Melkam Gena

Saturday, January 7th, is Christmas in Ethiopia, pronounced 'Gena' in Amharic.

On the eve of Gena, we're excited to bring back our annual Gena food basket distribution. We love celebrating with our community, team, and students' families!

Ours is a Teach a Woman to Fish model, so it's a rare occasion at Studio Samuel to receive a tangible item. Gena is the one time of year we try to give back through gifts of cooking supplies which remove immense financial stress put on families during the holiday season. Baskets have included tef (a local grain used in almost every meal), pasta, cooking oil, fruit, a reading book for the children as a treat - or any combination of these.

During challenging times, it's not uncommon for a family to keep their daughter home from school to work so she can contribute to the household. With high inflation and often experiencing unsteady work, our girls' families remain committed to their daughters' education. They know it's the first step in helping her break her poverty cycle.

So, this is why we do this. It's our way of saying thank you to our students' families for trusting us to educate their girls and for making school a priority for the next generation.

More about Gena...

While the Gregorian calendar celebrates Christmas on the 25th of December, Ethiopia retains the ancient Julian calendar in which Christmas falls on January 7th (of the Gregorian calendar.)

Gena is also the name given to a hockey-like ball game. Legend has it that when shepherds heard of the birth of Christ they rejoiced and started playing the game with their sticks.

Melkam Gena to all celebrating!