Women from Ethiopia

"I wanted to show that it is possible to be a local person, in Ethiopia and in Africa, and to be globally successful."

"It is possible to deploy local resources while creating a market-leading global brand, and to do it all from scratch."

"If we want to have truly equitable societies, then we need to embrace equity on all levels. And that means women’s economic empowerment and the key to that is women entrepreneurs."

"Prosperity creation is the sole route to the elimination of poverty. And to create sustained prosperity, you have to create something truly world class."

"For people to be innovative... they don't have to really travel a long way or copy somebody's business idea. It's right there."

"Don't just make things, make things better. "Innovation is...improving the state of what was before.""

"“… the needle I am constantly attempting to thread: building exciting brands around our unique cultures, brands that become ubiquitous and impactful.”"

"“People are traveling a long ways to bring in different ideas into their continent and country to start a business. But my idea is, look at who you are as a person. How you grew up. Everything around you is a business idea. When you see a problem, find the solution. That will be a business idea.”"

"there is no blueprint when it comes to being an entrepreneur."

"“We’re selling an experience. We’re not selling a product. We’re not trying to fit in somewhere…the need is for you. It’s not massively produced.”"

"that one of the important lessons her parents instilled in her as a child was that there was no difference between her and her three brothers. While they did different kinds of work, she said there was no preference between girls’ work and boys’ work."

"that helped give her confidence in her contributions to society as a woman, and ultimately, what she is doing today."

"“For me, I never thought because I’m a woman I’m not going to do something, I’m not going to try it this or that. The way I see myself is… I’m a person. I am capable of doing whatever I want and I’m going to succeed because I’m going to be working really hard to be there each and every day. So, for African girls and women to say ‘I’m not going to be able to do this, I’m not capable of doing this,’ you’re killing yourself. If we are brave enough to go out to sell ideas to people, I think we can succeed.”"

"“I always reflect and think about the same thing: business is about solving problems. Trying to identify the singular most difficult situation would be doing a disservice to this simple fact: if you are not continuously encountering tough situations as an entrepreneur, and solving them, then you are not really in business. Encountering obstacles and overcoming them is my day-to-day existence.”"

"“I have developed a fine sense of my weaknesses, and I address those by building my team with people who have that strength I may lack. So I flip any weakness I may have and make it a strength … Weakness recognition, and a full embrace of that, is a powerful tool.”"

"“I think conventional wisdom is, by definition, the antithesis of entrepreneurialism, so I am probably on the other side of a lot of it.”"

"“I like to visualise my goals in my own private space. I try and make it as real as possible so it is almost tangible to me. That gives these goals an immediacy and realness both for me and for my team that allows people to really chase that idea or goal in a visceral way.”"

"“I am always engaging with people on my team, finding out what they need to make them better at what they do, and what makes them happier. This lets us have an incredible level of overall team happiness and leads to long-term team members…"

"“I began Garden of Coffee so that people everywhere can experience the magic of hand-roasted Ethiopian coffees, roasted at their source by Ethiopia’s finest coffee artisans."

"My driving passions as an entrepreneur are always about sharing Ethiopian cultures with the world and finding exciting ways to keep these cultures vibrant and fully relevant."

"I completed all my education here in Ethiopia, and I have NEVER lived anywhere else but Ethiopia."

"“We Decided to Create the Better Life We were all waiting for”"

"” Having grown up watching our family and neighbors struggling, we decided to create the “better life” we were all waiting for by harnessing our community’s incredible artisan skills and channeling them into a sustainable, global, fair trade footwear business. We have done that and more and we are proud to say that the soleRebels brand is being enjoyed by people in over 30 countries around the world.”"

"“We are doing well. We are trying to do $2m this year. In 2016, we are planning to do $20m. So that’s why we are working hard and we are trying to expand our working facility. The demand is here. It’s up to us to take that advantage and to make it happen,”"

"“Since we are a fair trade organisation people want to buy fair trade shoes from us but they want to buy at cheap prices. That I don’t understand. I know that running a business is not that easy and there is always a threat, there is always a risk that we are going to take, but I love it.”"

"“My driving passions,”"

"“are sharing Ethiopian cultures with the world and finding exciting ways to keep these cultures vibrant and fully relevant.”"

"“To me, very successful entrepreneurs have the ability not simply to come up with an idea,”"

"“but to exquisitely execute that idea over and over and make it into a living, breathing reality. The best entrepreneurs literally seem to live their companies.”"

"“I think the best companies and brands are built by entrepreneurs willing to self-fund their ideas,”"

"“My advice would be to build your idea piece by piece and get real and honest traction in the market with that idea while retaining as much equity as you can.”"

"“If you have a crazy idea, go for it! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”"

"“Love what you do, because without a genuine love and passion, you won’t be successful.”"

