It takes power to stand up for yourself. And knowledge. How do you self-advocate if you don’t have access to the tools needed to improve your life? How do you reach self-reliance? And, finally, it takes a community having your back. Do like-minded community members see your potential and your struggle? Do they believe in you? Continue reading “Meet Adaneche: Our Latest Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Rock Star”
Exams are often a stressful time for many students around the world, and even more so in countries where getting a quality education is the key to bridging the ever-widening divide of income inequality. Roots Ethiopia is making a difference by hosting and funding after-school tutoring for 8th-grade students preparing for their 8th-grade national exams. Continue reading “Setting Students Up for Success in Ethiopia”
A teacher at a rural school tries to angle the mirror of a sunlight-illuminated microscope towards the window to light a biology slide. A student strains his eyes in the cool darkness of a classroom to read his textbook.
Often we take for granted the role that power generation plays in everyday education. But not in rural Ethiopia. In 2014, only 12.2% of the rural Ethiopian population had access to electricity (World Bank, OECD/IEA, 2014).
Reliable access to power can be a game changer in rural schools:
Roots Ethiopia has piloted solar panel installations in one of our newer schools, Lai Bedene Primary School in the Halaba Zone. With the money saved from using solar power for their educational radio, they are now planning to purchase a television for classroom use!
The installation was so successful that we have implemented it in two more rural schools…Legama Primary School in Wolayta, and Gomora Gewada Primary School in Kembata.
Reducing barriers that hold back rural schools from delivering a quality education is just one more way that Roots Ethiopia focuses its efforts on improving schools and educational quality.
Help us to light the way to academic success for more students in every Roots Ethiopia School! 
Dear friends,
The past 12 months have been amazing for Roots Ethiopia. Our team has been hard at work to support local ideas for lasting change. You have made this a year of growth and excellence. As always, we could not have accomplished our work without your support. We have put together a list of ways YOU have made a difference – add a touch of coffee, some very long days on the road to remote villages, and a dedicated team, and 2017 is a year to remember. We are so grateful for your enduring support!
Happy New Year,
Roots Ethiopia
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Highlights from our team:
The Roots Ethiopia Team
Meet Almaz, a local businesswoman and leader! She lives in Sodo, Wolayta, Ethiopia. Almaz‘s husband became gravely ill and their family lost their entire livelihood when he died. Like many families in Ethiopia, as a woman headed household she and her family suffered greatly from lack of work and no resources. Roots Ethiopia interviewed Almaz and learned she was well known in her neighborhood for making wonderful injera. Almaz was invited to join our Self-Help Entrepreneurs (SHE).
(Almaz and her son in front of their home)
Her SHE business start-up grant allowed her to start a small injera selling business right in her neighborhood, in front of her home. Almaz has created big change in her life! People come from all over the neighborhood to buy her fresh injera. She built a small outdoor kitchen outside of her home and she cooks and sells injera every day right off the mitad! Almaz and her 5 children feel confident that they can improve their lives with school, hard work, and savings and planning.
(Almaz’s kitchen and her stack of fresh injera – she has hired help to run her busy and thriving injera shop.)
Almaz‘s success is possible because YOU provided start-up resources she needed to unlock her potential and lead the way!
This year’s campaign to fund 30 more women in business is underway. You can be part of our continued work to promote women and small business success. Please consider a gift today. You can give here.
Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.
Lemelem is a leader! She is part of our Self-Help Enterpreneurs (SHE) in Areka, Wolayta. Before joining the women’s group her family struggled to meet the needs of their 2 children. Their only income was from her husband’s meager income as a petty trader. Lemelem had a strong business idea, but without startup capital, she was not able to realize her goals to be self-reliant.
In late 2015 Lemelem joined “Reheboth”, a local Roots Ethiopia SHE. She learned valuable business skills, refined her business plan, and began a small savings account. She saved 12 birr every week along with her team of women. Then, she joined a local ‘Equb’ (an informal rotating savings and credit association common in Ethiopia) and saved an additional 50 birr weekly. Crafting a savings plan and then sticking to it was difficult, but SHE social and economic strategies for success helped every woman meet their savings goal.
(SHE in Areka has over 20 members who meet once a week)
After a few months of establishing solid business knowledge, Lemelem received her start-up capital from Roots Ethiopia and she started selling plastic shoes in Areka and surrounding towns.
(Lemelem at work, summer 2016)
Lemelem is very successful. She has increased her savings AND provided material comforts for her family. She bought a bed for her family, is able to make sure her children eat regularly and is tending to her young children’s needs with healthy hygiene and nutrition. She’s looking forward to sending them to school when they are old enough. Lemelem says, “my family is happy, and my marriage is even stronger!” Lemelem hopes she can expand her business and open a shop.
SHE LEADS! We are so honored to share Lemelem’s story! Become a part of a woman’s story and donate to our annual campaign!
Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.
Every year, Roots Ethiopia re-enrolls our existing students and adds more kids to our School Sponsorship roster. In 2016, 175 kids will head to school in Ethiopia because of your incredible support. You were there when we first sent 38 kids in 2013, 70 kids in 2014, 100 Kids in 2015, and now 175! The growth is tremendous, but education in Ethiopia remains a critical need with 3 million Ethiopian children out of school.
You have probably met Solomon already, the face of our 2016 #SendMeToSchool Campaign. For many of you, his deep brown eyes greeted you in your mailbox over the weekend, via our mailer! Some of you might have met him in your inbox this morning, via an email! Others are just meeting Solomon right this minute, via this blog post!
Solomon is a rock star. Since joining our School Sponsorship Program in 2014, his grades just got better and better. In fact, he recently tested into the prestigious Liqua Public School, one of the top schools in Ethiopia.
Our travel team went to Sodo, Ethiopia in October to meet Solomon. It was a short walk from our van to the traditional mud sided home Solomon shares with his family.
His colorful soccer jersey and warm smile eagerly greeted our team. He was so excited to have visitors and enjoyed talking to us about his educational experiences. Before Solomon was able to go to school, there was little food for his family and access to educational materials was nearly impossible. Now, his family has what they need to send Solomon to school without worry. Solomon is going to be an engineer. He told us,
“I love math and science. One day I will be a NOTABLE ENGINEER and I will remember the hard start of my life, and how you believed in my future.”
It’s hard not to really feel what these opportunities mean for families in Ethiopia, so Roots Ethiopia is setting BIG goals for our #SendMeToSchool Campaign. In addition to uniforms, school supplies, a medical care allowance, and clothing, we are dedicated to making sure kids stay in school while drought conditions persist in Southern Ethiopia. All of the children and their families in our program are receiving additional food support during this critical period in Ethiopia.
$21/month will send one child to school, $42/month will send two children to school, and $63/monthwill send three children to school in Southern Ethiopia.
Join the #SendMeToSchool Campaign and support 175 students and their families in Southern Ethiopia!
Roots Ethiopia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization working in Africa, specifically helping Southern Ethiopia. Roots Ethiopia supports community identified solutions for job creation and education.
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