Current eef students

Birhane comes from a very large family in rural Ethiopia. Out of 11 brothers and sisters, 7 are completely illiterate. The oldest brother Fekadu has finished the eef programme in 2010 and is now studying medicine at university. One other brother Sisay and her sister Meskerem are also on the eef programme and constantly rank first within their classes. Despite this success and Birhane’s academic brilliance, the family wanted to force Birhane into marriage at the age of 13. We intercepted their plans and Birhane now lives at the eef hostel with top results. Her dream is to follow her brother to university and study medicine. We know she can do it too.

Eden has had a tough life; her mother is unemployed. They lived with a friend of her mothers and her two sons in one room – there was very little money coming into the household and Eden sometimes didn’t eat. Since moving into the hostel both Eden’s confidence and studies have flourished; she is a very caring young woman and popular with the other girls. Eden and her mother both dream of her finishing her schooling and going on to University.

Fetle’s mother moved to Addis Ababa with her 3 children after her husband married again. Their basic home was bulldozed by the Sheraton Hotel to and they were re-housed in despicable conditions in a slum 300 meters away. Her brother Fikre finished his eef scholarship programme in summer 2011 and is now at university. Her sister Tenaye is now in grade 11 and lives with her at the eef hostel. They have overcome tremendous hardship. Fetle has grown into a confident young woman, determined to follow her brother and sister through school and then on to university to study medicine.

Hanna’s father died when she was 5. Hanna’s mother was unable to feed all her 11 children and Hanna and 2 of her brothers (EEF Graduates) were sent to Addis Ababa to live with distant family who treated Hanna as a servant. Despite having no study time she scored excellent results at school. Hanna impressed us with her charming personality and we were delighted to be able to offer her a place at the hostel. Both her brothers are now at university and she hopes to follow them in a few years’ time and become a doctor.

Silas’ story, like many of our students, is one of pure determination. She lived on her own having left her family to go to primary school – the nearest one was 8 hours away. She travelled 3 days on a bus to attend our exam and interview where she scored the 5th highest Maths result of 120 applicants. Living at the hostel has significantly improved her English and she is excelling in all subjects. She is well on her way to becoming an educated young woman.

Sisay’s family live in the Ethiopian countryside. His parents and his 11 siblings are all uneducated, except for one brother and two sisters who are also on the EEF program; in fact his brother has made it to university to study Medicine – a dream Sisay also holds. Like his brother and sisters, Sisay – an extremely diligent and pleasant young man – is flourishing at the hostel as his results clearly illustrate. Our Boys Hostel Manager describes him as “a quiet star”.

With her mostly illiterate family living in the far north of Ethiopia, Abeba had been living in one-room in the city with her sister and 2 young children. Thanks to EEF sponsors, she now lives at the EEF hostel where her studies, confidence and personality are thriving. Maths is her favourite subject in school, although her results are excellent all-round. We have no doubt that Abeba will follow on to university after her time on the EEF Programme and fulfill her dream to become a pilot.

Catching Polio at 3 years old, Alemayehu was left unable to walk. After a major operation and a great deal of determination, he is now mobile with the help of a crutch. He joined school in 2000 – at the same time that his soldier father died – but after 2 years his disability stopped him and it was another 2 years before he could go back. When we met Alemayehu he was living in a mud hut in the south of Ethiopia. He is now at the EEF hostel, excelling at school and with hard work and his continued determination is sure to realise his dream of working in banking and helping other disabled people, as he was helped himself.

Before joining the EEF Program, Atnafu lived with his mother who worked as a building site labourer to support his studies after his father left the city to become a farmer. Atnafu walked 3 hours every day to school and back until we were able to offer him a place in the EEF hostel which has given him the time and space to focus on his studies and develop his confidence. Atnafu wants to study Agriculture at University so he can help transform Ethiopia’s farming methods.

Bethlihem lives with her mother and younger sister in a one room hut made of mud and wood. They have electricity and water in the compound. Her mother works as a labourer to support them. She does not know her father. Bethlihem really impressed us with both her academic results and application interview. She is a very determined young woman, smart with a sunny disposition. She excels in Mathematics and Physics which will, along with her EEF sponsorship, help her fulfill her dream to study engineering at university.

