What's September without sports?

Most of you know all about Gecho, our friend, driver and translator who makes our trips to Ethiopia as smooth as possible! But did you know that MWAHFE has inspired Gecho to take on some of his own projects empowering young women?

Recently MWAHFE was able to donate soccer uniforms, socks, and balls to a girls team that Gecho helps support in central Ethiopia, a few hours from Addis. It’s the first time the teens have had jerseys or a proper set of soccer balls with which to play. Gecho loves supporting these young ladies, and he looks for sponsorships to further help the team.

Gecho and the girls soccer team that he supports.

“I start to support the girls because of Shelley. Before, I support the boys team,” Gecho explained. “Shelley tries to find ways to support women, and I am with you. I just continued on.”

This is such a heartwarming story – and not just because of Gecho’s source of inspiration.

MWAHFE’s support makes a huge difference for the soccer team.

The girls were eager to see their new soccer shoes and soccer balls! MWAHFE donated uniforms and equipment to the team.

Bethelehem Kassahun, a Grade 6 student on the team, started playing soccer with the boys at school.

“That is when I fell in love with soccer. I am from a very poor family and the only time I am happy is when I play soccer,” she said.

Soccer is a common childhood activity for kids in Canada. But in Ethiopia, most girls aren’t afforded that opportunity.

One player said that her brother was always given the soccer ball. Several others had to hide their love of the sport from disapproving families.

“I feel so confident whenever I carry my training bag to go to soccer.”

— Habiba, member of a girls soccer team

Gecho knows what a difference this team makes for the girls.

“Playing soccer has helped the girls to be healthier, cheerful, athletic, and they are able to make lots of friends,” he said.

A simple game of soccer can have a ripple effect.

“Whenever I come to play soccer I feel the most confident, and now I have lots of friends,” said Habiba Sultan, 15.

Her teammate Hasset Nigusse echoed those thoughts.

“I feel so confident whenever I carry my training bag to go to soccer,” said Habiba, who used to sneak over to the stadium and watch soccer, unbeknownst to her family.

“I now play on a women’s soccer team, and I am so happy and have lots of friends,” she said.

What a sweet thank you we received from the soccer team. Isn't this sign amazing? It's such a pleasure to see these athletes with their new equipment!

And guess what? The work doesn’t stop here.

Thanks to the financial support of MWAHFE, Gecho is now preparing to set up a second girls soccer team. We can’t wait to see more happy faces on the soccer field (or should we say football pitch!) soon!

Beating the odds at Gallo Shanto

• 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

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.

Surgical Success Stories - #111, #112, #113

Gomose Goa is a widow who has suffered from 3rd° pelvic prolapse for five years. She has delivered nine children and only three remain alive. She is very poor and underwent surgery to correct her prolapse today. Thank you for making such a great difference in her life.

Please meet Ayane Failitamo, a 45-year-old woman who has been pregnant nine times and delivered eight children, four of whom are living. She has suffered from 3rd° prolapse for six months. She is very grateful to you for helping her with her condition.

This is Adanech Mune who is about 50 years old. She has delivered five children, three of whom are living. She has suffered from 4th° prolapse for three years. She came to us from Dr. Mary's clinic in Ajoura. Thank you for helping to change Adanech's life!

Meet Yeurosalem!

When she grows up, Yeurosalem is going to be the best runner in the world – oh, and a surgeon, too.

Athletic scholar Yeurosalem.

And her parents are her biggest cheerleaders. Yeurosalem’s mom and dad are committed to getting their daughter a good education. Two years ago, when times were tough, Yeuroalem’s mom, Aynalew, spoke to the principal to see if there was any help the family could receive.

“I need her to have a higher education. Even now, she has more knowledge than me," Aynalew said.

Aynalew said she would do anything she could to keep her daughter in school, even cut back on her own meals to save money.

Luckily, she didn't have to.

That’s when Yeurosalem joined Girls Gotta Run.

Aynalew is so proud of the work that her daughter is doing with school and sport.

