Rising From Poverty And Hunger In The Tigray Region Of Ethiopia, Strintzos' Path Led First To Australia, Then Villanova

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Photos courtesy Image of Sport, Maria Strintzos

The 10-year-old boy in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, broke into a run and raced through his village shouting the news. 

"Maria wants me! I'm going with Maria!" he yelled with delight throughout the rural district of Hawzien.

It's an unforgettable memory that sticks with Haftu Strintzos, and a moment that put him on a path that led him to the place he is now: a student and runner for Villanova University. 

Strintzos, 22, still runs for joy but the sports are also a vehicle that leads to opportunity and the promise of a brighter future.

Strintzos finished ninth Nov. 20 at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships and is looking to carry that momentum into the indoor track season this winter. Running and racing are his sanctuary. 

“When I race, I don’t really think of anything in particular,” he said. “That’s partly what I like about racing. Just be completely in the moment and in the zone.”

Strintzos is running for goals beyond the finish line. His two brothers are constantly on his mind and he hasn’t been able to communicate with them in seven months due to the civil war that rages on in Tigray. The fear of losing them and other extended family members is real. It fuels a sense of obligation and determination, stokes his pride and sense of purpose. The effort he puts into running is not for himself. It's for his country and family in addition to Villanova.  

“Life puts it in so much more perspective,” Villanova head cross country and track and field coach Marcus O’Sullivan said. “There's something deep inside (Strintzos) that forces the expression of who he is as a person when he races. Because of the scars, and the history and the determination, he cannot fail. And he knows he cannot fail. And he's comfortable with that.”

For now, Strintzos wakes up each day, puts one foot in front of the other, and moves ahead with the mindset to do the very best he can.

 His journey is still in progress.  

“This isn’t about running well in a race, this is about running well in life,” O’Sullivan said.   

Growing Up Fast

By the age of 7, Haftu had already lost both of his parents. Growing up in the northern region of Tigray, an area that erupted into war a little over a year ago, his life consisted of farm work – herding goats and other animals in the hilly terrain of his homeland and attending school. Haftu and his brothers were looked after by their grandmother, who was going blind. Food was scarce, with maybe two meals a day. Dry bread was a mainstay in the small hut they shared with other family members. 

It may seem like a bleak existence, but it's all he knew. 

“He looks at it like the glass isn’t half empty, it's half full,” O’Sullivan said of Haftu's outlook. 

The boy met Maria Strintzos in 2008. A woman of Greek and Australian heritage, Maria forged her own beautiful story. Think of her in the mold of Mother Teresa. Maria dedicated her life to helping the less fortunate and developing sustainable food security programs for disadvantaged individuals and communities in Ethiopia. Before that, she did similar work in Sudan and Eritrea. A volunteer with a local Ethiopian humanitarian organization that fights against hunger, oppression and inequality – Maria explained it was the people of Tigray that drew her into staying in Ethiopia.  

“They are the most tenacious, hardworking and disciplined people you’ll ever meet,” Maria said. “You get a sense of purpose and resiliency.”

In 2005, Maria established the Ethiopian community-based Hawzien Orphan Project in Tigray that was designed to serve children that lost parents due to war, famine, HIV and natural disasters. The funds raised for this program go to helping children with the daily costs of living, and to help them attend school.

In 2008, Haftu was one of 65 that qualified for the program, but it was also his zest for education that made him a candidate for aid. 

“Haftu was an exceptional student, and very, very bright,” Maria explained. “His family wanted him to drop out of school and become a herder full time. Haftu fought against it, as did his grandmother.”

Maria, who has cared for hundreds of orphans since 2005, explained there was just something about the soft-spoken and shy boy that made a lasting impression on her. She felt a connection she hadn't experienced before. 

“He was very disciplined. He would always sit with his grandmother and make sure she ate first. He stood out, but he was very quiet,” Maria said. “After Haftu started to receive my support, he would walk with his barefoot grandmother, guiding her through the mountains, to come to the town and collect his annual support – money, books, clothes. It took hours of walking.” 

Over time, Maria and Haftu's friendship blossomed. It was in 2010, when she made the life-changing decision to adopt him. On her 50th birthday, Haftu became her son.

“You could see his face light up. It was like, ‘Oh my God,'” Maria said of the moment that led Haftu to race through his village with excitement. 

