A Lost Childhood and A Classroom Found
“Kids, settle down. Today we are going to look at the Amharic alphabet…”
Frehiwot starts her day in Ethiopia with these words. Every time she does, she feels a sense of peace. Her classroom is her heaven.
“I have always loved being around children because they bring out the child in me,” she said. “A part of myself I felt I had lost a long lifetime ago.”
A Childhood Interrupted
Frehiwot lost her father when she was only two years old. “When I was in kindergarten, my mother remarried, hoping for a better life,” she explained.
Instead, as a teen, Frehiwot was sexually assaulted by her stepfather and became pregnant. “What made the pain worse was the world around me; instead of receiving support, I was blamed,” she said. “I faced judgment in my school and my neighborhood.”
How Women in Poverty Find a Way Forward
But her mother believed her. She found the strength to divorce him. Frehiwot says her mother has always been a pillar of strength, working every job imaginable to keep the family afloat.
“It used to break my heart to see her scavenging in garbage dumps to collect plastic bottles for recycling,” Frehiwot said. “No one should have to work like that.”
Desperate women throughout East Africa turn to garbage dumps, collecting recyclables to sell.
Surviving on Resilience
To help, Frehiwot earned a little income through embroidery. Together, their small family of three survived those harsh years. Later, she hoped to give love another chance.
“I met someone and had my second child,” she said, “Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as I had hoped, and I found myself facing the future as a single mother.”
Because of these struggles, Frehiwot couldn’t focus on her education. She began working as a cleaner at a kids’ academy, which has been a long-standing partner school of International Samaritan.
The Turning Point
“That was the turning point,” she said. “Selam Terefe (International Samaritan’s East Africa Regional Director) heard my story, empathized with me, and I joined the scholarship program.”
For the first time, Frehiwot had a say in her future. She graduated from the Alexandria Child Care Institute and rejoined the academy as a teacher.
Frehiwot and her students at their school, located next to a dumpsite in Ethiopia.
From Student to Teacher: Education as Empowerment
Today, Frehiwot explained that she’s happy, living with her mother and children, teaching at the school she once cleaned. When she looks at her students, she doesn’t just see children: she sees the future.
“I want them to grow up with integrity, discipline, and strength,” she said. “Today, I am the one standing at the front of the classroom, making sure these children have the endless opportunities I once thought were lost.”
Giving a New Generation Opportunities
Kindergarten students sang to celebrate their graduation in the spring of 2026.
Selam Kahsay, Health & Wellness, Ethiopia
Selam is a public health expert passionate about working with vulnerable communities. She has many years of experience working closely with neglected patients from the poorest sections of the city, which consequently set the tone for her professional decision to always work in close proximity with overlooked communities. Selam holds a Master’s in Public Health from Addis Ababa University.
International Samaritan is a Christ-centered organization built on Catholic Social Teaching. Our mission is to walk hand-in-hand with people who live and work in the garbage dumps of developing nations to help them break out of poverty.
We support students with education from kindergarten through college, and we’re currently supporting close to 1,000 scholars in Central America, the Caribbean, and East Africa.
Would your church or school group like to partner with us? Learn about our Learn, Serve, Grow program.
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