On International Youth Day, Azeb brings the change
This teenager knows change must start somewhere—and complacency will get her community nowhere.
Written by Katie Hackett
on August 12, 2025
In her Ethiopian community, Azeb is a force.
She loves her home, which sits high in the mountains above Lake Hawassa in the Hula woreda of southern Ethiopia. Here, families make their living through agriculture. The cool climate is perfect for growing coffee. Fields of potatoes, maize, barley and tef roll down the hillsides. Azeb especially loves how people coexist peacefully—despite the area’s diversity, ethnic discrimination is not a significant concern.
One issue, however, has weighed heavily on this 18-year-old’s mind: the treatment of children and women.
Breaking barriers for girls and children
“The most challenging reality here is the fact that people were not respecting the rights of children,” says Azeb, who is a sponsored child. “People used to say that children should go out of sight when older people discussed any issues. We were not allowed to sit with [them] and take part in the discussion—that was harming us.”
Azeb used to think that as a girl, her future would be limited to the home, and that decisions in her life should be made by men. But Azeb says that ideas are changing in Hula, and she is helping to bring the change.
“Women and children were thinking that they were not equal with boys,” she continues. “These negative attitudes were affecting children’s and women’s perceptions of themselves.”
Deeply rooted beliefs around gender inequality do continue to restrict opportunities for girls and women in Hula, and traditional practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation—while illegal—have persisted. But Azeb is feeling a change in the air. It’s a change she is helping to lead.
Training grows a leader
She admits that she herself grew up with limiting beliefs around the roles available to her. Those beliefs were challenged during World Vision training sessions where she learned about children’s rights and child protection, including the harm caused by child marriage, child labour and violence against women and children.
Today, Azeb is vocal and persistent about these topics. She’s a leader in the child parliament facilitated by World Vision through the sponsorship program in Hula. She shares what she has learned with her family, classmates and community leaders.
While adults have a significant role to play in changing mindsets, Azeb believes that children should know their own rights in order to stand up for themselves. “The youth are strong, energetic and committed people who can bring change in the community’s lives if handled properly,” she says. “If for instance, I teach my parent, then they will share the lesson with the other people they know.”
“I see that if children are well cared for and protected, they will grow up with skills and knowledge and be someone who can contribute to the growth of their country,” says Azeb.
A vision for change on International Youth Day
She’s picked up this torch because she knows change must start somewhere—and complacency will get her community nowhere. Her determination reflects the spirit of International Youth Day, which celebrates the power of young people like Azeb to create lasting change in their communities.
“If everyone carries out their responsibilities, women are committed to claiming their rights, and children know their rights and obligations—then things will begin to be realized,” says Azeb. “If we collaborate with them to realize their rights, there will be no reason why we couldn’t create a world free of child rights violence.”