No child should drop out of school
Education is getting a human being out of illiteracy, poverty, transforming and giving future hope. Educating a child is like planting a tree, what is planted today bears fruit for the next generations, it is the foundation for the economic, social and political well-being of a country.
Education is a human right, however, many children in Ethiopia, lack opportunities to access education, especially in rural areas.
With its three preschools in Areka, Dubbo and Wallacha, Cabrini Ministries Ethiopia (CME) contributes to minimize the problem by providing accessible quality education to children in these areas.
Children from vulnerable households have priority of enrolment in CME schools, as otherwise they would have no option to attend. CME supports them with contributions to cover their school fees and uniforms. All children also receive two meals per day (breakfast and lunch), so that they can develop fully their cognitive and physical skills, and have access to clean water for drinking and hygiene.
Sophonia Addisu
Addisu Dola is a teacher in Dubbo Capuchin Preparatory school. He is the only breadwinner in the family. In 2023 he accepted the request of government to go to Amhara region, to examine the 12 Grade students. Unfortunately, he disappeared during the journey due to the instability in the region at the time, and never returned home.
Without his salary, his family started to struggle and could no longer afford to send their children to school. CME therefore decided to support the family and enrolled one of his children at St. Mary Preschool in Dubbo. Sophonia Addisu is now enjoying attending the first year of kindergarten.
In addition to the 516 children currently enrolled in our three preschools, CME is sponsoring 9 students from very disadvantaged/most vulnerable families at Dubbo Capuchin primary school.
Among the sponsored students, at Dubbo Capuchin primary school, Kidist Yasin (left), attending Grade 3, and Yisihak Darge (right), in Grade 4, got the highest scores for the first semester of the academic year 2024/2025. They were awarded a scholarship for second semester from their school. This shows the good foundations laid by CME’s interventions.
Through these interventions, CME is contributing to implement the country’s motto that no child will drop out of school because of hunger and health related issues.