Blogging for Choice

Today is Blog for Choice day in the US. Every year for the past six years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has been virtually gathering bloggers to get people talking on issues surrounding reproductive…

Petals of Pride

  Mama, don’t put me under the knife Give not to culture A slice of my precious life My body I feel you holding In the warmth of a mothers touch Betrayed…

Banking on Women

It has been almost 17 years since Ethiopia entered the sphere of private sector banking. Since 1994 the country has witnessed the birth of a small albeit profitable financial sector with around…

The Girl that Moved a Mountain

“I don’t think she was abducted or raped. The health report did not specify that she was a fresh virgin. No one wants to rape anyone who is not a virgin. Maybe…

Afraid of the ‘F’ Word?

Don’t be! It’s really not what anti-‘f’-ers make it out to be. A few days ago a virtual passer-by left me a comment on a previous post suggesting that I forget about…

Why You Should Know Awra Amba

I remember the day I discovered a story on the community of Awra Amba in northern Ethiopia. My feelings were a mixture of excitement, disbelief and eagerness to find out more, to…

The 'G' Word

I have been back in Ethiopia now for close to three months and I’ve had many opportunities to network. Every time I talk to people who don’t necessarily work around my area…

Being an Ethiopian Woman by Choice

Of the 29 years that I have been alive, I have spent 12 of them outside of my birth country Ethiopia. Nevertheless, some norms of Ethiopiawinet (Ethiopianess) which were injected in me…