Priyanka Chopra talks about female rights during her trip to Ethiopia
Right after Cannes 2019, Priyanka Chopra has flown to Ethiopia with UNICEF, and is using her experience to highlight female rights. Here's everything she's been up to during her trip
Priyanka Chopra doesn’t just juggle many hats, she also seems to have superhuman energy. After making her debut at Cannes 2019 last week, the Quantico star flew to Ethiopia to fulfil her commitments as UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador. The actor took over her Instagram stories to share the reason behind her trip saying, “I am in Ethiopia for a specific reason. I want to highlight UNICEF’s education programme when it comes to children and youth in the country. There is a huge barrier when it comes to access to education for children, especially because there are so many dropouts in school which begin as soon as kids start school. The primary education goes from Standard 1 to Standard 8, that is primary education. Secondary education is after that, we see dropouts of children even from first grade, so 50 per cent of kids in Ethiopia end up dropping out.”
On Day 1, Chopra visited the Sibiste Negasi Primary School in Addis Ababa and spent time with its teachers and students. That’s not all, she also met the leading members of the Gender Club, a UNICEF-supported program that empowers girls and boys and delivers relevant knowledge to help students combat harmful social practices like gender-based violence, child marriage, and sexual violence. During the trip she also paid a visit to the Bambasi Refugee Camp Primary School and met Sahle-Work Zewde, the first female president of Ethiopia.
In the middle of discussions and interactive sessions with students, the actor, as she always does during her UNICEF travels, took out time for some fun activities and was spotted shaking a leg with the kids. Chopra even shared a video of her dance session from the school’s classroom on her Instagram page, saying, “Dance is such an important part of Ethiopian culture. Wherever I have been so far…even though we don’t speak each other’s languages…the joy that has been shared through dance has bonded me with this amazing country forever. (Even though I’m terrible at it♀️) Ethiopia is extremely rich in culture and compassion.” Missed Chopra’s attempt at doing the Kunama dance?
During her travels, Priyanka Chopra also been sharing pictures of some of the people she’s encountered, telling the world their stories one post at a time, be it 15-year-old Hasina or 26-year-old Abda Abdulaziz. Catch up on all the key moments from her Ethiopia experience below.
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
At the Bambasi Refugee Camp Primary School there is a shortage of trained teachers, with one teacher for every 89 students. This second grade class is taught by Hubahiro, she is a refugee child who is an 8th grade student at the school...she teaches grades 1-4 in the morning, and in the afternoon attends school to continue her education. Like her mother, who is also a refugee and teacher at the school, she earns a small stipend. When I first met the kids they were extremely introverted and timid. It took a lot of tickles and cuddles to get them to interact with me. Thank you Hubahiro for translating and helping the kids understand that I was a friend.
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
This is Hasina (15), she is a 7th grade student who loves to go to school. She used to live with her sister and her husband, and without her knowing, her sisters’ husband was arranging her marriage to one of his friends...she was 12 at the time. One day when the man visited her house to pester her parents to marry her, she escaped to a friends house and the next day went to one of the community-based child’s marriage prevention platforms (alone), which she had heard about at school. She asked herself, if She married now, would she ever go back to school again? Hasina loves learning and wasn’t willing to trade her education or freedom for anything.That gave her the courage to stand up for herself. The community, along with the authorities, stepped in and stopped the marriage. The man was charged. It’s important to understand that it takes an immense amount of courage to go against these cultural “norms” that have existed for centuries. Hasina is a very brave girl. It was so heartening to see the elders in the community learning from the examples these young girls are setting, standing up against child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting. Education gave these girls that perspective. This community is an example of how change is possible. FEMALE RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS.
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
Abda Abdulaziz, 26, arrived at the Bambasi camp in 2011 seeking refuge from the war in Sudan. Her 5 children were born in this camp and are being raised here, while her husband works as a laborer at a nearby farm - they see each other every two weeks for a few days. She said that if the violence in her country settles, she and her husband may consider going back, but she is not very hopeful that will happen. In the meantime, life in the camp allows her children to have access to an education. I met two of her daughters, Zulfa Ata Ey, 8, and Muzalefa, 10, at the primary school I had visited earlier in the day. Zulfa is at the top of her class and her mom is so proud. While they’re safe and her children are receiving an education, they are still living below the poverty line, and she’s desperate for the most basic supplies...like water, books, and clothes for her children.
