Education is one of the cornerstones of our two programs in Ethiopia.
At AJ Home and through our Family Empowerment Program, education provides the children we serve with the resources needed to help them experience a brighter future!
In Ethiopia, education is mandatory for children between the ages of 7 to 16, but many children struggle to stay in school on a consistent basis. They often drop out or attend sporadically simply because they lack access to food and basic school supplies, including school uniforms.
Students in Ethiopia attend Primary (grades 1-6) and Middle School (grades 7-8), then they move on to Secondary School (grades 9-12). After completing Grade 8, children are required to take a regional exam that qualifies them for Secondary School. If they do not pass the regional exam, they must repeat Grade 8 and then retake the exam.
At the end of Grade 12, students take a national exam to qualify for university-level education. If a student doesn’t pass this national exam, they must either study on their own and retake the exam or pursue another career path, such as a trade or vocational school.
Our team in Ethiopia works every day to make education a priority for the girls in our AJ Home and the children in our Family Empowerment Program (FEP).
Through these two programs, we make it a top priority to ensure that each child has the chance to receive formal education. Here’s how we help:
- We assist families in getting their children registered for school
- We provide necessary school supplies
- We provide tutoring support three times a week
- We serve healthy meals to children so they can study and learn
Beyond this, our Education Coordinator regularly visits the children’s schools to check on their behavior in class and their academic performance and behavioral status so they are not at risk of dropping out of school.
Recently our tutors gave special attention to preparing all of our Grade 8 students in our FEP and AJ Home programs for the national exam to qualify for high school, and we are happy to report all of our 8th-grade students at both the AJ Home and FEP passed the national exam!
We are also very excited that one of the girls from our AJ Home has started her sophomore year of university, and two other girls are waiting to take their national exam.
Your generous support makes all of this possible. You are truly helping to make a difference in the lives of the children and teenage girls that we serve!