"“This gave me a good knowledge of the industry, which was extremely useful in terms of setting up the company and making it grow,”"

"“I knew that there were so many talented people out there who could do great things if only given a chance. However, due to extreme poverty, stigma, and marginalization,… many of them could not even get simple jobs. This was devastating for me, as I had grown up with them. They were my neighbours, my family members.”"

"“That’s why we have always said that this company is about maximizing local talent and local resources to create good paying jobs, that in turn would create extraordinary footwear,”"

"I think I knew what discipline was as a child growing up at home. In Ethiopia there are things that you just have to accomplish. For example, I had always had to fetch water from the nearest river and wood from the forest, even though there were hyenas all around. That’s how you learn that sometimes you have to overcome things."

"I have a good chance. I'm in good shape and I'm feeling fine, but there are other strong athletes in the field and I will never stop fighting for it."

"I was pretty confident that I was going to win, But I realized in the last mile that I couldn’t hang on and I had to settle for second."

"I was thinking about winning this gold since 2019, but Hassan was always there. I was also watching Hellen Obiri...This time, I was really watching them, and I knew I had to be very fast in the last 300 metres."

"This victory to me was even more important than a world record...I am so happy about this performance."

"With God’s help, I can get the double...I am very confident now."

"I really did not do anything special to prepare for Guiyang...I never stress about competition and thought I should just follow the leading group and rely on my finishing speed at the end. I am really happy about my individual result, but even happier that we [Ethiopia] took the top three places."

"Some people believe that it is nowadays very difficult for junior winners to make it at senior level...But I believe that there is nothing that stops a junior athlete from making it at senior level. Actually, coming up from success at junior levels is easier because there is little pressure and expectation when competing with senior athletes."

"I ran a 3000m race representing my Woreda [district] and finished second at the All-Tigray Games...It was this performance that convinced me that I may have a future in athletics."

"The race went according to plan, I was only thinking about the gold medal."

"Of course, I set the women-only world record for the half marathon (1:06:11) in Valencia and that was a race without pacemakers. I have also run times for 10,000m on the track (personal best 30:36.75, 2016) and 10km on the road (31:35, 2017) that are better than the course record but the most important thing for me is to win."

"Since Valencia, I have just been training and focusing on Bengaluru. Even though the race has been put back two weeks, that hasn’t affected me. In fact, it’s allowed me to prepare slightly better."

"I had to keep on checking who is behind me, how I am doing...that’s all I was doing, and I decided to be ahead of the boys, so I was always checking behind me."

"Beyond these, I am drawn to the richness of this great country. Richness not summed in any currency, but in the people."

"I’m really excited to learn more rather than just focus on who is going to run and are they going to win or not."

"Maybe I’m searching for some very hard or stressful things. I don’t know. Maybe for me to stay in this sport I have to find out what is possible or impossible?"

"Running teaches you patience, and I didn't want to give up. After all, if you don't give up, you just continue."

"I think learning to take something difficult in your stride is something life teaches you."

"So, when I feel like I want to give up or cry, I don’t. And the outcome is much more beautiful."

"I don't challenge myself to be better than the next person, rather better than myself. I think everyone should compete with themselves."

"Challenging yourself is hard work, but it's okay to be scared, have doubts and to be worried. Just don’t run away and quit."

"The real race begins when the pain starts."

"I really did not get any encouragement from anyone, but I pushed on because I liked to run. I made my first national team in 1988."

"I knew I would be the Olympic Champion. I was running and the others were looking backwards, so I understood that they were tired, when for me the pace was easy. It was nice, because I could run strong and enjoy."

"I knew of 1960 Olympic marathon winner Abebe Bikila and 1968 winner Mamo Wolde from the radio, so I thought I’d try it, too."

"They thought I should be doing women things."

"I do not really want to be famous,But it's nice to be among the renowned athletes."

"I am hoping to make history, I feel like I have made good preparation."

"Well, for me the greatest of all marathons is of course the olympic marathon, but second place is Boston."

"Sometimes, if there are a lot of people around me when I go to a store, I feel a bit intimidated. I used to be shy. I still consider myself shy, but I'm a little better now and I'm getting used to it."

"I'm very happy to win a second time, I found it to be a very easy race."

"I've been told there is a big hill, but I didn't see it."

"They all went out of their way, getting us awards and everything."

"Even if I never ran again, I would have been content."

"The reaction I felt from people had a big impact on me, I suddenly felt such a great sense of responsibility. I felt that I had to try to keep running, as long as I possibly could."

"Before the race I was afraid of the others with better times, but soon I realized that they were not running fast today, I picked up the speed and they would not follow. At that point I was already sure that I would win because I practiced very hard."

"Never again, never again will I do this distance, it is too long."

"This is not only a special thing for me but also for my country and all African women."

"She is the only woman from Africa who has won the Olympics and Boston Marathon three times. She is an inspiration for us."

"I think she is an example for a lot of women who are discouraged by the culture because it does not reward you."

"If she can win four times, it gives us much more potential to think we can do it, maybe six times."

