Sosina Challa lives in Ethiopia. That’s in Africa. One day, she saw some boys skateboarding. “I used to watch skateboarding in the movies,” Challa told TIME for Kids. “But I never got the chance to try.” That changed. “I just asked if I could try to skate,” she says. “It was fun!”
At the time, skateboarding was still fairly new in Ethiopia. Most skaters were men or boys. That’s still true today. But Challa was hooked. She wanted girls to try skateboarding. So in 2020, she teamed up with Micky Asfaw. Micky’s her friend. They started a club. It’s called Ethiopian Girl Skaters (EGS). EGS provides free skateboarding lessons. “It’s not just about skateboarding,” Challa says. “We try to build a community.”
Sosina Challa and EGS cofounder Micky Asfaw (right) pose with girls from the skate club.
EDUARDO SOTERAS—AFP/GETTY IMAGESJoin the Club
Skateboarding was popularized popularize to cause something to be widely liked (verb) Elvis Presley popularized rock and roll. in California in the 1960s. But it didn’t take off in Ethiopia until about 10 years ago. “It’s just growing,” Asfaw says. “It’s an interesting, extreme sport.”
EGS lessons take place at Addis Skatepark. That’s in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. “You get skating sessions and friendship and family,” skater Kenan Menasse said recently. She spoke to the news site VOA Africa.
An EGS member gets a lesson at the Addis Skatepark, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Students range in age from 5 to 25.
EDUARDO SOTERAS—AFP/GETTY IMAGESClub members come from diverse backgrounds. Some need help paying for school materials or fees. “They go through a lot, so we try to mentor mentor to guide or teach someone (noun) The teacher mentors her students. them,” Asfaw says.
Challa coaches a young skateboarder.
EDUARDO SOTERAS—AFP/GETTY IMAGES“Everyone in the community helps each other,” Challa says about EGS and its members. “That’s how we build our sistership."
Meanwhile, another student practices her moves.
EDUARDO SOTERAS—AFP/GETTY IMAGESGet On Board
Look at some of the skateboards used at Addis Skatepark, in Ethiopia. You’ll see the word desta. It means “joy” or “happiness” in Amharic. That’s an official language of the country.
Desta “is the first skateboarding brand in Ethiopia,” Asfaw told TFK. He and Challa are the company’s cofounders.
More from World
Share a Link
- Click the icon above to copy the url link to your clipboard.
- Paste the link into the location in which you share assignments with students. Examples might include, but are not limited to Canvas, Schoology and Edmodo.
Google Classroom
- Click on the icon above to share the article with a class in your Google Classroom.
- Choose an action. Options might include creating an assignment or asking a question.
