Asefa Tadese was a full-time cattle tender. For seven years and without a day off, he roamed the scorched earth near the border between Eritrea and the Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia. His days followed the path of the sun’s rays: a light breakfast at sunrise, hours of tough labor until sunset, a meager dinner, and then bedtime. He was just a boy. In fact, he still is one. “I’m 13 [years old]. This is my first time in school, and I will not go back to that life,” he says. Then he…

To read this article and start a full year of unlimited online access, subscribe now!

Already a subscriber?

Need to register for your premium online access,
which is included with your paid subscription?

Support SSIR’s coverage of cross-sector solutions to global challenges. 
Help us further the reach of innovative ideas. Donate today.

Read more stories by Cameron Conaway.