Bezawit joined EEF as one of our youngest scholars. She lives with her parents and 3 siblings in a 2 room house made of mud and wood. They live on the salary of her father and her sister and although her parents are very supportive of Bezawit’s studies, they were not able to pay for her school fees after grade 8. Bezawit is a very confident girl, not afraid to speak her mind. We are sure she will fulfill her dream to be a Civil Engineer.

Birhanu was 3 when his mother died; 8 when his father died. When we met him he had just stopped living with his alcoholic brother and moved in with a goat & sheep merchant friend in a mud hut with the animals. Despite not having running water, electricity or any possessions, Birhanu scored 97.5% average at school. He wants to be a doctor one day. We are sure with his determination and continued support from EEF and his sponsor that he will achieve this.

Girma lives in a one roomed house, approximately 2×2.5m², with his mother, two brothers and one sister. His widowed mother takes on various temporary jobs to support them. Girma’s brother had to stop school after grade 8 as they could not afford for him to continue. Girma is a very switched on young man and excels at Mathematics and Biology. With EEF and his sponsor’s continued support we are sure he will reach his goal of becoming a doctor.

Helen lived with her parents and 2 siblings in a one-room, mud and wood house in very unpleasant conditions. Helen has followed her sister, Fantu, into the girls hostel. Despite being one of our youngest applicants she was the highest scorer in her year’s entrance exam. Helen is clearly very strong academically and also energetic with a natural confidence. Unusual for any age, she says that her dream is to become a politician and we hope to send her well on her way there!

Kalkidan lives with her mother and younger sister in a one-room home, their father left them five years ago. Her mother earns £35 per month as a PE teacher but with a 35km commute to work, Kalkidan has to help her mother as much as she can with the household chores – she has grown up fast. Kalkidan has grabbed this opportunity with both hands. At school she likes sciences and after the EEF programme she would like to study engineering at university.

Kebadu’s parents and siblings are all uneducated farmers. When he was 13 Kebadu left his family to go to Addis Ababa to continue his education. Until moving into the hostel Kebadu had been working as a night guard in return for accommodation in a small mud & wood hut and worked after school to pay for food. He is a determined and charming young man who is especially interested in mathematics and science and dreams of becoming an Engineer.

Lidia’s family live in the far south of Ethiopia, she is the 8th of 11 children. Her family live on her father’s £10 a month pension in a mud hut built for them by a traveller whilst they were living in a missionary. Lidia achieved the highest score at her entrance exam, from 200 applicants. She lives at the hostel where she is popular, teaching other students about their rights, HIV/AIDs and reproduction and health. She wants to study Science at University and is extremely passionate about the Solar System.

Meskerem moved away from her family at a young age find work in the city. She lived with her Great Aunt in one bed in a tiny 2.5m x 2m room. Her day ran from 5am to 7pm making and selling injera (typical Ethiopian pancakes) and tomatoes before going home to study by candlelight, determined not to fall behind at school. Here at the hostel she has the time and space to focus on her studies and, with her characteristic hard work, is excelling. She hopes to become a Doctor.

From a background of uneducated parents in rural Ethiopia, Million had to move to Addis aged 13 just so he could carry on at school. Alone and living in a shelter of metal and cardboard, he supported himself by labouring at the weekends and shoe-shining after school. Now this delightful young man has replaced his rickety home with our bright and modern hostel. He strives to become a medical doctor one day.

Rahwa is from a very poor background. She shares a one room house with a large family and sleeps on the floor. Her father works in a church and mother is a labourer. Family income is around £35 a week. Undeterred by her surroundings Rahwa is a positive, inquisitive and happy girl. She has great interest in Biology and Chemistry so hopefully she will accomplish her goal of studying medicine at University.

Ruzz is from the southern-most area of Ethiopia, borne of illiterate parents in an area where schooling stops at grade 4. His parents could send no money to Ruzz so he lived on a mat in a small hut. However, this mat was covered in books and Ruzz ranked 1st at school in grades 5,6 and 7. He is fascinated by nature, the environment and human physiology and wants to be a scientist. Now he has the surroundings and camaraderie to fulfil his aspirations.