Maria explained when she first considered adopting Haftu, she had to seek the approval of his grandmother, Shifta. The local officials from Hawzien Social Affairs visited her in the village to discuss it. 

“As she knew me, too, she immediately gave approval and blessed me for helping not only Haftu, but the whole family,” Maria said. “After her blessing, I visited the village and spent time with her discussing Haftu. She told me many stories about his parents, and funny and serious stories about Haftu. Shifta definitely wanted Haftu to have a better life because he deserved it. She also predicted that he would be 'a big and important man.' She saw Haftu as their savior.”

A Brand New World

Haftu and Maria resided in Ethiopia for a year after his adoption and then officially made the move to her home residence of Melbourne, Australia in 2011. 

That meant a new world and culture for Haftu, but also unfolding new opportunities and possibilities.

“It was a completely different world, it’s hard to describe in words, but it was quite overwhelming,” Haftu said. 

Shortly before he left, he visited his grandmother one final time before she passed away.

In Australia, Haftu was thrust into many firsts, including an introduction to using computers, adapting to new foods and culture, learning the English language, and also discovering the sport of running. 

“To be honest, I wasn’t aware of running as a sport when I was in Ethiopia,” he said. “I didn’t start running until grammar school in Australia.”

Maria tells the story of the two of them driving through town one day and her son's eyes fixing on a sign along the road that read “Oakleigh Little Athletics.”

He said, “Mom, I want to run! I want to join!”

Maria recalls Haftu saying that running in open fields with unabashed freedom reminded him of running around his village. 

With the encouragement from his physical education teacher, Haftu gave competitive running a try. Due to his years of herding and other farming chores in Ethiopia, his development as a runner came switfly. 

Haftu competed for the Glenhuntly Athletics Club from 2013-18 where he finished runner-up in the Under-20 5,000-meter race at the Victoria State Junior Athletics Championships in Melbourne in February of 2017. As a teenager, he earned a full scholarship to Haileybury College (an independent school) in Australia where by good fortune he was trained by world-renowned and Olympic distance runner Craig Mottram. 

At Haileybury his growth and knowledge in the sport and classroom continued. He represented his school from the seventh grade to his senior year, competing in all 36 of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria cross country races. He ran at the Victoria All-Schools State Cross Country Championships and medaled six straight years. In 2017, he finished runner-up, but won it outright in 2018. He holds the Haileybury school records in both the 3,000 meters (8:26.53) and the 5,000 meters (14:15.61). In both 2017 and 2018, Haftu also won the Australian and Oceania Under-20 Cross Country Championships, equalling the record of Robert De Castella – one of Australia’s running legends.  

“All of these talents were just emerging,” Maria said of her son’s running ability and success. “He did it so effortlessly and so beautifully, like a gazelle.”

By his sophomore and junior years he became aware of Villanova’s interest in him as a student-athlete. O'Sullivan had developed a successful Australian pipeline that included 2016 NCAA cross country champion and Olympian, Patrick Tiernan. O'Sullivan said his friendship with Mottram allowed him to get a snapshot of Haftu's story and what it would mean to have him come to America and represent Villanova. 

“Maria, his mother, did a lot of due diligence from such a far distance out,” O’Sullivan said. “Her emphasis was that he was going to be looked after socially and academically. As a coach, you take on this young man and my goal is to make sure he gets to the other side.”  

So in 2019, he prepared for another life-changing moment.  

Blazing New Trails

The first time Haftu walked into O’Sullivan’s office, festooned with the records of sub-four minute milers, it was a photograph that caught his eye. It was an image of four individuals, O’Sullivan, Ray Flynn, Eamonn Coghlan and Frank O'Mara from 1985, more than 10 years before Haftu was born. The four are pictured together after setting the 4xMile world record of 15:49.08. The race was staged as a fund-raiser, with the proceeds going toward the famine in Ethiopia – it came just a month after the Live Aid concert.

“He goes, ‘Where did you get this? This is my homeland,’” O’Sullivan said. “It’s goosebumpy really, and it’s almost serendipitous that this was meant to happen.” 

O'Sullivan admits to being a bit skeptical when Haftu said he wanted to study Electrical Engineering, a difficult major packed with math and science courses. Haftu recorded a grade-point average of 3.3 his first semester and never looked back. 

