In Ethiopia, countless families face an impossible decision every day: send their children to school hungry, or pull them out of the classroom to work to help feed their families. It’s a choice no parent should ever have to make, yet the gnawing pain of hunger forces their hand. No child should be forced to labor instead of going to school. It’s an impossible decision, but it is made every day.

Demekech’s Story

Take Demekech, a bright 13-year-old girl. Every morning, instead of joining her classmates to learn, she trudges to another family’s home to work. She gathers water. She washes clothes. She collects firewood. She cleans up cattle feces and urine. She quietly admits that her back hurts. She shares that the smell of livestock urine makes her cough all day long. And she has an uneasy feeling being alone all day, subjected to the dangers of being mistreated, or worse.

By the end of the day, her meager wages buy too little food to quiet her siblings’ crying stomachs. But it is something. Demekech’s mother weeps silently as she watches her daughter’s future crumble, but the relentless hunger has left them no choice.

Demekech working. She is going to collect water.

A Widespread Crisis

Demekech’s story is not unique. Across Ethiopia, desperate parents are sending their children to be household laborers. Why? The agony of watching their little ones’ bellies grow hollow day after day becomes unbearable. These families value education deeply, knowing it’s the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, but when faced with the immediate reality of hunger, illness, and even death, they are forced to prioritize survival.

Demekech and her family in front of their home

The Devastating Impact

The impact of this heartbreaking choice is devastating. Children like Demekech, once eager learners, now spend their days in hard labor, their education abandoned. The physical toll of hunger and work leaves them exhausted and vulnerable to illness. The emotional toll of lost dreams and childhood innocence is immeasurable. The list of dangers for a working child, especially a girl, is LONG.

1. Educational Deprivation: Children forced into labor often miss out on schooling, which limits their future opportunities and perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
2. Physical and Mental Health Risks: Child laborers are exposed to hazardous working conditions that can lead to injuries, chronic health issues, and psychological stress.
3. Exploitation and Abuse: Working children are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, lacking the protection and rights afforded to adults.
4. Loss of Childhood: Engaging in labor deprives children of their right to a childhood, including time for play, rest, and personal development.
5. Increased Vulnerability to Child Marriage: Economic pressures and the absence of educational opportunities can lead families to marry off their children at a young age, often resulting in early pregnancies and further limiting their life choices.
6. Perpetuation of Poverty: Without education and proper development, children who labor are more likely to remain in poverty as adults, unable to secure better-paying jobs.
7. Social Isolation: Working children may become isolated from their peers, missing out on social interactions that are crucial for emotional and social development.

A Glimmer of Hope

But there is hope. You can provide life-sustaining food to a family, allowing a child to return to school where she belongs. A donation of just $21, doubled to $42 through a special match, can fill a child’s empty bowl with food for a whole month. This gift does more than satisfy hunger – it gives a child back their childhood, their education, and their future.

Breaking the Cycle

When a family has enough to eat, a parent no longer has to make the excruciating choice between their child’s schooling and survival. They can keep their child in the classroom, learning and growing, instead of sending them into the dangers of child labor.

When Demekech has any free time, which is rare, she likes to pull out her school books in a valiant effort to keep learning while she is not in school.

The Power to Change Lives

The power to make this change a life is in your hands. You can ensure that a child like Demekech has food and open schoolbooks. When you help feed a family, you will give a child a seat in the classroom, free to learn and dream once more. Your gift is the gift of food, safety, and education.

A Call to Action

In this season of giving, remember the gift of food is also the gift of education. You can support a world where no child has to trade their schoolbooks for a day’s meal. Every child deserves to learn with a satisfied stomach and an engaged mind learning in a classroom.

You can support a child like Demekech, here. Your generosity has the power to change a life!