Education is her right
With small interventions, our partners are helping girls like Kalkidan, Birhan and Adanech
Huge improvements have been made in primary school education enrolment in Ethiopia, but secondary school attendance remains very low, especially for girls. Child marriage, low incomes, civil unrest and a lack of menstrual health awareness all create barriers, preventing young people from continuing their education.
We firmly believe that education is key to giving young people opportunities for the future.
By improving access to quality education, our partners are opening up opportunities and choices for the next generation of leaders and decision makers.
We partner with local organisations providing life-changing education and employment opportunities for young people in Ethiopia. Through their projects, they are:
Education
118 students learned vocational skills and were supported to find employment.
119 students went to university with sponsored funding.
2,650 girls were supported to stay in school and received reusable period packs.
With small interventions, our partners are helping girls like Kalkidan, Birhan and Adanech
“I don’t want any girl to be shy about periods. A period is not a taboo it’s a natural process.”
Hope Enterprises’ Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) equips young people from disadvantaged backgrounds across Addis Ababa with valuable practical and technical skills and helps them access wider employment opportunities. They offer courses in electronics, auto mechanics, hospitality and tailoring, adapting their curriculum based on job availability. Learning skills which are in high demand by employers means young people can more easily find jobs after graduation, earn a reliable income to support themselves and their families and confidently contribute to their communities.
Young people with limited opportunities are able to access higher education in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, through HEUC’s sponsorship programme. Bursaries are provided for the poorest students, removing many of the practical barriers to education and enabling them to gain qualifications that will lead to professional employment.
Stigma surrounding menstruation means that many girls in Ethiopia are ashamed to ask for help, and often drop out of school. Based in Addis Ababa, Studio Samuel’s project supports vulnerable girls to stay in school by distributing free reusable period packs, and through offering extra-curricular after school courses in IT and business skills, sewing, life skills and creative arts. Studio Samuel helps girls continue their education and develop important skills for future employment. Support is given to access healthcare, tutoring and scholarships that they otherwise would miss out on. Some of the girls also go on to lead presentations at other schools on how to use the period packs, encouraging both girls and boys to break the taboo.
