The Girl Rewriting Motherhood
Ethiopia has one of the highest rates of early marriage in the world: one in two girls marries before her 18th birthday and one in five girls marries before the age of 15 (UNFPA). Girls are often pulled out of school when they enter into an early marriage and, on average, girls give birth within one year of getting married.
At Girls Gotta Run Foundation, we invest in girls who are working to rewrite the story of motherhood in their community through running and education. Girls like GGRF Athletic Scholarship recipient, Zelalem.
Zelalem is a runner, a daughter, a student, a friend. She lives with her mom, dad and seven siblings in Soddo, Ethiopia. Zelalem now attending University and hopes to become an engineer. Zelalem’s mom married her husband when she was 12. She left school to start her family and by age 15 had had her first child.
Zehlu hopes that by raising her children in Soddo and investing in their education, they will be able to build a family and career of their choosing in a safe and healthy way. GGRF is proud to provide an Athletic Scholarship for Zelelam to help her achieve her goals and redefine what is possible for a girl in her family.