ETHIOPIA

imagine1day has launched a major initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia to address the issue of access to primary education.

regional focus

imagine1day is currently focusing its efforts in the State of Tigray in north east Ethiopia.

Tigray

Tigray is the north most region of the country, covering an area of 80,000 km, with a population of approximately 4.3 million people. Tigray is considered to be the birthplace of Ethiopian civilization and has a rich history.

Due to strong efforts of the regional government, primary education enrolment in Tigray has increased considerably. This success, however, has come at the expense of the quality of education. Currently there are 2,630 dass class rooms (a class without a building where students generally gather under a tree to learn). Additionally, 74% of schools have no access to potable water, 150,000 students have no desks, while over 650 schools have no latrines (Tigray Regional State Education Bureau 2006).

Afar

The Afar region is located in the northeastern part of Ethiopia sharing international borders with Eritrea and Djibouti. It is the fourth largest region, covering an area of 100,860 km2 comprised of five zones and 29 districts (referred to in Ethiopia as woredas).

Most Afar tribesmen are pastoralists, their lives bound to the fate of their herds of cattle, sheep, goats and camels that they raise in one of the most forbidding environments on the planet. Children play a critical role in the nomadic lifestyle. Boys as young as eight herd their family's sheep and goats, while girls help with household chores limiting their access to education.

The region has been designated by the Ministry of Education as a high priority area in regard to improving primary education access and quality. With a population of more than one million, Afar is one of the poorest regions of Ethiopia. Infrastructure here is minimal, and the region has the lowest attendance rate in Ethiopia with only 21.7% of children attending school (Ministry of Education, 2006).

imagine1day is exploring the possibility of expanding its program activities into Afar by 2012.