She doesn’t want to influence her daughter’s future career choice – she’s behind Yeurosalem no matter what.

Yeurosalem at school with her mom, Aynalew

And Girls Gotta Run has offered confidence and a sense of empowerment.

“This program means big impact in my life,” Yeurosalem told us.

Watching her friends in Girls Gotta Run helped demonstrate to Yeurosalem the power of a group of strong and ambitious young people.

“They can solve problems together – not because we are females together, but because we have the potential,” she said.

Yeurosalem loves math and English. But she’s also an avid athlete. And growing up with three sisters and two brothers, she had lots of siblings with whom to play soccer.

All that activity takes fuel. Before Girls Gotta Run, it was tough for Yeurosalem’s family to scrape together a lunch to send with her to school.

They worried she might get sick and be forced to miss class.

Now, she has three meals a day – and even a snack after practice. 

Aynalew hopes her daughter will pay it forward.

“I raised them with a lot of suffering. I wish they will have a better life and that they will help others, because they have received help.”

Meet Biruk!

Before Biruk started Girls Gotta Run, she didn’t hear many people talking about the accomplishments or power of female Ethiopians.

“I didn’t get the chance to know about women’s potential,” she said.

Now she’s exposed to an almost daily dose of girl power inspiration.

Biruk, one of the athletic scholars MWAHFE sponsors through the Girls Gotta Run Foundation

The life skills lessons, the practices – and the fun! – she gets through Girls Gotta Run have allowed her to develop friendships, too.

When she’s not running, Biruk’s favourite subject is geography.

She wants to go to university one day, and dreams of being a journalist. She wants to give back to Ethiopia.

“We need to help the rural area.”

Biruk walks about 15 minutes to school every day. She is so thankful to be a part of Girls Gotta Run, where she can count on a healthy snack – her favourite thing to eat after practice is a banana – and running clothes and shoes to help fuel her passion.

“I feel better in my health. I’m getting stronger every day.”

— Biruk

But Biruk loved running long before she became an athletic scholar.

“I love the exercising,” she said. “I feel better in my health. I’m getting stronger every day.”

Surgical Success Stories - #110

Say hi to Dalibe Unke! She has 10 living children and has been living with a second degree pelvic prolapse for a year. She is so grateful to MWAHFE for sponsoring her surgery. Thank you for making a difference in her life!

Surgical Success Stories - #103 to #109 (Wow!)

We are so please to introduce you to these women who have had their prolapse uterus surgeries sponsored by you - our generous donors!

Please meet Befene Babulo who has had surgery for uteropelvic prolapse. She is 58 years of age, a widow and has delivered 10 children. Thank you for helping make a great difference in her life.

Deligate Kajala has been pregnant eight times and has three living children. She is a widow from Ajora and has suffered with severe uterine prolapse for a few years. We are so glad to be able to sponsor her life-changing surgery! Deligate is the 104th woman we've sponsored for surgery.

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This is Wogate Abebe, a widow who has been pregnant eight times and has six living children. For the last three years she has been bothered with her prolapse occurring at times and then being reduced. However, she has had severe prolapse for three months and has now been sponsored by MWAHFE for her surgery!

This is Belaynesh Budacho, a 45-year-old married woman who has been pregnant 13 times. She has eight living children and has suffered from third degree prolapse for three years. She underwent surgery August 1st. We're so happy for you, Belaynesh!

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This is Ukume Dargaso, a 60-year-old widow who has suffered from third degree prolapse also for three years. She has five children but has been pregnant nine times - one child died and she had three miscarriages. She also underwent surgery on August 1st.

From Dr. Mark:
We'd like you to meet Ayinate Lota, a widow who has had severe prolapse for seven years. She also has a loiter of her thyroid and her thyroid levels were elevated to where we could not perform her surgery. She was supposed of had surgery on August 1st but due to her high thyroid levels we had to cancel her surgery after spending two days in the hospital. We put her on anti-thyroid medication and will see her again next month. We paid for her transportation to go home and to return. She is 50 years old with nine living children. She stated that her prolapse prevented her from being able to work to help herself financially.

