I Matter - The story of Ganet Tesfaye

The thought of traveling seven hours, not by car but on foot, or leaving your family to avoid the long walk to school is a choice that American teenagers don't face daily. But for the youth of Ethiopia it is a challenge that many must deal with in order to receive an education.

A 17-year-old resident of Tarcha Town in the Dawro Zone, Ganet Tesfaye, dreams of finishing school and becoming a doctor. That dream has a chance of coming true because of a new high school recently built in her village.

The existing school served grades 1-8 until A Glimmer of Hope and the Netri Foundation helped fund two new academic blocks with four classrooms each, including furniture, and brought clean drinking water and 6 restrooms to the school. Before the new school, the closest high school was 17 Kms away in Waka town, a four-hour walk from Ganet’s village.

It is impossible for many families to afford to send their children away to board near the high school in Waka town, so dropping out of school is oftentimes the only option. Ganet worried about what decision her parents would make, and knew that there was a good chance she would not be able to continue on into high school.

"In our culture, it is not only the economy that makes parents unwilling to send their daughters away from home to go to school, but also concerns about their safety." Ganet said. "Girls are needed to help their mothers at home outside of the school hours. A daughter cannot be gone each day for 8 hours walking to and from school. Many parents decide to stop their daughter's studies to keep her near home."

Thanks to A Glimmer of Hope and the Netri Foundation, Ganet's family is no longer faced with that decision. The 17-year-old is very grateful to be able to attend high school in her village and live at home with her family. On behalf of her classmates and herself, Ganet expressed deep appreciation for the people who are helping change her life for the better.

"Thanks to the continuous support of A Glimmer of Hope, girls in rural Ethiopia get the chance to continue their studies so they can get an education and be successful in life.” Ganet said.