“He really feels like he has a responsibility and that he came here for a reason and he doesn't want to let anyone down,” O’Sullivan said. “There’s accountability to what he's trying to achieve. He sheds a whole different light on life.”

Haftu was able to compete in two cross country seasons and managed to get in some track experience before the pandemic struck. In the spring of 2020, he went back to Australia where he resided with Maria for 10 months. Despite a 16-hour time difference, Haftu continued with his studies. 

“That was not too pleasant,” he said. “I would be up at night and sleep during the day. At some points, I was up for class at 3:30 a.m. and teachers would be like, ‘Wait, what are you doing up?’ Some were pretty understanding.” 

Combined with the early COVID-19 rules in Australia that limited individuals to only one hour outside each day, finding ways to train became difficult. He got through it and didn't miss a day of school or training.  

“When I’m working out and training I want to know what I’m building for, so COVID really made that difficult. When we got back, we only really had conference (meets). Not much experience in terms of races under the belt before nationals. But I had to make the most of what was given to me,” he said. 

Maria, who describes her son as her best friend, said it was a blessing to have him home. Haftu has developed a strong relationship with Maria’s dad, Bill, who is 88 years old and helped raise him. Haftu and Bill speak to one another in Greek. 

“He keeps me steady. I feed off his resiliency,” Maria said of her father.   

A Difference-Maker

In January of 2021 Haftu learned one his cousins was killed by the Ethiopian government-affiliated forces. He received the news from another cousin, who fled into the capital to communicate the news to extended family. In late May, on the eve of the NCAA Outdoor East Regionals, the same cousin told him the health of his brothers was deteriorating as they had no food to eat, and they were edging closer to starvation.

 The last time Haftu spoke to his brothers was in April. The ongoing civil war that began November 4, 2020 – the same day as the U.S. Presidential Election – has been a daily source of stress.

According to recent REST assessments and UN reports, at least 5.2 million people in Tigray require emergency food assistance and over 400,000 people are suffering from catastrophic hunger levels and more than four million people (70 percent) of the population are experiencing acute food insecurity.

When it is safe to travel, and he has graduated, Haftu wants to go back and help his family. He wants to give back to his former school and donate time, money and supplies. He wants to use his education and engineering skills to rebuild his community. 

He carries a sense of urgency to be a difference-maker.  

“He’s got ingrained in his DNA. He cannot fail,” O’Sullivan said.”I think that's what you see in a race, he's out there just surviving. That's who he is as a person.”

Maria knows that her son's impact now and after graduating from Villanova can be life-changing. 

“He’s wise beyond his years,” she said. “Where does he get that wisdom from? He’s a very old-soul.”  

Racing Above His Training

When Haftu was finally able to return to the United States last winter, he was thrust into the cross country season where he won the Big East title (23:05.2) and finished 66th in 31:11 in the 10-kilometer race March 15 at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Okla. In his first outdoor track season last spring, he qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 10,000 meters, placing 19th (28:51.06) to earn honorable mention All-America honors. 

“He’s a very light trainer, in large part because of the workload in school, but he races well above his training,” O’Sullivan said.

The fall of 2021 saw Haftu emerge as not only one of the best in the conference, but the country. At the Main Line Invitational in September, he set a school record for the four-mile course in 19:02.4. He finished second at the Big East Championships before going on to place ninth in 28:57.3 at the NCAA Championships in Tallahassee, Fla. 

“I felt like I could mix it up with the top guys, and I was confident with how my season had gone,” Haftu said. “The main thing was to get out pretty quickly, and just give myself a chance, put myself in there and see what happens.”

In Division 1 running, Haftu is learning to work and compete and set goals at the highest level. 

Residing in the suburbs of Philadelphia, thousands of miles from his homeland, Haftu keeps moving forward.  

“He’s not even near tapped,” O’Sullivan said. “I would say training skill-wise, he’s the seventh or eighth guy on the team with how he trains. Personality – he’s just an incredible person. (There's) no one near to compare him to in all my 24 years of coaching at Villanova.”

O’Sullivan said Haftu will open up his indoor track season in early 2022. 

With two years of eligibility left, the potential upside is tremendous. Not only on the track, but in life.