Hiwot’s daily routine is something few people ever experience, let alone 12-year-olds like herself.At 6am, the sun rises and she starts the long two-hour walk to school. For four hours, she sits on a rock in her open-air classroom. At midday, school ends and she begins her return hike home.In the afternoon she completes her
Twice a week, under the shade of a tree, Fakia and Jemila meet with their female classmates to discuss everything from menstruation to marriage. This is the Caro School Girls Club, led by these two vocal young leaders. Fakia and Jemila are young – just 13 and 11 years old – but in Ethiopia they’ve
Aberash Deriba was just 12 years old when she stood up in court and begged them to stop the marriage her mother was forcing her into. Thankfully, the court ruled in her favour. “I can’t imagine what my life would have been like now, had I been married. I know there are girls who struggle
Participants cycling during RIDE vs ONE In June last year, the halls of the Vancouver Art Gallery echoed with cheers as 40 cyclists took part in RIDE vs ONE. Their mission was simple: one ride, one hour, one school.On Sunday, more cheers were heard – on the plains of Ethiopia where 3,000 people turned
Ten years ago, Mekenisa School was born. Just 20 students attended, taught by one teacher under the shade of a tree.Abdulnasir was one of those children, a young eight-year-old boy attempting to get an education. He remembers the school well, but not fondly, recalling the discomfort of spending long lessons on the ground, constantly keeping
By Alastair Stewart, imagine1day staffThe convoy of cars, packed with imagine1day supporters, takes a turn off the paved highway and begins its 38 kilometre climb up through windy mountainous roads towards the community of Dum.This is remoteness at its core, the furthest off the beaten path you could ever be. Occasional sporadic houses dot the
Five years ago a visibly-upset father Ahmedteyib Mohammed stormed into the teacher’s office at Yadot Primary School, furious that after four years at school, his son was still illiterate.“The quality of education in the school used to be so bad. My child, who was back then a fourth grade student, was unable to read words.
Meet Taeme Hiluf, a student at Gereb Abdela Primary School. He estimates he is 16 years old, though without a birth certificate, he doesn’t know for sure.He is in first year at school.Taeme’s younger sister and brother were already enrolled, attending grades three and four. As the oldest, Taeme faced a different life: “I was
Bidil Abdulahi has experienced joy and heartbreak in his attempt to send his children to school. Now he’s on a mission to ensure all the children in his village get a chance to learn.Every day, Bidil would farewell his oldest son, sent off on a one hour walk to the nearest school. “It was a
2016 has been a huge year for imagine1day, the communities we work with, and the children we impact. In Ethiopia, we will spend more on our program activities in 2016 than in any previous year. The impact is obvious in the numbers; with 11 schools inaugurated, massive investments in teacher training and leadership development, and
