• Mentewab Dawit Lebiso was forced to give her daughter up after she was raped
• Poverty stricken 31-year-old was attacked then fell sick after her baby was born
• Jolie adopted the daughter from Ethiopia believing she was an ‘Aids orphan’
• Now Mentewab tells Mail Online she desperately wants to speak to Zahara, 12
• Biological mother says she wants Jolie to get custody after love split with Brad
• Says she is not asking for her daughter back but wants the chance to talk to her
• Mentewab says she has had no letters, photos or money from Jolie since adoption
•  ‘I just want her to know that I am alive and long to be able to speak with her’ 

The natural mother of Angelina Jolie‘s adopted Ethiopian daughter Zahara has made a heartfelt plea to the superstar actress telling her: ‘Please just let me talk to my daughter’.

Poverty stricken Mentewab Dawit Lebiso told Daily Mail Online she is desperate to be part of her 12-year-old daughter’s life – and called for Jolie to get custody of her daughter in the bitter split with Brad Pitt.

She dreams of one day meeting the girl she gave up as a tiny infant – but said she would settle for the chance to simply hear her voice.

‘I just want her to know that I am alive and here and long to be able to speak with her. I do not want my daughter back but just to be in contact with her and be able to call her up and talk with her,’ said Mentewab, who ekes out a living in Ethiopia.

Mentewab is the first to admit that the Jolie-Pitts have given her daughter everything she could wish for, adding: ‘Angelina has been more of a mother to her than I have ever been. She has been with her since she was a baby, but that does not mean I do not miss her.

But she adds: ‘I miss her all the time. I think about her every day and long to hear her voice or see her face.I know when she has a birthday but I am sad because I can’t celebrate it with her. I would so much want to celebrate with her on her birthday and other special days.

 Angelina has been more of a mother to her than I have ever been. She has been with her since she was a baby, but that does not mean I do not miss herMentewab Dawit Lebiso

‘I long to be able to have regular contact with her.’

Daily Mail Online tracked down Mentewab to a town in central Ethiopia far from the capital Addis Ababa and tourist attractions of the African country.

During an exclusive interview Mentewab looked close to tears as she mentioned her daughter’s name and talks of her hopes of one day being reunited with her.

Even now, 12 years after giving up her only child for adoption the pain as she talks about Zahara is clear in her face.

She lowers her eyes, and speaking through an interpreter, says softly in her native, Amharic tongue : ‘I would like Zahara to know she has a mother who loves her as much as Angelina.

‘I know her life is with Angelina is in another country and she speaks another language than me.

 We all die sometime and before I die I would like her to know about me and that she has family here in Ethiopia. I would ask Angelina to let me speak with her. I do not think it is too much to ask

‘She has a life that I could never give her, but I would still like to have some contact. I would like to see her face. She has grown into a beautiful woman and I am so proud of her. My heart bursts because I am so proud.

‘We all die sometime and before I die I would like her to know about me and that she has family here in Ethiopia.

‘I would ask Angelina to let me speak with her. I do not think it is too much to ask.’

The 31-year-old has had no contact with Zahara since she was taken to America by Jolie when she was just six months old in 2005.

Mentewab has not received a card or letter from Jolie in past 12 years. Contact with birth mother is rare for adopted children growing up, however, they have a right to try and trace birth parents when they reach 18.

And despite her and Pitt’s combined wealth estimated at over $500m Mentewab has not received any financial help to escape the dire poverty that sees her surviving on less than pds 15 a month and living in a one room home with no running water or toilet.

‘No money has ever been offered and that does not worry or disappoint me,’ said Mentewab.

Megastar Jolie was told that Zahara was orphaned when she adopted her in 2005, and had lost her parents through Aids.

It is thought that she had no idea that Mentewab was alive until 2007, when she gave her first interview.

Mentewab is adamant  she does not want to destabilise her daughter, nor is she after money. She simply wants any form of contact she can, although she acknowledges that there is no obligation for Jolie to get in touch.

Gesturing around the bare concrete walls of her home in a back street of the dusty Ethiopian town where she lives, she says: ‘What would I do with the money. I do not want any money from Angelina. She does not have to send me any money, but all I would like is to talk with Zahara.’

Zahara was the second of three children adopted by Jolie,41, and her superstar husband Brad Pitt.

 I do not want any money from Angelina. She does not have to send me any money, but all I would like is to talk with Zahara

Hollywood’s golden couple – until their recent split and acrimonious custody battle – also have three other children of their own.

The six children currently live with Jolie in Malibu, California, after Pitt faced allegations, which were later dropped, of strict treatment of the eldest boy Maddox,15, and unsubstantiated rumours of drug use.

The actress has been granted custody of the children Maddox, Shiloh, 10, Pax, 12, and twins Vivienne and Knox, eight, as well as Zahara while lawyers hammer out a divorce settlement and final custody agreement.

Mentewab said she is aware of the divorce as relatives in America keep her informed of any developments by reading out stories from the media.

She had also learned from the internet about the allegations made against 53-year-old Pitt and firmly comes down on the side of Jolie in the couple’s high profile custody battle.

