Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
— Nelson Mandela
A Nursery class at our Kindergarten

A Nursery class at our Kindergarten

Our primary schools are a beacon of hope for many impoverished families for whom a quality education is out of reach.

Education is the best investment a parent can make to try and secure a brighter future for their children but sadly so many are unable to access and afford good quality education. We believe that all children have a right to high quality education regardless of their economic situation. We provide a high standard of education coupled with a strong support system to give our students the extra encouragement they need to compete with the most privileged students when they move on to secondary education. 

A Grade 3 student at our school

A Grade 3 student at our school

A key lesson we have learned over the past decade is that seriously disadvantaged children can thrive if they are in a supportive educational environment.

So what do we mean by a supportive educational environment? We focus on the individual student to help enable them to reach their full potential and to do this we use several key strategies.

  1. Early warning system to identify struggling students early on before they fall through the cracks - this is crucial to making sure children are given the support they need as soon as possible before they get too far behind and begin to loose confidence in their abilities. Our teachers administer monthly monitoring tests in core subjects that provide us with timely and specific information about where a student may be struggling. Once a student is identified as struggling a teacher is assigned to work closely with that student and provide mentoring and extra tutorial support in problem areas. 

  2. Open door policy with parents to help build a strong support system around the student - parents are made to feel welcome in our schools and engaged with their child's education to build trust and to create a space where we can encourage the parents to see education as an important investment for their child's future. With a strong working relationship between parents and educators we are able to act immediately when a students academic career is in jeopardy due to a family's situation. Instead of the common practice of shaming impoverished families we engage with the parents and show them practical ways in which they can give much needed support to their children.

  3. Strict performance monitoring of our teachers and continuous education and training to build their capacity - we recognize that teachers are the cornerstone of a strong school and we invest in their development by regularly monitoring their in-class performance and providing constructive feedback to help them overcome challenges and improve their skills. We support our teachers and provide guidance to help them when dealing with poverty related issues that affect our students. Whenever possible we provide additional training and pay for further education for our staff. We give our yearly awards to teachers who have shown excellence in their work and who make significant contributions to our schools.

  4. Development of critical thinking skills through the active participation in a range of special interest clubs - we recognize the role we play in educating the leaders and global shapers of tomorrow and our goal is not just to educate children but to encourage them to think critically about the world and contribute to society in a meaningful way. Our students participate in several special interest clubs where they discuss topics such as gender and identity, environmental issues, drama and media, explore Ethiopian culture and look at the impact of HIV/AIDS. The groups present their work at our daily morning flag ceremonies and are encouraged to discuss, challenge and engage with one another on these and other important topics.

Our holistic approach to education activates the mind, feeds the body and makes the health of the student and family a priority.

Our aim is to provide a high quality primary education to our students helping them to build a strong foundation from which to reach their full academic potential. In addition to our regular educational program we provide all our students with a hot, nutritious lunch every day to make sure that every child has at least one main meal per day and has the energy to focus and engage with their education. We carry out a yearly de-worming program at all our schools to help limit the burden of disease for our students and we have regular health and hygiene campaigns to promote healthy behaviours. But we don't stop there. We also run workshops for parents on health and hygiene where we encourage experience sharing and community dialogue about the challenges facing poor families and we help them identify strategies to improve their health.

This is why our schools are ranked number ONE in our district.

We are making a difference. Join us.

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