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
This is Hasina (15), she is a 7th grade student who loves to go to school. She used to live with her sister and her husband, and without her knowing, her sisters’ husband was arranging her marriage to one of his friends...she was 12 at the time. One day when the man visited her house to pester her parents to marry her, she escaped to a friends house and the next day went to one of the community-based child’s marriage prevention platforms (alone), which she had heard about at school. She asked herself, if She married now, would she ever go back to school again? Hasina loves learning and wasn’t willing to trade her education or freedom for anything.That gave her the courage to stand up for herself. The community, along with the authorities, stepped in and stopped the marriage. The man was charged. It’s important to understand that it takes an immense amount of courage to go against these cultural “norms” that have existed for centuries. Hasina is a very brave girl. It was so heartening to see the elders in the community learning from the examples these young girls are setting, standing up against child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting. Education gave these girls that perspective. This community is an example of how change is possible. FEMALE RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS.
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
At the Bambasi Refugee Camp Primary School there is a shortage of trained teachers, with one teacher for every 89 students. This second grade class is taught by Hubahiro, she is a refugee child who is an 8th grade student at the school...she teaches grades 1-4 in the morning, and in the afternoon attends school to continue her education. Like her mother, who is also a refugee and teacher at the school, she earns a small stipend. When I first met the kids they were extremely introverted and timid. It took a lot of tickles and cuddles to get them to interact with me. Thank you Hubahiro for translating and helping the kids understand that I was a friend.
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
Absolutely nothing better than hugs from kids 🇪🇹
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
Abda Abdulaziz, 26, arrived at the Bambasi camp in 2011 seeking refuge from the war in Sudan. Her 5 children were born in this camp and are being raised here, while her husband works as a laborer at a nearby farm - they see each other every two weeks for a few days. She said that if the violence in her country settles, she and her husband may consider going back, but she is not very hopeful that will happen. In the meantime, life in the camp allows her children to have access to an education. I met two of her daughters, Zulfa Ata Ey, 8, and Muzalefa, 10, at the primary school I had visited earlier in the day. Zulfa is at the top of her class and her mom is so proud. While they’re safe and her children are receiving an education, they are still living below the poverty line, and she’s desperate for the most basic supplies...like water, books, and clothes for her children. To donate and learn more about @Unicef’s efforts, visit UNICEF. Link in bio. (PS, the last video...Zulfa playing with my phone.)
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
Day 1: Dagmawit and her friends are leading members of the Gender Club, a @unicef supported program that empowers girls and boys. The Gender Clubs deliver relevant knowledge and skills to help the students combat harmful social practices, like gender based violence, child marriage, and sexual violence. It’s was amazing to see these brave girls take on and tackle such difficult issues and create an environment where they can teach their own peers. I’m inspired.
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
This afternoon I had the honor of meeting Madam President Sahle-Work Zewde, the first female president of Ethiopia. Her fierce commitment to the empowerment and advancement of women is unprecedented. She also has a global perspective for the development of her country - Ethiopia is the second largest host country of refugees in Africa, they’ve taken in just under 1M. She’s pushing for policies that provide people with access to education and other essential needs so they can improve their familial economic situation and hence the economy of Ethiopia. I’m so inspired.
Image: Instagram.com/priyankachopra
This is Hasina (15), she is a 7th grade student who loves to go to school. She used to live with her sister and her husband, and without her knowing, her sisters’ husband was arranging her marriage to one of his friends...she was 12 at the time. One day when the man visited her house to pester her parents to marry her, she escaped to a friends house and the next day went to one of the community-based child’s marriage prevention platforms (alone), which she had heard about at school. She asked herself, if She married now, would she ever go back to school again? Hasina loves learning and wasn’t willing to trade her education or freedom for anything.That gave her the courage to stand up for herself. The community, along with the authorities, stepped in and stopped the marriage. The man was charged. It’s important to understand that it takes an immense amount of courage to go against these cultural “norms” that have existed for centuries. Hasina is a very brave girl. It was so heartening to see the elders in the community learning from the examples these young girls are setting, standing up against child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting. Education gave these girls that perspective. This community is an example of how change is possible. FEMALE RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS.
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