Tadesse was one of our youngest ever students. He lived with his parents and his 6 year old sister in a mud house in one of the poorer parts of Addis Ababa. Aged 12, he was already in grade 8, achieving scores of over 95% in his government school. He is a very switched on boy who is inquisitive and charming. Tadesse’s favourite subject is Physics and he is determined to one day study science at University.

Takele had a troubled childhood. His father forced his mum into marriage then left her and took Takele with him. He was not allowed to go to school. Takele fought to get away and ended up with his blind great aunt in Addis. Despite this turmoil, he scored the highest EEF entrance exam mark in his year. The hostel is welcome relief for Takele and supports him in his quest to study medicine.

Tamirat used to live in the far south of Ethiopia in a mud house with a large family. His father is dead and he does not remember him. Despite working shining shoes for 40p a day he achieved 3rd out of 200 pupils at his school. He loves Maths and English and now works hard at the hostel to do well in school. Tamirat wants to be a Doctor and we see no reason why he won’t succeed.

From one of the poorest parts of Addis, Tatu’s mother was divorced when she was pregnant with her. Tatu never knew her father. Her mother found it extremely hard to afford even food and shelter while working as a labourer and holding down two other jobs. At the hostel, Tatu has the shelter, time and tools to give her breathing space and a chance to study towards being a Civil Engineer.

Tsegenesh’s father was a troubled man and left when she was 2. Living with her mother in a one room hut made of mud and wood her mother worked all the hours as a cook and a cleaner. With money short, Tsegenesh would have had to give up school at Grade 8 but eef has now made it possible for her to concentrate on getting to university and becoming an engineer. She is the most charming and friendly student.

Wondwosson lives with a large family in a one room shack, sleeping on the floor with Gran, sisters and brothers alike. He used to get up at 4 in the morning to use the one light bulb so he could quietly study and achieved stunning school marks. His father is a labourer and barely earns enough to feed the family. Now he can focus on his studies and turn on the lights whenever he wants!

Living with his mum who earns £40 a month Yonotan could never have dreamt of paying the school fees for the School of Tomorrow. He has a breathtaking ability to explain complex biological and chemical processes in English and attained one of the highest entrance exam marks when he came to us. We expect this happy, smiling boy to excel at the hostel and become the scientist he wants to be.

Zelalem’s mother died when he was 3. Aged 8, his father took him to Addis to seek a better future but returned to the countryside after only a year. Zelalem stayed with a distant relative but this broke down and he was then all alone. Given shelter by a church in return for help he worked nights at a bakery to earn money to eat. After a truly difficult time he achieved incredible school results and now has the hostel to support his wish to one day be an accountant.

With six siblings and a poor farming background, Zenebe’s family were very reluctant to let him go to school. Aged 5 he finally persuaded them but they stopped this aged 10. He moved to Addis and got amazing results in grade 5 before his aunt finally threw him out. Aged 13 and living in a hut with no mattress or power he shined shoes and laboured on a building site. Now, the hostel gives him time to complete his studies and realise his true potential.

After her father’s death, Abeba’s mother could not cope with the stress and left Addis to live with her parents in the Ethiopian countryside. Abeba was left behind to live wwith her brother and his family. Her brother is a good person who takes good care of his sister. However, as times were hard and as his income is only little Abeba had to move into the eef hostel. Abeba has a great spirit and her passion is chemistry, which is also what she intends to study at university.

Asnaku’s parents are farmers in rural Ethiopia. She hasn’t seen them in a long time. Before moving into the eef girls hostel she used to live with her blind grandmother, her grandfather, a sister, an aunt and the aunt’s two children in a tiny two room mud house. Life for her was tough but despite that she wants to succeed in her studies and achieve her dream to go to university and become an engineer

Behailu is one of our youngest students on the programme. He lives with his parents and his little sister in a small one room house with electricity but no running water. He is an incredibly driven and confident boy and blew us away with his knowledge during the scholarship interview. He will go very far in life and we are glad that we can help him to achieve his dream, to be a doctor one day.

Belete aged 13 is a great student and takes his inspiration from Albert Einstein. He is an orphan and lives alone and works when not at school for a family to earn enough to live and eat. He is a determined hard working student who we know will achieve great things. He wants to study Physics at university.