‘I want my daughter to stay with Angelina. She is a good mother and all children should stay with their mother,’ she said.

‘I am sorry that they are splitting up and I will pray for them, but I do not think it will affect Zahara that much.’

However she insisted Pitt had been ‘good father’ to her daughter Zahara.

‘I do not know who is in the right and who is in the wrong. It is very sad when a marriage breaks up, but I known they will be thinking about their children,’ she said.

‘I am not worried about Zahara in this as she will be looked after by them both. I know they love the children and they will not want any hurt to come to them.

 I do not know who is in the right and who is in the wrong. It is very sad when a marriage breaks up, but I known they will be thinking about their children

‘I have read about what Brad Pitt is supposed to be like but I do not recognise this person. This is a man who has looked after and cared for my daughter. He is a good man and I hope that they can settle whatever it is between them and move on with their lives.’

In the days after Jolie filed for divorce she considered a restraining order against Pitt while child protection agencies in Los Angeles launched an investigation after a complaint their eldest son Maddox had been verbally abused on a private flight by a drunk Pitt.

The investigation was dropped but Jolie then insisted her soon to be ex-husband undergo drug testing four times a month.

That information came to light after Pitt filed court documents in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles to request that all records regarding custody issues be kept under seal.

Mentewab said she does not want to take sides in the custody battle, although she believes the six children should stay with their mother.

LIFE IN SHONE MEANS GRINDING POVERTY

Angelina Jolie has spoken of the malnutrition Zahara was suffering when she was adopted, and revealed that the five-month-old had rickets.

Had Zahara overcome those hurdles, she would have faced a life of hardship with little prospect of being independent with a career or the chance to one day own her own home.

In Shone, a dirt-poor town in south-east central Ethiopia, her home would have been a one or two room shack with no heating, no air conditioning and an outside toilet that is vulnerable to whatever livestock the family own.

The biggest single luxury would have been a small television with just a handful of channels, and most of those featuring gospel preachers.

While most girls have the opportunity to attend school from the age of five to 16, not all can spend their days in a classroom.

Such is the grinding poverty of the majority of families in Shone that they have to work to support themselves and their wider family.

While education is free in Ethiopia many children in villages and towns are unable attend as their parents cannot afford to pay for the uniforms and books and pencils.

The majority survive on less than £20 a month with money used for food, clothing and rent for a home.

The main road through the town is clogged with herds of goats and cows being driven by teenagers carrying a stick. The most popular form of transport is donkey and cart.

As Zahara lives with one of the world’s most high profile and recognizable names, Mentewab has had no trouble keeping up with her life.

Tucked away in a draw in one of the few pieces of furniture in her living room Mentewab has a file packed with newspaper cuttings and photos of her daughter and Jolie.

The photos from celebrity magazines are well worn where they have repeatedly handled.

Mentewab does not have any photos of her daughter on display as she does not want others in the town to know she gave away her daughter – even if it was to one of Hollywood’s most famous female stars.

Two cousins who live in an adjoining home are even now not aware that Zahara Jolie-Pitt is her daughter.

Mentewab does not like to talk about the adoption as it brings back painful memories – not just of losing her baby but of how she came to be pregnant.

Mentewab says she was 19 years old when she gave birth to a baby girl she called Yemasrech.

In her native Amharic language the name means ‘good news’.

She did not know the father as her child was conceived as a result of a brutal rape attack.

Mentawab was staying in her grandmother’s house in Shone when an intruder broke in an attacked her.

She was too scared to tell her parents but when the pregnancy began to show she was forced to admit the truth.

Initially disowned by her family, she went to live in the nearby town of Hosanna where she says she gave birth to the baby later named Zahara in January 2005.

With no money and nowhere to live, Mentewab said her daughter became severely malnourished and was close to death.

‘My baby was sick and I was very weak and sick after the birth,’ she said. In a previous interview, Mentewab’s mother Almaz Elfneh has told how she had looked after the baby when Mentewab ran away, unable to cope with the strain of earning enough and caring for her daughter.

 I could not look after her and my mother, uncle and his wife suggested I put her up for adoption. I was so weak I agreed. I agreed that she should be put up for adoption but if I had my chance again I would have kept her

But Mentewab told MailOnline she was simply too sick to look after her daughter, and did not abandon her: ‘I could not look after her and my mother, uncle and his wife suggested I put her up for adoption. I was so weak I agreed. I agreed that she should be put up for adoption but if I had my chance again I would have kept her.

‘By taking her Angelina has saved my baby’s life and she also saved my life. I will always be very grateful to her for that.’

The Wide Horizons For Children agency in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, handled the adoption and on Jolie’s return to the US with Zahara reports surfaced that her birth mother had died from AIDS.

Twelve years on Mentewab is still angry that people were led to believe she had died from the disease.

She blames a ‘Mr Fix-it’ who handled the adoption for making up the story that she had died of AIDS.

There is no suggestion Angelina Jolie did anything illegal in the adoption, or was aware of Zahara’s apparent history.

