Before the sun peeks above the Ethiopian landscape, while it’s dark outside and there’s no light to guide his footsteps, Fentahun prepares to head to school. He is not worried-he’s made this journey everyday for the past year. So Fentahun wakes before his six younger siblings, gathers his books and begins the hour and a half journey to the new Girargie school Glimmer constructed two years ago.

Fentahun is the top of his class. He always scores highest on his tests and gets the best grades among his eighth grade classmates. Fentahun is bright, but he also studies hard because he knows “learning is necessary for life because it changes life. Even after the daily hour and a half walk to and from his home, Fentahun is more than thankful for Girargie school. Compared to his old school, he says the teaching is better, the resources newer and the opportunities greater.

Fentahun attends Girargie with dreams of someday becoming an electrical and energy engineer, a goal he is clearly willing to walk miles for.