Birhane is the seventh child of her parents who are poor and uneducated farmers in the Ethiopian countryside. When Birhane was 6, her oldest sister, who is also illiterate, brought her to Addis Ababa so that Birhane could go to government school there. Brihane hasn’t seen her family in over 8 years. She will move into the girls’ home so that she can concentrate on her studies and become the first lawyer graduating from the eef programme.

Ermiyas achieved the highest score in our entrance exam and is a highly motivated scholar who we know will go on to achieve great things. His family have not been very supportive of his studies and Ermias subsequently moved into the eef student home. His favourite subject is Maths and he wants to study Natural Sciences at university.

Eyob joined the eef programme as one of the youngest students. Despite the many problems at home with an unemployed, depressed father and a hard working mother that struggled to provide for Eyob and his two sisters, Eyob managed to keep up a very high academic level during primary school. He impressed us during the interview with his focus and his inquisitive nature. Eyob now lives at the eef hostel and can concentrate on his studies. His dream is to study medicine at university.

Fikirte’s father died when she was only little. After her mother died also a few years ago, Fikirte was sent to Addis to live with her blind aunt and her cousin who is a cleaner. Fikirte will move into our girls’ home and concentrate on her studies. She has a mountain to climb on her way to become a doctor but her academic results suggest that she will succeed.

Frehiwot comes from a big family and her parents are farmers working on the land out in the country. She has to thank her day-labourer brother and his wife that she can go to school at all as all her 5 sisters who still live in the countryside with her parents had to stop their education completely before the end of primary school. She is a lovely girl, her passion is Art and she wants to become an artist when she finishes her studies.

Hayat came to Addis in 2003 at the age of 8. She bravely left her illiterate family (including 3 brothers and 2 sisters) behind to pursue her dream to get educated. She has not seen or spoken to her family since. She used to live with extended family in a tiny one room house made of mud and wood before moving into our girls hostel. She studies hard to pursue her dream to one day be an environmental scientist.

Kidus Adugna lives with his mother (who stopped school after grade 3), his father, who is a labourer, and three younger siblings. They survive on the father’s small salary of Birr 400 per month in a small house in a semi rural setting. They have no running water and only one light which is borrowed from the church. Despite the harsh conditions Kidus is determined to go to university to study medicine.

Letay’s favourite subjects are Maths and Biology. Since her mother died she has lived with her sister and her husband (a priest) and their 3 children. They live in a one room house and Letay sleeps on the floor with the other children. Despite this she is an excellent student and is determined to get a place a university and become a doctor.

Mahlet is a lovely girl with a bright smile. She lives in a simple house without running water with her parents and six siblings. She sleeps on a mattress on the floor, together with two of her sisters. Both her parents are completely illiterate. Her father is a painter but his wages are very low so Mahlet works during her free time to support her family. Her favourite subject is Biology and she would like to study medicine one day.

Mekauint’s parents and 6 siblings live 400 km from Arba Minch in the most isolated countryside of Ethiopia. They are all completely uneducated and illiterate. When he joined the eef programme he lived with his aunt (a cleaner) and her 8 children in Arba Minch in a 2 room house made of mud and wood. To contribute to the family income his job was to fetch water from the river and carry it home over 5 km for other families. He now lives at the eef boys home and is on his way to fulfil his dream to study medicine and become a doctor one day.

Miheret lives with her mother who is a servant at a small local hotel. Her parents divorced years ago and the father left the family behind. She sometimes sees him on the street but does not dare to speak with him as he wants nothing to do with her. Miheret’s grandmother and her uncle also live with them in a small 2 room house without running water and only occasional electricity. Miheret is a very clever girl who surprised us with her curiosity and confidence. She too wants to study medicine in the future and we have no doubt that she will manage to achieve her dream.

