- Name: Alemitu Arga
- Age: 15
- School: Gallo Shanto
Alemitu, a Grade 9 student, received an outfit from Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia a few years ago on a trip to Gallo Shanto.
She’s worn that outfit almost every single day since then.
We are so inspired by Ethiopian students like Alemitu, who never take the opportunity to go to school for granted.
“Having clothes, I feel equal with my friends,” she said. “I feel comfortable when I go outside. It’s so important to have clothes.”
A simple gift – one shirt and a pair of pants – made it possible for Alemitu to go to class and learn.
But after years of daily use, the outfit is at the end of its life.
“I can’t wear it for special occasions but inside the house is fine,” she said. She wanted to keep going to school, so Alemitu bought an inexpensive pair of pyjamas and began wearing them to school.
“Having clothes, I feel equal with my friends. I feel comfortable when I go outside. It’s so important to have clothes.”
Alemitu Arga, a student at Gallo Shanto who was, at one time, wearing pyjamas to school because she had no suitable clothing.
In February, when MWAHFE volunteers travelled to Ethiopia, Alemitu and dozens of other students received a new outfit purchased by Shelley and her mother.
It’s devastating to think a shirt could stand between a student and their schooling. But it sure makes Alemitu and her friends grateful. She doesn’t take the opportunity to go to school for granted.
Many students in Ethiopia show incredible strength and resilience. Alemitu is determined to continue her studies and get an education.
She hasn’t decided yet what she wants to do with her life – she loves social affairs and civics classes – but one profession stands out.
One day, Alemitu might like to be a teacher.