Education is the focus of all imagine1day operations through the four essential sub-pillars. Our education program addresses both the demand and supply barriers to children’s education.

Creating access: We provide schooling opportunities in areas where there would otherwise not be access to education through the building or improvement of school facilities. We provide school materials, specifically with a focus on enabling out-of-school children (OSC) to continue their education. Along with this, we train community leaders to educate their community on the value of education.

Improving Quality: We improve education quality, providing teaching material, additional facilities, and encouraging extracurriculars. We include facilities in our schools that improve education outcomes such as science labs, computer labs, gender-segregated latrines, libraries, and water points.

Efficiency: We eliminate barriers students face so that dropout rates and repetition of grades are decreased.

Equity: We have an essential focus on equity. We actively ensure gender parity in enrolment and participation in our schools, especially for girls who often face unconducive school environments. We eliminate these barriers by educating girls on menstrual health and providing them with MHH rooms and gender-segregated latrines and showers.

Educate a Girl (EAG): Educate a Girl focuses on easing the transition from primary to high school for mothers. We fund the first year of their education, including relevant costs such as travel and accommodation rent, all the while providing their mothers with seed money. This seed money allows mothers to use the businesses to support their girls through the rest of their schooling journey.

Leaders Educators and Parents (LEAP): LEAP focuses on training community leaders, parents, teachers, and student organizations (PTSAs) to enroll out-of-school children through community-based back-to-school campaigns. The project also constructs schools to create space and access to quality education and school WASH facilities. This is a three-year project co-funded by Education Above All/Educate A Child Program (EAA/EAC) with the target to enroll over 63,000 Out of school children in Ethiopia.

WASH is our second pillar. The three aspects of WASH can act as an immense barrier to education for many children. Fetching water is often a girl’s responsibility in Ethiopia. Girls in a family unit can be expected to walk for hours each day, preventing them from accessing education. Providing water systems allows families to prioritize their girls’ education. Hygiene is another weight placed disproportionately on girls. Schools are often not conducive to girls’ monthly menstrual cycle; they are not allotted separate latrines or Menstrual Health and Hygiene rooms to change. By providing both resources, girls have the chance to attend up to a week more of classes each month. Finally, sanitation, is an issue which plagues many communities. Water sanitation is difficult to ensure when water sources themselves are scarce. By allowing for water sanitation, the instance of disease decreases. WASH clubs in schools are also trained and educated to ensure communities can sustain their clean water.

Angetu water project: A water spring development piped 7km to communities and schools to benefit over 7,000 people (total cost $102,564 CND)

Ilukerisha community water project: a 3km pipe extension, funded 47% by the government and 53% by Imagine1day (total cost $61,250)

Debat and Debark districts of Amhara: construction or rehabilitation of 10 menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) rooms, and gender-segregated latrines in 10 conflict-affected and damaged schools.