Mimi is a bubbly 13 year old girl, bursting with energy and confidence ……we loved her from the moment she walked in to the initial interview. She is an orphan and used to live with her elderly grandparents and 7 others in a small house before she moved into the eef hostel. Life for the family was very hard with only a small income to feed and clothe everyone. Mimi’s dream is to study medicine and we’re sure she will make a

Muluken has had a very hard life up to now. His parents carry wood from the forest to make a living and Muluken is the only of 7 siblings to have an education. In order for the family to allow him to go to school, he has to contribute by fetching water from the river for many other families. He had to walk 4 times per day for 30 minutes with 20 liters of water just to earn enough money to be able to eat. He now lives at the eef boys’ home and we are confident that he has a bright future ahead of him.

Samrawit’s illiterate parents live far away from Addis in the Ethiopian countryside where she was born. When she was 8 years her parents wanted to force her into marriage but her aunt recognized her thirst for knowledge and brought her to Addis Ababa where she is now taking care of her and an older sister. The other 5 of their siblings are uneducated.  Samrawit shares her bed with two of her cousins. She will be an exemplary student at her new school and a great role model for young Ethiopian women. She is determined to enter university after the eef programme and study engineering.

Simeretu joined the programme coming from Arba Minch in the South of Ethiopia. His father died when he was 2 years old. His mother’s job is to carry heavy loads of wood into town from a nearby forest. He has three illiterate brothers and sisters and was the only child of the family attending school. He will do well in his new environment and one day study engineering at university.

Sinknesh is a smiley and cheerful girl. She only came to Addis two years prior to joining the eef programme. It was her grandmother who convinced the parents to let Sinknesh come with her so that she could get educated. Sinknesh’s parents are illiterate, her brother and her four sisters have not finished their primary education.  Her grandmother is becoming very old and study conditions were so bad without electricity so that we decided to let Sinknesh move into the eef hostel where she can fully focus on her studies. She intends to study Biology at university.

Tesfatsion’s father died when he was very young. The mother who lives in the south of Ethiopia could not cope with the hardship of bringing up Tesfatsion and his two sisters, so Tesfatsion made his way to addis at the age of 11 where he now, aged 13, lives with an old lady who cares for him. He is highly determined doing odd jobs in his spare time to earn the money for clothes. He is an excellent student and dreams to study Physics at University.

Tirsit’s father is an illiterate security guard and her mother sells bred in the local market. She has one younger sister. Lucky for the girls, her parents have been very supportive as they want their daughters to get educated and lead a better life in the future. She has a real fighting spirit and is determined to succeed in her studies walking over 1 hour to attend school each day. She lives in a tiny 2 room house with her family. They have no running water so Tirsit walks 30 minutes each day to fetch water for the family. Her dream is to study physics and win a Nobel prize.

Tsehay is 15 years old. She lives with her mother , her older brother and younger sister in a two room house made of mud and wood around 45 minutes walking distance from School of Tomorrow. They have no running water and the whole family sleep together in one bed. Tsehay’s mother is a hard working cleaner but both Tsehay and her siblings have to help after school as much as they can to add to the family’s income. Despite the hardship Tsehay constantly achieves top mark in school and is determined to study medicine one day and become a doctor.

Tsion’s parents split when she was still very young. Her father re-married and Tsion has no contact with him at all. She is all alone with her mother who works as a servant for a wealthy family. Tsion and her mother live in a one room house in the compound. She would like to be an engineer one day.

Yemisrach’s father left his family many years ago when Yemisrach was only a few years old. They have no contact at all. She lives with her mother, grandmother, two brothers and two sisters in a small house. Her mother is very supportive of Yemisrach’s studies and helps wherever she can. Yemisrach wants to study engineering at university one day.

Ageze came from a very rural and remote area in Central Ethiopia. In 2008 he had stopped his education after losing his parents and was supporting himself as a goat herder. He was brought to our attention by one of our alumni who came from the same village. We asked Ageze to come to Addis to sit our entrance examination. He scored exceptionally well despite being out of formal education. We immediately accepted him onto the programme. He has now moved into our hostel and he has been thriving both academically and socially in the secure and healthy environment of the hostel and school. We expect great things from him.

Ashenafi’s parents both died of HIV when he was just 7 years old. Since then he has been on his own, occasionally looked after by extended family members. Before joining the eef programme he was working in a shop 7 days a week whilst at the same time attending school. He struck for how knowledgeable and motivated he is as a student and we were very pleased to be able to support him with one of our scholarships.

