In some parts of Ethiopia, girls and boys are treated differently. Girls have to do lots of tasks, while boys only have to look after cattle. Let's find out how Negele feels about being a girl here.
Negele's story
‘My name is Negele. I am 10 years old and live in a community called Hidi-Ale. I have one sister and three brothers.’
Negele likes going to school. ‘My favourite subjects are English and maths,’ she says. But in her community, girls often get married when they're very young and this means that they can't go to school anymore. Negele thinks this is wrong. ‘I want to finish my education,’ she explains.
Negele has to do many more chores than her brothers. ‘I’m a girl so I fetch water, I collect firewood, I clean the house and prepare food,’ she explains. ‘Men only look after cattle.’ She helps to cook dinner, but her brothers get to eat before her.
Cows are really important here, and people who own them have more power. Traditionally, only men can own cows. This means that women have no power; they're not allowed to talk in meetings and make decisions, and women who live on their own are often very poor.
Christian Aid is working with an organisation called HUNDEE to change things for women. HUNDEE has given the poorest women a cow, which means that they have milk to drink and to sell, so they can earn money for their family.
Because they own cows, these women are also allowed to speak in meetings, which means that they can make decisions that can bring changes for everyone in the community.
Now the community leaders have made a local rule that stops girls getting married before they are 18. This means that more girls can go to school and means the community are obeying the law of the country that says you have to be 18 or over to marry.
Thanks to Christian Aid, girls like Negele have more rights and can keep going to school. ‘When I finish my education, I want to treat those who are sick,’ Negele says.
