [to the village] because girls over the age of 10 must get married - it is more important for me have an education than a family." |
Thanks to the small miracle of free education, Zewednsh is now taking the first steps towards fulfilling her ambition to be a doctor.
