She first began competing abroad in 2009, taking third at the Udine Half Marathon in a time of 1:11:15 hours and running a 10,000 metres best of 32:52.67 minutes in Utrecht. She also won the smaller Arezzo Half Marathon race that year. She had her first international call-ups the following year, coming 18th in the senior race at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and 14th at the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Nanning. At the Zwolle Half Marathon she ran a personal best of 1:10:49 hours for the distance, coming in as runner-up behind Caroline Kilel. She was also runner-up at the Great Ethiopian Run at the end of the year, behind Sule Utura.