Support Education for Mekdela's Young Learners

Hi, My Name is Aryam Solomon. I am 16 and in 10th grade at Marin Academy. I am the daughter of Haykel Yemiru and Solomon Cheru, and I have a younger brother named Azi who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. My Parents both immigrated from Ethiopia to the US in their 20’s and 30’s, making me first generation. I share a deep connection with the people in Ethiopia, and after visiting in 2021 for the first time, I was able to see how different the needs were between the two countries. It motivated me to raise money to help fund the children hoping to get them at least one step closer to success. I am here today to raise money and awareness about the many things going on in Ethiopia and what we can do to support the community. Mekdela is a school with approximately 1000 students and only really provides students with uniforms, and needs as much help as they can get. Starting off, I would like to talk about the 3 things I am aiming to help raise money for, supplies for students Feminine Products for students, and Special Needs department all at Mekdela Pre-Primary, Primary, and Middle school.

Education: Starting off with Education, I would like to talk about the school I am working with, Mekdela Pre-Primary, Primary, and Middle school. I chose that school because I am aiming to work with a public school in Ethiopia that suffers from a lack of funding, meaning not being able to provide kids with the proper materials needed to reach their full potential in their learning experiences. By raising money, we can supply these children with necessities such as writing utensils, notebooks, whiteboards, and more.

Alongside materials we would donate feminine products to hand out to the girls that attend this school. Feminine Products are seen to be luxury products for many women in Ethiopia. Although It is something that is seen as a necessity for many women in America, It isn't seen to be as necessary due to the fact people have to focus on other things that will get them through their day to day lives such as food, water, housing, and clothing, which are already high cost materials.

Special Needs aren't something talked about or normalized to talk about in many Ethiopian households. Speaking about Special Needs is very stigmatized and Many kids with Autism tend to be kept at home, because their parents are ashamed. Mekdela school has a special department that works with special Needs students. Mekdela is able to provide opportunities for special needs students helping them to reach full potential.

My Goal is to help these students by providing them with materials that will help them get through their education and school life at least a little bit smoother than before so that they are able to reach great opportunities in life.