“I Want to Go to School”: Filmmaker Shares Story of Ethiopian Boy Exploited for His Rare Eyes
- Florence Ryan, a travel filmmaker with 163K followers, met Abushe in Jinka, Ethiopia, and shared his story on Instagram
- Abushe, nearly 17, has been living on the streets since age four and is only in Grade 4 due to extreme poverty
- Photographers sell his portrait for thousands of dollars while Abushe survives on small tourist tips, yet dreams of going to school
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Source: Instagram
A travel filmmaker known online as @noflomo introduced the world to Abushe, a young Ethiopian boy whose striking blue eyes have made him a subject of international photography while he struggles to survive on the streets of Jinka.
Florence Ryan, who documents her travels across Africa for her 163,000 Instagram followers on her page, met Abushe in the southern Ethiopian city of Jinka, a gateway to the Omo Valley. She filmed him on 9 August 2026 and shared his story after spending time with him off camera, struck by both his warmth and the injustice of his situation.
Abushe has had his blue eyes since birth. The rare genetic trait that his mother and cousin share draws tourists and professional photographers from around the world to seek him out. His local nickname is simply "Blue Eyes."
A Life on the Streets
Abushe has been living on the streets since he was four years old, with no stable home and no consistent support from family. Now nearly 17, he is only in Grade 4. Each night he moves between friends' homes to find somewhere to sleep.
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When tourists visit, some pay him around 1,000 to 2,000 Ethiopian birr (approximately R100 to R200) to photograph him. Others take his picture and leave without paying anything. With whatever he earns, he travels to visit his mother every Sunday and gives her money to help cover her needs.
What makes Florence's video so powerful is the contrast she draws: professional photographers have sold his portraits for as much as $3,000 to $4,000 (almost R50,000 to R70,000), while Abushe sees none of that money.
"He's doing model work, and in Europe and in the West he would be paid a lot of money for these pictures," she said in the video.
Abushe himself spoke quietly about the situation; his words were translated to:
"Maybe if they are using my photo, that's okay. But I want to go to school. Maybe when they are giving me some money, I can buy with that an exercise book or a pen or something like that," he said.
A dream bigger than himself
Despite everything, Abushe's ambitions are not just for himself. He wants to finish school, get a job, and use what he earns to help other children living on the streets, because he knows exactly what that life feels like.
Viewers who watched the reel were moved and vocal about it:
@thekissbandit wrote:
"Great job on highlighting this 🔥👌🏾💯"
@pattisonteresa said:
"Thank you, Flo, for sharing his full story. 👏🏼❤️"
@africaniteh shared:
"I just love how you saw the unfairness of the whole situation and decided to share it. 😍 A good person is undeniable."
@bksventures explained:
"Blue eyes only means there is no melanin in his iris. It's genetic, which is why others in his family have blue eyes too."
Watch the Instagram clip here:
Source: Instagram
More on acts of kindness and awareness
- Briefly News recently reported on a Gqeberha man who walked over 750km to Cape Town to raise awareness for men's mental health.
- A compassionate KZN teenager was praised online after stopping to help a homeless man sleeping on the street without shoes or blankets.
- Meanwhile, a Western Cape woman thanked South Africans for helping her feed over 130 hungry people, showing just how far community support can go.
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Source: Briefly News
