Main fundraiser photo

New School Uniforms in Ethiopia

Donation protected
For $19, Fkadu and Abete will go to school in style.

Fkadu and Abete are among 98 children in Asko, Ethiopia, who have been given the privilege of getting an education. They're ready for school to start at the end of September, but donations fell short of all their needs: The children had to vote to receive either shoes or school uniforms. They decided on new shoes.

But I believe we can get them those uniforms.

US$19.10 will buy one new school uniform.

An education can break the poverty cycle for kids, whose parents struggle every day to feed their family; many look for day labor or count on the kindness of strangers. Sending a child to school is a burden that many can't begin to consider nor appreciate, given that few are formally educated themselves.

In response to these common challenges in rural Ethiopia, Eyob Mamo and his friends created Mercy Ministry Happy Children Home. Determined to disrupt generational impoverishment, he ambitiously started what we would think of as a small kindergarten to teach children English, introduce them to a classroom environment, and ensure they were fed three meals a day. He also worked with the parents of these students to teach them about basic health care, like the importance of hand washing. Further, he asked that parents sign a promise that they would continue sending their children to public schools through graduation, which Eyob vowed to fund.

I volunteered to help Eyob in the classroom a few years ago and met some of these children and their families. I have great respect for Eyob and have seen firsthand the impact of his efforts.

You can read more about my experience in Asko teaching some of the Mercy children here:
http://debbieafrica.blogspot.com/

Please consider purchasing a school uniform for Fkadu or Abete, for Lemlem or Yabsra or Kalid or Melkamu or any of the 98 kids who are the first in their family to go to school.

Each uniform is less than $20.

We can do this.

From
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Ethiopia:
"Not all parents can afford to send their children to school. Parents may need to pay for clothes, books, transport and school fees. In 1994, school fees for grades 1 to 10 were officially abolished but hidden costs remained. Other costs include loss of children's wages or unpaid labour for agriculture, tending livestock or housework. Whether children work depends on relative household wealth. Labour-intensive assets such as farms can hire labour if they generate sufficient profit but poorer households may need their children to help with these assets. This can relate to family size, with larger families sending their younger children to school because older children can help their parents. Attendance is reduced when children have to travel long distances to school since this increases personal risk and transport costs. There are also cultural attitudes against educating girls since education will only benefit her husband's household."

Organizer

Debbie Williams
Organizer
Scottsdale, AZ

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily.

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the  GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.