After giving up her baby Mentewab continued to live with her parents and three sisters.

But seven years ago she moved to a town 100kms away with her father after he paid $133 for a small plot of land set back about 100 metres from the main road that runs through the town.

He built a one room house where Mentawab lives and two other rooms that she rents out for $20 a month and is her only income.

Her father died soon after building the homes and Mentawab now lives alone in the single storey concrete home covered by a corrugated iron roof.

The main living room that contains a small table and three chairs is separated from the single bed by as washing line on drying clothes.

A battered chest of draws contains the photos Mentewab has amassed of her daughter and there is a small 15inch Tv.

The room is lit by a single 60watt bulb that is switched on when Mentewab pushes two bare wires together.

There is no heating and no air conditioning and the toilet is a small hole in the ground. A small stove for cooking is in one corner and Mentewab appears to have few, if any, possessions.

Like many thousands of others in Ethiopia, Mentawab faces a daily battle to survive.

Her life is a world away from the luxury and privileged lifestyle enjoyed by Jolie and her children, including Zahara who has expressed an interest in modeling.

While the Jolie-Pitt’s travel on private jets between their various multi million pound homes, Mentewab walks everywhere.

Her daily journey to college means she often shares the road with donkeys, cows and goats that wander around the streets.

The 100,000 people who live in and around her town share the roads with the animals with many children engaged in looking after goat herds that meander through the town.

Outside the rusting corrugated iron that serves a front gate at Mentewab’s home, three cows scour the dust covered ground for something to eat.

Inside the small holding several young children, barefoot and their faces smeared with dirt, wander around along with several chickens.

 I told them all I wanted was to be allowed to speak with my daughter but when this message was given to Angelina they said I wanted her back and if she came for a visit I would never let her go back to America. That is not true, but that is what they told her

Mentewab’s income is from the rent on the two rooms and any money her brother, who lives in Texas after winning a green card to move to the US in a lottery, can send her from his job as a lorry driver.

She acknowledges that she is ‘barely’ surviving and says it is for this reason she does not want her daughter to return home.

She said two years after the adoption representatives of Jolie and Pitt came to visit her and discuss possible contact.

‘I told them all I wanted was to be allowed to speak with my daughter but when this message was given to Angelina they said I wanted her back and if she came for a visit I would never let her go back to America. That is not true, but that is what they told her.’

Mentewab admits that losing her daughter and not being able to see her has shaped her life.

She has never married and made the decision not to have any more children.

‘I have given away one baby and I do not want to give away another,’ she said.

‘I want to have the means to support my own child. If I was faced with giving away another child I would do everything in my power to stop that. I would beg every day and go door to door asking for help before I gave away another child,’ she said.

‘I do not want to be reliant on anyone and that is why I have never married. I want to be able to support myself.’

To do that, and one day start a family, Mentewab is completing a three year course in woodwork at a local technical college.

She wants to make furniture and open her own shop.

‘I would like to get the machinery and hire staff and do it all,’ she said.

‘That would be a great achievement for me and would show that I have made some progress with my life.’

Until she can speak with her daughter Mentewab said she takes great satisfaction in looking at photographs of her on her mobile phone.

‘I am so proud when I see her face. She is growing into a beautiful young woman and that makes me so happy.

I am very happy looking at her progress and see her grow up, but there is also much sadness as I know I am missing out on this.

I am so proud when I see her face. She is growing into a beautiful young woman and that makes me so happy

‘There are lots of children her age in the town and they look so much younger than her. She is tall and so beautiful and as her mother I could not be prouder.

Angelina Jolie revealed she had been told Zahara was an AIDS orphan when she adopted her in 2005.

In an interview with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer she also admitted she did not know how Zahara was conceived.

Asked to talk about Zahara, she said: ‘She’s from Ethiopia, she’s an AIDS orphan.

The actress said Zahara was in poor health when she collected her from an orphanage in Addis Ababa.

She aid: ‘I think the most upsetting thing for me was that I came here — she had to go to the hospital for dehydration and malnutrition.

‘And when she got there, was lots of other things that they were concerned about that were showing up that turned out to be different things. They thought there was a mass in her arm. It turned out to be a rickets fracture from being malnourished. And things like this.’

Jolie said there were fears her daughter had HIV, but these proved unfounded.

As Jolie’s film career took off she became more involved with humanitarian causes.

In 2001 Jolie was recognized and named a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador to help educate the public not only about the plight of refugees.

Using her star power she has visited more than 20 countries to highlight the humanitarian problems they are facing and to focus attention on refugees searching for a new life.

Among the countries she visited were Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Cambodia, Pakistan, Syria, and Iraq.

With husband Brad she set up the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to work towards protecting natural resources and conserving wildlife.

Jolie has also met US lawmakers more than 20 times in Washington DC to lobby for causes close to her heart.

In 2010, the United Nations promoted Angie from Goodwill Ambassador to a diplomat.

She is now a special envoy and represents the UN Refugee Agency to other diplomats, governments, and officials around the world.

Representatives for Angelina Jolie did not respond to requests for comment.