imagine1day is a growing, global community of people making passionate contributions to ensure every child in Ethiopia receives a quality education.

 

Saba Hayelom Gebrehewet

Saba is excited to go to high school because, “When I was in elementary school I learned lots of theories. I hope that in high school my teachers will teach me practically. Also, when I attend high school I will not have to walk so far every day so I will have a lot more time to study and read.”

 

Name: Saba Hayelom Gebrehewet

What her name means in Tigrigna (local language): the name of one of the Ethiopian kings.

Gender: Female

Age: 16

Birthday: (DMY: 17/01/1987 EC)

Hometown: Adi Meseno

Former elementary school: Debub Grade 1-8 Community School

Distance between hometown and nearest high school: 18 km from the nearest high school traversing a challenging mountain range (6 hours of walking round trip)

High school she is attending: Esra Adi Secondary School

Academic record: Saba was one out of the top five students from Grade 1 to Grade 8. In Grade 8, she was fifth in her class and her academic average was 78.8%.

Favorite subject(s): English, Math, Physics

Extracurricular activities and leadership positions in Grade 8: Chairperson of Girls’ Club, member of Civics and Ethics Club, member of English Club, member of Mini Media Club, member of the Pedagogical Center Club, member of Science Lab Club.

Challenges encountered during elementary school: “When I was in Grade 3 my parents tried to force me to marry a man. It was difficult to convince them that I didn’t want to but in the end they understood and allowed me to reject him in order to continue my education. I also live very far away from my school and must walk a total of six hours each day to attend class. This makes me tired and sometimes I have trouble focusing on my lessons. It also means that I don’t have a lot of extra time to study.”

In 10 years Saba wants to be a computer technology teacher because, “one of Ethiopia’s biggest education problems is that everything we learn in school is theoretical. I want to use technology to make lessons practically applicable for students.”

Favorite quote: “Thanks to God for his unexplained and unexpected gifts.”

Role model: “My parents because they listened to me when I didn’t want to marry the man when I was in Grade 3 and they allowed me to continue studying. They sacrificed a lot to allow me to purchase a notebook and pen so I could write notes in class. They have done a lot to support me in my education.”

Favorite celeb: Keneneesa – the Ethiopian runner

Hobbies and interests: writing poetry and short stories, making local jewelry, weaving, selling and trading bellas – cactus fruits.

Family: “I have 9 siblings and I am the third youngest in our family. One of my older brothers is a teacher but the rest of my siblings never went to high school and are all working as farmers or are raising families now. My father farms our ¾ hectare plot of land with our 2 oxen and 1 cow. We also raise chickens to sell. After the rainy season I pick cactus fruit and sell them to people.”

Family’s skills for potential income generation activities: Poultry, animal fattening, animal breeding, beekeeping.

What her father, Hayelom, thinks about her having the opportunity to go to high school: “I am so thankful for this opportunity for Saba. I didn’t know how I was going to afford to send her to Grade 9 and thought that she would have to drop out. Now you are giving her this chance. You are solving many problems for us and giving my daughter a big future – thank you.”

What her homeroom teacher, Mulat, is saying about her: “Saba is a very active student in our school. She regularly participates in class and is involved with many clubs. She has a particularly special skill in leading groups of people as she is clever, social and knows how to get people excited about something. She is a high academic achiever and I know that she will carry this forward in high school.”