Berhanu joined the programme at the age of 13. His mother died 2 years ago and the father, a security guard in a local school was struggling with his rather large family – Berhanu has 3 brothers and 5 sisters! Berhanu is a bit shy but very clever indeed and his grades suggest that he will do very well. He wants to study engineering and physics at university. Berhanu now lives at the eef boys hostel as his father could not continue to provide all the family with sufficient food..

Her illiterate parents are traditional farmers who live together with Frehiwot’s two sisters far away from Addis Ababa in the countryside of Ethiopia. The two girls do not go to school. Frehiwot and her two brothers were lucky as their grandmother, who recognised their thirst for knowledge, took them with her to Addis Ababa so that they could go to school. She is the one that gives Frehiwot her inspiration and her determination to succeed. Despite all the hardship, she has a spark in her eyes and a very friendly smile. She is not shy to speak her mind and impressed us with her questions and her opinions – she is particularly interested in women’s rights.

Gebrekidan came to Addis Ababa from the Adwa region to focus on his education at the start of Grade 7. He has 2 sisters and his mother and father who reside in the countryside (approx 700 km from Addis), and 1 brother who he lives with in Addis in a small room. He is a very clever student and very serious about his education-which is proven by the fact that he ranked 2nd out of over 300 in the 8th grade at his local government school. He is very much appreciative of the opportunity which EEF has provided to him, and looks forward to making the most of it!!

Getaneh’s father died when he was 4, living his mother and two children without any means of substaining themselves. His mother had to start working as a labourer on building sites during the day and in the evenings as a bread maker. Getaneh was also working as a shoes shine boy and carrying goods in the local market. Despite all hardship, he remained a bright and lively kid with an excellent accademic potential, and he is now making the most of it in the eef programme.

When we met Kidist she was living with her aunt and her six children in a small hut in the suburbs of Addis Ababa. At 14, she would spend literally all of the time when she was not at school working to support the family income. She now has the opportunity to concentrate on her studies and realise the excellent potential she has as a student.

Robel is an orphan and was taken in by his extended family in Addis Ababa. He is a very talkative and cheerful young man who is determined to do well is his studies. His extended family are very supportive despite living in a small wooden hut. Robel has already become an active member of the EEF community, always with a cheerful smile and a joke. Robel wants to be a Civil Engineering to build more roads in Ethiopia.

Together with his older brother Weynu who is also an eef student Teklu left his family for Addis Ababa when his mother died a few years ago. They now live in safe accomodation provided by eef. He is making excellent progress at the School of Tomorrow and he would like to study engineering one day.

Tenaye is the younger sister of Fikre who is also on the eef programme. Their father left them when they were very young and they have no contact with him. Their mother struggled for many years and Tenaye now lives in a safe eef accommodation. Tenaye is a very clever girl and a true fighter. After secondary school she would like to study engineering (her favourite subjects are Maths and Physics!!)

Yitagesu left the Ethiopian countryside after his parents died. Before joining the EEF programme, at only 14, he used to work as a labourer during the week and at the week end he would teach other students, shoe shine and carry good in various markets. He used to live with 3 adults in a small room without electricity.

When Zemenu was 10 his father died and the mother couldn’t support him and his 2 brothers and sister in the Ethiopian countryside. His 25 year old uncle brought him to Addis Ababa and started supporting him and allowing him to attend classes at a local school. The uncle is a day labourer who doesn’t really manage to make enough money for both, so Zemenu moved into the eef boys hostel. He would like to become a doctor after university..

Amare consistently receives straight A’s for his school work. He manages to do this as well as being the only carer for his sick Mother who lost her husband when Amare was just a baby. Amare enjoys learning about natural phenomena, so his favourite subjects are physics and chemistry. His dream is to study engineering at university.

Bethlehem is a confident and outgoing girl and we were immediately impressed with Bethlehem during her initial interview. Her father died when she was only little and since then she has been living with her mother who is also her best friend. Her mother is a cleaner / cook and the two of them live in a tiny hut next to the owner’s main house. She would like to study engineering at university and she is well on track to make her dream come true.

