For girls in Ethiopia, space no longer feels light-years away

(Courtesy of Ethiopian Space Science Society Facebook)

How the Ethiopian Space Science Society is getting students involved in the country’s celestial research.

Growing up in the city of Harar — about 500 kilometres from Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa — 22-year-old university student Tiwuld Zewdu dreamed of becoming an astronaut. “I wanted to see the stars up close and explore the universe,” she says. Yet, the extent to which she learned about space in school started and ended with the solar system and the planets, both of which were “not taught in much detail.”

As an ESSS Youth Ambassador, Tiwuld helps run events, lectures and workshops for other students and space enthusiasts. (Courtesy of Tiwuld Zewdu)

“There was a lack of information, a lack of technology, there was no clear path,” Tiwuld remembers. “No one will say, ‘Here are the basic steps you need to take to become an astronaut.’” 

So Tiwuld put her dreams of a career in space exploration on hold and instead decided to pursue a degree in computer engineering. At university she discovered the Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS), a nonprofit dedicated to promoting space science and technological development in Ethiopia and inspiring students to pursue careers in the field. Founded in 2004 by three aspiring astronomers, the society has since grown to more than 10,000 members, 19 branches and 100 school clubs.

ESSS believes that advances in space science can help Ethiopia’s development as a country. Critics suggest that money for space research should instead support more pressing problems in Ethiopia. But ESSS asserts that space research has the potential to address these issues and can improve agriculture production and drought conditions through Earth observation and reduce the cost of communications by using their own satellites. 

Through outreach programmes, ESSS teaches Ethiopian students about space science, astronomy and related sciences and technologies. Tiwuld is a ESSS Youth Ambassador, meaning she helps run events, lectures and workshops for other students and space enthusiasts. She particularly loves how ESSS connects students with professionals in the field, including astronauts and professors. 

One of Tiwuld’s proudest achievements with ESSS is helping organise an intensive astronomy programme for secondary school teachers. In collaboration with the Astronomy School Education (NASE), ESSS equips teachers with the skills and tools to teach astronomy in their classrooms. Tiwuld sees this as a way to ensure that younger generations of Ethiopians can learn about space in a way she never did.

While Tiwuld still hopes to have a successful career in computer engineering, ESSS has helped her realise that hoping to work in space is not out of this world. After all, there’s plenty to explore. “So much of the universe is yet to be explored,” Tiwuld says.