REDIET CHICHAYBELU

Rediet is 24 years old and was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is a newly graduated pharmacist from the University of Gondar College of Medicine and Health Science. She is offering free services in different organisations and also gathering different ideas and knowledge in different fields. Her biggest aspiration is to own a great pharmaceutical company and be able to solve the shortage of medicine and improve the medication supply system in her country.

“Be stronger and stand up for your dreams”

Q: Tell us a few things about you! Your background, your childhood and early beginnings!

I am Rediet Tekola Chichaybelu. I am 24 years old.  I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I am an independent woman and also a sociable person. I love travelling. I have a big dream and I got my bachelor's degree in Pharmacy from the University of Gondar which is one of the best medical campuses in Ethiopia. I had a hard childhood. I grew up watching my parents sacrificing their happiness and life to give us a better life. They lived in different cities to get better work and to give us a good learning opportunity and that was really hard, I missed my mom for 10 months a year from the age of 6 until graduation from university. I only had 2 months per year with my mom and that was very hard for me. But now my siblings and I are grown up so they have started living under the same roof in one city. I am trying to do everything they really wanted to happen in their life.

Q: What are some of the key challenges in your society currently?

In our country currently, there is no peace and justice, so it is difficult to go wherever you want to work around the country. It is also difficult to get a job as a woman and when you apply for a job they ask you which nation you are from. When you get the job, after all these challenges, the salary is very low even to survive. It is not going to help you to chase your dreams.

Q: Share with us some of the hurdles that you had to overcome in your life so far? How did you handle them?

The hardest time was my campus life because as a young girl living in a developing country, your family want you to study what they wanted to learn but didn't make it, and sometimes they want you to learn something with high job opportunities - that is one of the hurdles I have been through. The other was because I am a woman I have been seduced and harassed by my teacher. That was the time I felt hopeless and powerless, but finally, I remembered that my parents had been waiting to see me on my graduation date and I decided to use my maximum potential to finish and get my bachelor’s and to keep the promise I’d given myself.  I gave my parents a beautiful smile by graduating and putting on that black graduation gown and I did it! It really gave me strength that was the moment that helped me to understand the power of reason.

Q: Why is the role of a mentor important for you?

To be stronger and to stand up for my dreams. To pass through every challenge and achieve my goal. To get good advice on how to handle or to face the challenges in life.

Q: Do you have a lesson that life has taught you and you would like to share?  

Life has taught me that you need a reason to have beautiful things and to succeed in life and the main thing is you need to love your reason and to sacrifice for that.

Q: Name a project, a foundation or a person in your country that you think is doing great work in helping improve other people's lives! 

There is a foundation that works with orphans and it is called Mereyjoy. It was founded by Sister Zebider and they are working on changing the lives of kids by educating them and by giving them shelter.

Q: What are some of the challenges that women in your country face and what efforts are being made towards gender equality?

In our country, the word “equality” is in everyone’s speeches, but when you come to the point in most places and around us it doesn't work. The idea you are raised, you work but you don’t get acceptance and approval. They won't allow us to make decisions.

Q: Share with us a motto you live by.

Nothing is interesting if you are not interested.

Q: If you had all the money needed to launch the project of your dreams, can you describe what you would do?

I want to start a huge and affordable Chemotherapy and Dialysis centre in Ethiopia as there are not many centres like this and people are losing their lives. I want to be a solution for my country. I want to hire professionals with good ethics and professionalism.

Q: Anything else that you may wish to add? 

I would like to thank the GTF mentoring programme for the opportunity. I hope I will succeed in life and I will achieve my goals and also I will be a good mentor for young people who need this opportunity.