Lidia grew up on her family’s farm 300 miles from Addis Ababa Lidia, where she kept her own garden of flowers and fruits like papaya, mango, avocado and lemons. She went to primary and middle school in her rural village and was consistently one of the best students in her class, excelling in natural sciences and mathematics. Lidia’s academic achievements earned her a high school scholarship at the School of Tomorrow, a boarding school in Addis Ababa.
Lidia hopes to use her EARTH education to encourage a culture of conservation and environmental awareness in Ethiopia, where many suffer from malnutrition and drought problems exacerbated by climate change. “I want to be a leader and bring change to my country and I think EARTH saw that in me. A good leader is someone who understands the problem and can find the right solution. Because I know very well the situation of farmers in my country, like my father, I hope to be able to help them.”
