Abate lives with his mother, father, grandmother and four sisters in Girargie village. Everyday, he helps his family take care of their crops and animals, and everyday, he walks ten minutes to and from the newly built school in Girargie village. After learning with the other students in Girargie, Abate returns home to study his books in the family barn while it remains light outside. All of this Abate does with a continual and contagious smile-so wide and so bright it's sure to lift anyone's spirits.

Abate’s father is the commissioner in Girargie village. He used to want Abate to become a farmer instead of going to school. But when his eldest son graduated from college and got a job, he began to realize the importance of education. Abate's father also really likes the new school Glimmer built in 2010. Parents in the community are now sending their children to school because it is attractive and offers resources like books, desks and chairs that were absent in the old elementary school.

“I want to go there!” Abate's father says. “An educated person can do anything.”

And so now when his children are old enough, all of the children in Abate's family attend school. Abate must work hard to allow time to study and help the family farm, but his smile proves how happy he is to be in school.

Everyday, Abate walks through fields similar to those he used to help farm to get to his school. While he used to catch only glimpses of an education through a window, Abate now has the opportunity to hope for and work towards his own dreams which include his plan to someday become a teacher.