Yodit Getahun

Yodit Getahun (born 12 February 1985) was the Miss Ethiopia World for 2003. She represented Ethiopia in three International pageants and was awarded two titles. She participated in the "Miss Tourism of the Globe" Contest in Moscow, Russia where she won a minor sponsor title called "Miss Neva 2003". She was awarded the "Miss Congeniality" title at Miss Earth beauty pageant in Manila, Philippines. She was also sponsored by London-based Ethiopian Life Foundation, and participated in Miss International Beauty Pageant in Tokyo, Japan.

Yodit Getahun was born in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia on 12 February 1985. She attended Addis Ababa University but did not graduate from there.

The Miss Ethiopia World beauty pageant is owned and organized by London-based Ethiopian Life Foundation which is the largest producer of beauty pageants in Ethiopia. Aimed to promote community based outreach programs in Ethiopia dealing with HIV/AIDS, however it did not get any support from any of the local and Government organisations in Ethiopia it sought support from, as they declined to lend and financial or moral support to the foundation's efforts and instead tried to benefit by working directly with Yodit behind the Foundation's back enticing her with promises of wealth and fame.

Yodit Getahun was later unceremoniously dethroned and became the only Ethiopian girl ever to be stripped of a National beauty Crown in the history of Ethiopia. She failed to follow and observe protocols on her contract with her parent organization, the Ethiopian Life Foundation.

She was stripped of the Miss Ethiopia World 2003 crown by The Ethiopian Life Foundation mid-reign in February 2004 for abandoning her education in Ethiopia and also refusing to return to Ethiopia after her assignment to represent Ethiopia at Miss International 2003 and Miss Earth 2003.

She apparently absconded while in the Philippines, and stayed on there for almost 6 months after Miss Earth 2003, refusing to return home to Ethiopia and her education, and instead concentrated on trying to secure "Movie deals" and was thus succeeded by her first runner up Muna Fikremariam.

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