In 2015 we kicked off our biggest project yet: A three-year initiative to transform education in five districts and enroll 32,268 out-of-school children. The Community Driven Primary Education for All Initiative will bring together a holistic approach to promote the possibilities that education can offer. From targeted awareness [...]

It’s time to tear down the barriers that prevent girls from getting an education. Since 2011, the imagine1day Girl Fund has been getting more girls into school by tackling outdated cultural values like early marriage, creating female role models and building safe learning environments. We do this through [...]

Two women, one legacy: Raising a village Powerhouse business woman Jalynn Bennett and lifelong teacher Sharyn Mandel both knew the power of education to change lives – it was a passionate cause close to the hearts of both women. But even they couldn’t have predicted how much inspiration [...]

Life in Freselam is tough. The area sits near the militarized zone of the Ethiopia-Eritrea border dispute. The barren landscape has been hit by droughts. For generations, the children that lived here never had a chance for an education. But Freselam means “seed of peace” and the community is [...]

In the past year, the community of Tsigeba has almost halved the number of out-of-school children, down to 54. The dropout rate is just 0.47% – far below the 20% average in the districts we work in – and 95% of students attend school nearly every day. In a [...]

Adisenay is located in the arid Ahferom district of Tigray, in northern Ethiopia. The landscape is harsh and so are the facilities. Students in the community of Adisenay are currently attending school in classrooms built of stones and tree branches. There are no desks or chairs: students perch on [...]

At imagine1day, any school we build is done in partnership with the community: right down to the financial costs. To ensure local ownership and pride, we ask the communities themselves to contribute at least 10% of the construction costs. The burgeoning community of Hora Boqa – with 1,696 school [...]

Sheni Kondala is a large community in the district of Barbare, southern Ethiopia. Only 43% of the 1,400 students in this expanding community are currently enrolled in school and their current drop-out rates are high. 19% of their female students dropped out of school last year. The poor standard [...]

In April, together with our partners Lightyear Leadership (formerly igolu), we elevated our leadership development to the next level: We took 350 influential Ethiopian figures through Lightyear’s three-day course in integrated leadership and personal legacy. Held simultaneously in three regions of Ethiopia, we taught attendees self-empowerment, integrity and accountability, [...]

Earlier this year we opened a new school in Filangur. For more than 700 students, this new school provides brand new classrooms, latrines, books, science kits, sports gear, desks and supplies. The community’s passion for learning is growing with new enrollments up 40% since our partnership began. However, a major barrier to education [...]