HOW ARE WE DIFFERENT
For one, we want to put ourselves out of business. Yes, you read that right. When we achieve our goal our job will be done. Contrasting some traditional solutions to poverty and social inequity, our approach is to work directly on the ground with partners at the government and community level to transform their leadership and help get the job done. That means we don’t just build schools, we create quality education in a holistic way through innovative thinking and a commitment to accountability. It means we focus on creating community ownership and making everything we do sustainable. We encourage people to set audacious goals and then equip them with the tools to see their best possible future become a reality.
OUR APPOACH IS inclusive
We believe Every child should have the chance to go to school
Working within the public education system, we align each of our projects with Ethiopia’s current and long term education priorities, aligning with their vision of a future where all children have the chance to go to school. We are helping to create systemic and lasting change to solidify a future of education that will continue long after we’ve gone.
We invest in people
From the local village to senior government, we create great leaders. Our work empowers communities to maintain and grow their local schools and pursue the life-changing opportunities education provides.
We form strategic partnerships
We select our partners and choose where to work. We learn what matters to them and what may be standing in their way. We collaborate with the federal and regional governments to determine which districts are priorities. From there, we create plans with district and community leaders.
We invest in leaders
Our leadership development programs catalyze our projects. They transform a traditional model of aid and equip our partners with communication tools to set goals, overcome obstacles and create results they never imagined possible.
We communicate with leaders to ensure they have the capacity and confidence to carry their schools forward. We work on succession plans and goal setting with school principals, the PTA and district administrators.
On the ground
Our team of education experts travel to the most remote communities in rural Ethiopia to implement our projects hands-on, which means we’re able to track every dollar spent and measure the impact of each donation received.
We’re in the field almost every day, conducting bi-annual monitoring and evaluation with our partners, identifying root causes of challenges and building on our successes.
Communities take ownership
Across all schools in a district, we equip classrooms with supplies and kick off teacher training programs. In communities where schools and infrastructure are required, we work with Parent-Teacher Associations to mobilize cash and in-kind contributions.
Sports competitions, sanitation initiatives and awareness campaigns are all signs of a community taking ownership and a school becoming the heartbeat of change. To support future school maintenance and programming, we provide seed funding and business training to assist communities with revenue-generating activities.
Our education development model
Education is a national priority for Ethiopia, we’ve learned that the key decisions and bottlenecks that impact schools and children occur at a district level. We implement our projects across districts to ensure our closest partnerships are with committed administrators, communities, and educators who are truly moving the dial.