Biniyam comes from the southern town of Jinka and has been fending for himself since the age of eleven because of the death of his father and his mothers inability to provide for him due to her terminal illness. Biniyam now lives with his brother Ephrem, one of our older students, in safe accomodation provided by eef. He is making excellent progress at the School of Tomorrow.

Eyerusalem is an extrovert and ambitious young girl who loves reading books and studying hard for her exams. This is despite a very hard childhood; she grew up in an extremely poor, rural Ethiopian village and had to struggle to continue her studies. She now has the peace of mind to continue her academic progress as part of the eef programme.

Fantu lives with her parents and her 4 brother and sisters in one of Addis Ababa’s most deprived neighbourhoods in a mud hut without electricity and running water. Since she joined the eef programme she has been thriving, particularly in her favourite science subjects. With the support of eef she has now a great future ahead of her and one day, we have no doubt, she will be a medical doctor.

Fitsum is alone in Addis. He worked as a servant for no salary. The job provided food and the kitchen floor to sleep on. His very young mother has a similar position in another town but he has not seen her for a long time as they both worked seven days a week. His motivation to continue has paid off with outstanding results. He now feels secure as EEF has provided him with his own room at our student hostel so he no longer needs to work. Fitsum has strong desire to study medicine.

Gebre’s father died a few years back and left his illiterate mother with six children. The small family income is now provided by one of his brothers, who sells newspapers in the streets. We were impressed by Gebre’s motivation and willingness to study when we met him and we are sure he now has a bright future ahead.

Gemechu’s mother died a few years back and his father disappeared soon after, abandoning their six children. After spending some time with his grandfather, Gemechu had to move with his uncle’s family where he was expected to work as a servant looking after the family’s cattle. This involved heavy work in the fields that at the age of 14 Gemechu is forced to undertake whilst going to school and studying. Gemechu’s dream is to become a journalist in order to be able to report on people’s hardship and abuse in poor countries.

The oldest of four brothers, Girma’s father died when he was only six years old. For over a year, his illiterate mother tried to manage their small farmland by herself whilst at the same time looking after the four infants. She came to the conclusion that it was impossible and decided to sell the small number of cattle and the land to move to Addis Ababa. After a while his mother became ill. Girma, by then 10 years old had to be the breadwinner for the family. He dropped out of school for more than two years and had to take the worst jobs imaginable for the family to survive. Even though his mother is better now, Girma still has to work hard in his spare time to be able to eat. Despite all this hardship, Girma has an amazing future ahead and he wants to study Mechanical Engineering at university.

Hanser comes from the countryside where his job was herding cattle. Hanser had dropped out of education as there were no schools near his home. Hanser desperately wanted to continue his education and moved to Addis Ababa to join his brother who is also on the EEF programme. Despite being older than the other students, Hanser has a strong desire to succeed and fulfil his dream of becoming a very well educated Ethiopian so he can help his family and home town residents, the majority of whom are illiterate.

Hilina is the only child of a house cleaner. Mother and daughter live is a small corrugated iron hut. When we met Hilina she was working most days to add income to her mothers tiny salary and she was a very timid and withdrawn girl. Since joining the programme Hilina has flourished and her confidence has grown remarkably. She still lives with her mother but is provided with a weekly food allowance so she does not have to work and she can focus 100% of her time on her studies. Her dream is to study Engineering and to be an independent and education woman.

Mahlet is 13 years old. She lives with her parents and her younger brother. Her father is a nurse earning roughly 30 Euros per month. Her mother has no work. Mahlet is an outstanding girl academically and has a very bright future ahead. She is a warm yet slightly shy girl who will achieve amazing things in her life. Her dream is to study Biology at university and become a scientist.

Mekonnen lived in the countryside 260km from Addis Ababa. He is an orphan and the sole provider for his young brother. He used to walk 16km each way to the local government school that had 100+ students per class. In the afternoon he worked as a water carrier for a local cafe to provide for food. Shelter was a hut made of branches. Mekonnen was put forward as a potential candidate by one of our current students. He came top in our entrance examination. His excellent results, determination to not just survive but to succeed made him an ideal candidate for our programme. Now Mekonnen is now part of the EEF group of students in Addis Ababa. EEF has also provided him with accomodation and food as well as an additional allowance for his younger brother who has also come to Addis Ababa and lives with him and attends a local primary school.

