I have never met a boy like Eyob. I was drawn to him from the first moment I saw him. His bright, wide smile welcomed us just inside the compound. He was wearing a ruffle collar with no irony at all, and it was the most endearing thing. Eyob is the most industrious, curious, generous, and lovable guy. Eyob was quick to offer us each a gift, a whirly-gig made out of a cut up phone minutes card and a used lollipop stick. I was so enamored by Eyob, thinking of my boys back home, that I didn’t even realize at first that I’d heard about Eyob before.
Meselu, his momma, has a scarf named after her at fashionABLE–and one the tags that come with the scarves is her “able statement”. We talked a lot during the week about what the women who work at fashionABLE are able to do because of fair and safe employment. Meselu’s “able statement” on her scarves is that because of fashionABLE she is able to send Eyob to school.
It’s apparent, too, because Eyob was regaling us with his English, his drawing skills, his humor, and his mathematic skills. Rumor has it, Eyob is second in his class of about 50 students. I got to see the living and breathing example of the good that happens in the lives of the fashionABLE women, because they have jobs and are treated with dignity, love, and respect.
Because of fashionABLE, I am able to know that boys across the world love the magic of making things fly. I hope Eyob never stops inventing, never grows tired of making his momma proud, and never ever loses that wide and bright grin.