We're hoping that you will be well enough for your surgery very soon, Ayinate!

UPDATE: Ayinate was able to have her surgery in February 2018. We're so happy for you!

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From Dr. Mark: 
Dear all, please meet Biranesh Bugle, a widow who has been pregnant seven times has five children. She has had 4th° pelvic prolapse for three years. She underwent surgery today. Thank you so very very much. God bless you!!

Meet Dagmarit!

Exercise can change everything.

Running helps Dagmarit feel strong and confident. She's one of our sponsored athletic scholars through Girls Gotta Run.

“I am very thankful for this program,” she said. “I was so happy to join this group.”

The three workouts she does with her Girls Gotta Run teammates each week leave Dagmarit feeling healthy.

“The exercise and sport is good for everyone.”

— Dagmarit

But those practices also help the girls bond. They put everyone in a better mood and improve their behaviour off the track.

“The exercise and sport is good for everyone,” Dagmarit said.

And the life skills lessons in the program help her learn about topics that wouldn’t be discussed in the classroom – everything from healthy relationships to hygiene.

Those sessions empower the athletic scholars.

“I know myself, even,” she said.

Because she shares the experience with several dozen other young ladies, there’s a strong sense of camaraderie.

Dagmarit, a quiet young lady, feels comfortable asking anything and everything without getting shy.

Before the program, she didn’t have many friends. But that all changed when she joined Girls Gotta Run. And Dagmarit’s family is happy to know she has those relationships in her life.

When she's behind a desk, Dagmarit enjoys studying math and physics. She hopes to one day be a pilot.

We can't wait to see how high she flies!

Meet Yenealem!

Before Girls Gotta Run, Yenealem didn’t have many friends to count on.

After joining the program, that all changed. Not only did she build relationships and develop social skills, she created deep and meaningful friendships.

“Now, I have many best friends,” she said.

The life skills programming helped her learn about to talk with her peers how to share love with friends and community.

Yenealem saw a physical transformation, too.

Athletic activity used to leave her winded and tired. Now she can run sprints, through practices, and around the schoolyard.

“Before, I was very tired when I did a minute of sports. Now I can run for a very long time,” she said.

And the athletic scholarship that Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia provides makes it possible for Yenealem to get a good education. Her favourite subjects are physics and chemistry.

Before Girls Gotta Run, Yenealem’s mom was trying to support many children and pay tuition for her school-age siblings. It was getting to be too much. But thanks to the scholarship, Yenealem can continue to get a good education. Her mom hopes it will lead her daughter to “a higher place” in her future.

“Before, I was very tired when I did a minute of sports. Now I can run for a very long time. - Yenealem”

Meet Wubalem!

Wubalem isn’t the only young woman in her household who learns from the Girls Gotta Run program.

She takes the skills that she learns during practice and life skills workshops at Abba Pascal Girls School, in Soddo, Ethiopia, and brings them home to share with her little sister.

She’s grateful, not just for the knowledge, but for the chance to wear a uniform, eat a healthy lunch, and go to school.

Running shoes and injera – those things are tangible. What’s not so easy to grasp is the transformation that Girls Gotta Run has inspired in Wubalem.

Before Girls Gotta Run, Wubalem didn’t realize that girls could play sports just like boys.

The program has helped show her the power of female athletes – and women in general – and recognize her own strength in the process.

That confidence is something that extends far beyond the track.

She has more energy. Her friendships have grown deeper.

And the athletic scholarship allows Wubalem to dream.

She loves English, biology and physics. Wubalem is a dedicated student and she devotes hours to her homework after school. She thinks she might like to be an engineer one day.

Importantly, her parents support her goals and dreams. Wubalem’s father, Ersase, wants to see all of his daughters avoid early marriage.

Wubalem, her father, and her sister Tiblet at Abba Pascal Girls School

He wants her to learn.

“I want her to find good places to go in life.”