Miheret’s parents died a few years ago and she lives together with her 16 year old sister Lense in our girls hostel. Despite the hardship she has gone from strength to strength and is ranking amongst the top students in her new class. Her dream is to study Economics at university and we are sure that she will be able to fulfil this dream.

Robel lives with his parents and three brothers and sisters. His father is already retired and his pension is too small for the family to live on. His older brother (security guard) and sister (waitress) are therefore supporting the family with their income of around £40 per month. Robel is a dedicated and outstanding student and his grades are good enough to fulfil his ambition to study medicine at univerity in a few years time.

Sileshi is 15 years old and comes from the Ethiopian countryside. His family is very poor with his mother being illiterate and his father working as a carpenter to support the livelihood of seven children. They live in a mud hut with an iron roof built by Sileshi’s father. Sileshi is very bright and motivated and EEF will support him in his studies going forward.

Siyoum’s mother is looking after seven children after his father died when he was only five. They live in a small hut without running water or electric light. They use firewood to light the hut and need to fetch water from the river to drink and wash. Every day Siyoum had to walk 8km to reach school. However his motivation to get a proper education did not deter him and has allowed his to deserve a place in EEF’s scholarship scheme. Siyoum’s ambition is to study at University as a medical doctor.

Tesfaye comes from an extremely unpriveleged background. He used to live in a rural suburb of Addis Ababa with his family, made up of illiterate parents and three boys. They all shared just one small room provided to them from Government support. Here they cooked, ate, slept and lived without running water and basic sanitary equipment. In order to contribute to the family income Tesfaye used to work as a shoe shine boy at weekends earning less than 50 cents per day.

He is an extremely bright boy and a pure joy to communicate with. Tazera’s parents are poor traditional farmers in the countryside of Ethiopia. As they could not support his studies, Tazera moved to Addis Ababa to live with his uncle when he was 9 years old. His dream is to help facilitate the building of health centres in Ethiopia. He has the potential to fulfil this dream and has an amazing future ahead of him.

Tsega never knew his father as he died before he was born. At the age of 8, his mother survived a suicide attempt and then sent Tsega to Addis Ababa to live with his uncle. They lived a very hard life as his uncle’s income is very low and Tsega had to help out wherever he could. We decided that Tsega should move into the boys hostel so that he could fulfill his potential. Tsega is one of our top performers with a particular talent for Mathematics and Science. We have no doubt that one day he will fulfil his dream to study engineering at university.

Yeshihareg’s parents died when she was around 8 years old. She was taken in by her aunt and uncle. Her uncle is a teacher at a computer school and earns roughly £35 per month. Her aunt has a variety of small day jobs, and Yeshihareg helps around the house as much as she can. They live in a small house with 2 rooms and they pay around £25 rent per month. Yeshihareg is a clever girl. She is a well rounded, likeable student with a great talent for sciences in particular. After the EEF programme she would like to study Biology at university.

Her father died when she was only little. Her mother could not cope on her own with the 5 children and when she was 9 years old, Yigardu moved to Addis Ababa to live with her older brother who still takes care of her now. They live in a small house made of mud and wood and they pay £15 rent per month. Her brother is a daily labourer on building sites, hence income is only little and unpredictable. Therefore, Yigardu has to help where she can. Despite the hardship Yigardu is an outstanding girl academically. Her dream is to become a lawyer and she particularly wants to fight against the injustice of forced marriages – a problem still very common in Ethiopia.

Yosef’s 8 family members include four sisters and his grand mother and are solely supported by his father’s humble job as a church worker. They live in a village with no water supply and need to fetch water daily from a river to provide for all their needs, including drinking. Food in their small house is scarce and very basic. Yosef’s dream is to one day become a doctor to help people be cured of the many illnesses that afflict the Ethiopian population.

Zebiba is supported by her sister’s family as her parents, having had 8 children, were to poor and ill to look after her. On top of going to school and doing her homework Zebiba needs to work in her sister’s house, washing clothes, cleaning and cooking, before and after school. Because of her mother’s ill health she has become very familiar with hospitals and health issues and she has the big ambition of becoming a doctor her self, a profession that in Ethiopia is largely reserved to males.