The Moms Behind Our Athletic Scholars

We loved meeting the Mothers of our Athletic Scholars during our recent visits to the Girls Gotta Run programs in Ethiopia. Amazing mothers such as Fikirte, pictured above with her daughter Helen. Fikirte is a member of the newly formed Mothers' Savings Group in Soddo. In fact, because she has some accounting training, she has taken on the role of Finance Director. Fikirte is happy to have a way to use her skills and save money in a structured way through the Mothers’ Savings Group. Helen is proud that her mother has a leadership role in the group; it also makes Helen feel like her family is involved with her education in a very real way.

It’s not just the personal stories that motivate us to support the Mothers as part of our GGRF programs. There is fact-based data reinforcing why it makes economic sense and fosters sustainability. If Mothers earn money and save money, their daughters are more likely to stay in school, even once outside support such as our GGRF scholarships end. A newly published report from the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations makes it clear: "women's empowerment is key to economic and social outcomes; benefits from programs that focus specifically on women are higher than those that mainstream gender."  

With the knowledge that our programs support both mothers and their daughters, we are asking for your help once again to support our ambitious 2023 Mother's Day Campaign. Please share this information with your networks, and if you’ve been waiting for the right time to pitch in, this is it!

We leave you with the inspiring words of Bekoji mom Dameku, pictured below with her youngest daughter. Dameku told us she felt overwhelmed with relief when she learned her daughter was selected as a GGRF Athletic Scholar. "GGRF has given her so many chances in life... to study, to run in Addis Ababa, and to have a hot lunch at school every day. I pray for your long, healthy life, GGRF!"