Our projects in Ethiopia take a holistic approach to increasing access to, and improving the quality of, education.  We opened our first school in November 2015, and as of November 2023 we have built 23 schools, home to over 32,500 students and 1,065 teachers.

Our projects include building new and replacement classrooms, libraries, science labs, and latrines, and providing furniture, books, science kits and sporting equipment to each school.  The holistic aspect of the model includes teacher training, school greening and educational gardening programs, sanitation and hygiene workshops, eye health programs, and bringing interconnectivity to our high schools. We follow-up these programs for 3-5 years, until they become self-sustaining in the communities. We work in partnership with various local and international NGOs as well as communities, governments, and academic institutions in Ethiopia.

Communities contribute up to 70% of the cost of the projects, in cash, upon signing the project agreement. The salary of our Ethiopian Executive Director, the Canadian office costs, accounting services, and website management costs are specifically covered by the founders. All Directors meeting and travel costs to and from Ethiopia are covered by the Directors personally. Consequently we are able to direct all other donors' money specifically to project costs.

The federal and regional education departments have become very active in supporting and engaging in our model, attending our school openings and inviting our team to share experiences at their education conferences.  Our impact is spreading far beyond just our own schools. 

The Federal Minister of Education, speaking at an opening of one of our schools in 2022 said, "This organization is making a difference not just to thousands, but to millions of Ethiopians."