"For women, she seems like a very special person, she's very determined, If she wins four, we don't need anything else."

"My wife gave birth to a baby girl soon after the Olympics and I named her 'Fatuma' after you."

"She ran with the same smooth stride and placid, dispassionate look on her face that she carried through the Olympic race."

"The most relaxed-looking runner I have ever seen."

"What has stayed constant is a certain chippiness. Canadians feel both superior to and dependent on America, thus resenting it; they often get mistaken for Americans, and are afraid of being culturally subsumed. They feel the rest of the world ignores them, which is a pretty accurate perception. And they're always trying to define who they are (not American, not British, not boring) and not quite succeeding, being presented with the daunting challenge of a country that covers five-and-a-half time zones, speaks two languages and contains a province that periodically wishes to secede (and if it did so would set the four Atlantic provinces adrift)."

"In the churchyard she was set down while her male relations dug into the ground. A smell rose, of loam and of rain. Yetemegnu was brought to the front. Now she could see the priest who clambered into the shallow grave; see his censer swinging, one corner, another, another, overlaying earth with pious perfume. Hear the final prayers. Watch the bending backs lower their freight into the ground, head to the east, feet to the west, feel, like a blow to her own body, the first handful of soil land upon her mother."

"In the middle of war, Edemariam remembers soldiers so spooked that they fire rounds of machine-gun bullets into the heart of a tornado. Her grandmother shoves her and her cousin into the wardrobe. They sat crouched "among soft white dresses that smelled of incense and woodsmoke and limes"; her grandmother stood outside, sheltering them from all that passed. It is one startling, unforgettable story among an abundance of riches."

""My womanliness and your manliness is going to be tested on the battle field. Do not absent yourself!”""

""I am a woman and I do not love war, but rather than accepting this (colonialism) I prefer war.”""

"I am so motivated (by my family)"

"I hope I can run my personal best and get a good result there"

"Yes all I can do is try my best. I don't have any information about Toronto"

"I didn’t expect these conditions but I can run in hot conditions"

"I am getting that desire in me to win everything."

"I want to win no matter what happens."

"Many kids have started running in Debremarkos after watching me."

"We want to become the backbone of the economy."

"Sinknesh is not a woman of excuses; under her leadership and a great team effort, the mining industry is growing significantly with major involvement of the private sector."

"Sinknesh is a great role model to many young women of our nation and AWiB thanks her for sharing her story."

"She is strong in delegation and supporting others realize their dreams."

"She leads her life with a purpose and her purpose is to see this country prosper. Her purpose is to work to the best of her ability to support the nation’s economic agenda succeed."

"I think when it comes to abortion, every woman should have that choice to make that decision. I chose to be a mother of seven children. That was my choice. I’m not going to force my own beliefs on any woman. Therefore, I’m not going to support a national abortion ban. … I’m not going to risk women’s rights"

"Mazi Melesa Pilip is the total package. She understands the plight of all given her profound background. She will make her mark in America. She has a bright future. America needs her more than ever."

"I’m blind. I don’t have partial vision but I can see colours as long as the colours are bright. I have a vision but I don’t see (laughs)!"

"I think that is where I would call for inclusive schools. If we in principle agree that an education is not just a privilege for few but is a right for everyone, I think every educational facility be it physical or academic should be prepared to serve everyone regardless of gender or disability. All of the barriers that I had faced in an integrated school were artificial barriers. None of them were natural barriers. I believe that society has the power to remove all those barriers. I think it is about the various beliefs – if education is considered a right for everyone, every facility while being designed and used will be designed to cater to everyone’s use. It is about a mindset I would say. If you budget printing books in ink, you should also budget printing books in braille as it can easily be done!"

"It was not easy for the gender movement to easily convince that gender should not be a point of discrimination. It is imbibed in the viewpoint of society. You don’t find these things on the cover of a book; they are very deeply rooted. Such things exist in the being of a society. It requires a very systematic and collaborative effort to address them. In my opinion, empowering a society that has zero tolerance for any form discrimination is the solution. I know it is a long term investment and people would want an answer for facing discrimination that entails their group being given priority in this fight. However, that would result in other groups being left behind. I would encourage partnership, human oriented thinking of development where it is not only about numbers rather it is about the ability to ensure that no one is left behind. I would encourage joint movement of human beings and recognition of human diversity as values in a given society. I think that can take us forward."

"Thank you Dr. Artist Tewodros Kassahun for supporting our effort to build the creative economy for the generation to come."

"I believes we can grow as a continent regardless of our several challenges and barriers, to disrupt the tech scene on a global scale."

"I used to constantly find myself at the office late at night and challenged by transport hurdles while heading to my home. I used to feel unsafe while taking a taxi…the driver also asks you to pay more than two times the price they charge in a day."

"Women-owned business are growing in number; now we need more young girls to access the finances to make their creative ideas happen.""