School Vacation in Rural Ethiopia
Like many other children, 7-year-old Shimelis spends his vacation playing with friends in the rural village of Arera, which is about 52 miles west of Addis Ababa. In Arera Village, children like Shimelis participate in song and drawing competitions organized by the local children during vacation. "I like to sing songs," says the proud Shimelis, who was chosen as the best singer among his peers. Shimelis also likes to draw pictures of huts in his village. Read Shimelis' story.

Tekhle's Dream:  To Become Her School's First Female Teacher
Nine-year-old Tekhle lives with her mother, father and sister in Enda Michael Village, 496 miles north of Addis Ababa. Tekhle's father works in farming and stone mining, and her mother knits tablecloths to sell at the local market. Fetching water, preparing coffee and cleaning the house are some of Tekhle's chores. She also loves to sing, play hide-and-seek, jump rope with her friends and take care of her new baby sister. Read Tekhle's story.

Creating Positive Change through Sponsorship
Tigist, an energetic and bright 8-year-old girl, lives in Cheleleka Bobe village, nearly 43 miles south of Addis Ababa. Cheleleka Bobe has no electricity or telephones and the villagers are predominately farmers. Tigist's family works very hard to grow crops such as wheat, barley and teff. "We have two cows, two oxen and one horse, but I love oxen because they are very important for farming. We cannot plough the land without them," she says. Read Tigist's story.