She was only a teenager when she became the sole breadwinner in her family.
Then, she went back to school. She was in Grade 2.
Think strength, resilience, fortitude.
That’s Tawabech.
Tawabech, a student and worker at the WRAPS (washable, reusable, affordable pads) project in Soddo, Ethiopia.
Now 22 years old, Tawabech works full-time sewing reusable pads at a Soddo non-profit. She’s still supporting her family, including her mother and three brothers. Her father left the family years ago.
But she’s unstoppable.
Taking classes at night, she’s worked her way into high school. She’s completing Grade 9 and will soon be heading into Grade 10.
“I dropped out of school because we lived in the countryside. My mom was not able to work and we lived so far away,” Tawabech, one of the earliest workers at WRAPS, a program to provide rural Ethiopian girls with washable, reusable, affordable pads.
The product – carefully created in a multi-step assembly line at a Soddo facility – helps keep young women in school when they have their periods, instead of isolated at home using rags or leaves each month.
Joyful is right! These ladies can sure make you LAUGH!
Tawabech has been working there for 5 years. That’s the same amount of time she’s been attending night school to continue her education.
“It has been difficult. I’m not only going to school, I’m also carrying the responsibility for the family,” she said.
The young woman saved up her salary from WRAPS to buy a roof for her mother’s home.
And despite the hardship, Tawabech has a positive outlook.
Allison Karnes, the founder of WRAPS, said she knew Tawabech would be the perfect employee. In fact, she was the very first.
“I wanted people around me that were joyful,” Allison said.