A Message from our UK Coordinator
Welcome to the 2024 annual update of Together We Learn’s sponsorship programme! I am very happy to be in contact with you and have the opportunity to introduce myself – I am Gaby and have recently taken over as the Sponsorship Coordinator in the UK office. This update was written along with Elle, who has now gone into teaching – so the education theme continues!
The new academic year in Ethiopia has now started. The team in Ethiopia have been busy distributing educational materials, collecting school reports and checking the progress of students now in higher education. In the past year sponsored families have faced extremely difficult challenges with active conflict in certain areas, and unrest affecting safety to travel, inflation and a general sense of personal security. This continues to impact many areas, some students are not yet able to enrol in school and we are unable to safely visit some areas.
We thank all sponsors who continue to support throughout this period – we are doing everything we can on the ground to keep students motivated and hopeful for the future. Generous donations of gifts such as celebration parcels, printing costs and other resources have gone a long way to support the students’ particular needs at this time.
Recent exchange rate adjustments by the Ethiopian government have enabled us to give double the Ethiopian Birr amount of monthly aid to families, at no extra cost to sponsors. At our recent forums, parents expressed their gratitude for the increased support.
Activity Spotlight – Summer Tutorials
Conflict has made life difficult for students living in the Amhara region this year. In addition, changes to the education system mean that many students are learning a new curriculum without textbooks to support it, a new national exam has been introduced at Grade 6, and the results of Grade 12 exams have been alarmingly low nationally – only 3% of students passed the exam in the past two years.
In order to further support students we ran summer tutorials for 53 students in pre-exam years. The lessons ran four days a week for 8 weeks covering the core subjects of English, Maths and Science.
Ahead of the tutorials we held meetings with parents to share the objective of the tutorials and discuss how students could attend safely.
As well as the tutorials, two speakers were invited to help guide and motivate the students in their learning. The speakers were previously sponsored and have completed their education. They shared their stories and advice so students could identify with their journey and can participate in a discussion about the particular challenges they face.
“I want to share my gratitude for getting this chance. I thank my mother and Together We Learn as both support me to continue my education. When I start my study I always
think of my mother’s struggle. I promise I will join university and be a business woman, and I will be the next model person for Together We Learn students.”
Yordanos, girl, started Grade 10 in September
Key Events in the Sponsorship Calendar
August: Family Forums
We ran forums with parents in Gondar and Bishoftu. Speakers provided information about relevant health conditions, feedback was gathered on the Kindu Klub service, and students with high results received recognition awards.
September: School Materials
Our team travelled across areas distributing school materials to 390 sponsored students.
Students in areas that were unsafe for travel received funds directly to buy the materials they needed.
September: Psychosocial Skills
The security situation in Amhara meant we weren’t able to deliver pyschosocial training for students as planned.
In Oromia we ran sessions with 20 students exploring how to achieve success and overcome barriers to academic achievement.
Celebration Parcels
Each year there are three big occasions for sponsors to purchase celebration parcels for their sponsored families.
186 celebration parcels were bought, helping families celebrate New Year (September), Christmas (January), Easter (April) as well as birthdays.
Student Spotlight – Addisie*
Addisie’s family joined the sponsorship programme in 2003, when her mother came to Together We Learn (then The Kindu Trust) along with her older brother and sister, in need of support. Addisie started coming to the Playgroup, developing early literacy and numeracy, as well as accessing toys and nutritious meals, before joining primary school aged 7. With an eagerness to learn, Addisie walked with a friend for an hour every day to get to school.
While one in five students in Ethiopia drop out after Grade 1, Addisie pursued her education right through primary and onto secondary school, after which she joined Gondar Technical College to study Hotel Management. Again, she would walk for an hour and a half to get to college, until she found a part-time job at a hotel. Working as a cleaner and an assistant chef meant she could cover the cost of the bus to college while also getting valuable work experience.
Sadly, due to conflict in the region, Addisie lost her job, but she persevered with her studies. In 2023, twenty years after her first visit to the Playgroup, Addisie achieved her diploma in Food Preparation. With support from her sponsor, and investment from the local community, she opened her own café. Alongside her older sister, they serve customers fried lamb tibs, egg and vegetable sandwiches, potato chips, and injera firfir, as well as coffee and tea.
Although life has been particularly challenging in recent years, Addisie stayed motivated and used her education and the skills she gained to transform her life, supporting herself, and her family.
If you are interested in helping us support more students like Addisie, please click the link below and share it with your friends and family.
Quick News Round
In the months ahead we will continue to make sure our sponsored families are supported as much as possible. It is also important to us that you feel connected to the sponsorship programme and the family you sponsor. This is why we wanted to let you know about the following;
- Equality of Information – thank you to all the sponsors who have written letters and introductions to their sponsored students. Lots of information is shared about the students and it is so nice for them to learn a little about the person it is going to!
- Higher Education Challenges – we are increasingly seeing older students having to drop out of education due to a lack of safe, affordable transport to university; low pass rates on secondary exams; and shifts to online information sharing in higher education, which excludes those who cannot afford smartphones and laptops. We are working to identify those most at risk of dropping out and will be looking for extra funds to help support their needs to stay in education.
- Setting up Savings Associations – we provide additional support to the neediest families whenever we can. Thanks to a recent grant we are able to set up a women’s savings and loan association, providing business start up funds to 11 mothers.
Of course, we welcome your feedback on how we can improve your sponsorship experience. Please feel free to share any questions or concerns with us at [email protected]
Thank you for your continued and generous support, it is truly invaluable!