The Story of Alemnesh/Case study

My name is Alemnesh. I come from a small village in East Gojam, Amhara Region. I loved my school
and my education. To go to school in the morning with my friends was the best thing for me in my life.
My performance in school was very good. My teachers always praised me for my good performance
and encouraged me to keep it up.

When I was fourteen years old, an elderly man convinced my parents that I should marry him. He
promised to give them some cattle as a dowry. With no hesitation and without asking me, my parents
agreed to his request, and I was married to him.

I gave birth to my first baby at the age of fifteen, but the baby died. I felt very sad because this loss.
Afterward the birth I became seriously ill with Fistula. People wouldn’t come near me. My clothes
were dirty and smelled bad. After that my husband divorced me and his family forced me to go back to
my parents’ home village.

My mother understood my poor condition and she tried to get me medical treatment from the health
centre nearby. Unfortunately there wasn’t any treatment available there and eventually my own
family refused to accept me to live with them. Everyone around me didn’t want to know me. My poor
health and loneliness hurt a great deal..

Eventually, I heard there was a hospital that provides free health service for a woman with fistula.
Friends who were with me at school supported me to go to Addis Ababa to get treatment. My trip to
there was exhausting and very difficult. No one wanted to sit next to me. When I travelled by bus I
pretended to be in a deep sleep and covered my face. I tried to shut out the horrible things they were
saying about me. I was hungry because the food that my friends had given me didn’t last very long.

When I got to Addis, I had to beg on the streets to stay alive. I felt very desperate. I didn’t know where
the Fistula Hospital was. When I wept helplessly, a woman who looked sympathetic asked what had
happened to me. I burst into tears as I told her all my story. That nice woman told me where the
fistula hospital was and what it did.

After successful treatment at the Fistula Hospital, I went back to my home village with greater hope.
But the situation was not as I expected. My families were still reluctant to accept me. Although I took
the case to the court, I failed to win. My husband wanted me back to his home and the court advised
me to accept this offer.

Meanwhile, my teachers who heard I was back home helped me to return to school and continue my
schooling. Now, my life is getting better. I am back in my education and I receive 100 birr per month
from a charity to help me win back my life.

I’ve tried to teach about early marriage. Whenever there are discussions in rural areas, the
parliament and other places I tried to tell people the dangers of child marriage. I have prepared
materials on child marriage and its consequences for schools. My life has become worthwhile. Until
the problems child marriage are eliminated from my country, I will not give up my fight against this
practice.

Case study and discussion questions

Group discussion points on Alemnesh’s story

 Why did Alemnesh love school so much?

 Why didn’t Alemnesh resist the marriage?

 Who made the decision about Alemnesh’s marriage?

 What were the health problems that Alemnesh faced after she was married?

 Why did she face those health problems?

 What were the social and economic problems that Alemnesh had to cope with after she
was married?

 Who are the people in your community who could protect girls like Alemnesh from child
marriage?

In your group draw a picture of Alemnesh in her life before she was married, and another when she
first arrived Addis. How is she different? Choose a representative to give your group’s answers and
explain the pictures.