our mission

Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty and low expectations through education and service. We aim to empower youth in rural Ethiopia through education and skill acquisition, while also inspiring inner-city students in the United States to expand their horizons and make a positive impact in the world by participating in service trips to Ethiopia.

foundation

All students in the world deserve to pursue education. However, Ethiopia unfortunately has one of the lowest literacy rates in Africa and one of the highest student drop-out rates in the world. While schools are funded by regional and federal governments, too many students are educationally and also economically disadvantaged due to prior armed conflicts, famine, and humanitarian crises. Where a student is born can ultimately decide their future.

This reality is further magnified by the standardized testing system. In Ethiopia, high school is split between general secondary school (9th and 10th grades) and upper secondary school (11th and 12th grades). In order to enter upper secondary, students must pass the Ethiopian General School Leaving Certificate Examination. If a student gets below a C on five of the nine subjects on the exam, their academic schooling ends. One-third of students failing this exam means lose of the opportunity to pursue their academic education. (1)

Irrespective of a single exam, all students deserve the right to support their families. The Wajirat Foundation is committed to supporting students that are disadvantaged by the EGSLC exam. Our mission is to give rural students in Ethiopia the resources to pursue vocational schooling to allow them to succeed in their own communities. For decades, young Ethiopians who have seen the limited opportunities in their home country have attempted to leave and start fresh somewhere abroad. Yet, this results in the horrifying conditions that other nations place these migrants in prisons, back on boats, and camps. Young people in Ethiopia must be assured the right to have an opportunity to seek a fulfilling life at home.

The Wajirat Foundation is currently working with a vocational school in the town of Wajirat, located in the Northern region of Ethiopia. The goal is to create a sustainable curriculum and educational environment for the young women and men. A vocational school model that can function as a space where people in the surrounding area can learn and build community.

The Wajirat Foundation is a 501 (3) © tax-exempt organization.

(1) https://wenr.wes.org/2018/11/education-in-ethiopia

REVISED

All students around the world have the right to access education, but unfortunately, Ethiopia faces some of the most significant challenges in this regard. The country has one of the lowest literacy rates in Africa and one of the highest student dropout rates globally. To address these issues, the Wajirat Foundation is dedicated to providing support to students who face significant barriers to education.

Our goal is to empower rural students in Ethiopia with the resources they need to pursue their education and succeed in their communities. For far too long, young Ethiopians have been forced to leave their homes in search of better opportunities abroad, often resulting in hazardous and unfavorable conditions. We believe that every young person in Ethiopia deserves the chance to build a fulfilling life in their home country, without having to resort to migration.

the board

Cleopatra Kiros

Cleo Kiros is the founder of the Wajirat Foundation. A mother of two young men pursuing higher education, Cleo understands the critical importance of providing educational opportunities to the youth for a fulfilling life and to support their families. With a background in volunteering for various causes aimed at helping women and children, Cleo brings a wealth of experience to her current role as a member of the Fistula Foundation board. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from San Francisco State University.

Amber Stime (TBD)

Lisa Olson

Lisa launched her career as a lawyer in the high-tech sector. She has a long history of involvement in nonprofit work, particularly in the area of early education advocacy, dating back seven years. Her most recent role was serving on the board of directors for "10 Books A Home", a nonprofit organization providing early education services to preschoolers from low-income families in East Palo Alto. Additionally, Lisa held the position of Development Director for the same organization. She has also contributed her time and resources to various other nonprofits, such as the Children of Ethiopia Education Fund, Citizen Schools, the Sequoia High School Mentoring Program, and Project Read. Lisa is currently a team leader for the Education Circle of the Full Circle Fund, a community organization that utilizes resources to advance nonprofits and improve the Bay Area.

Priti Khare

Priti is a seasoned communications strategist with a wealth of experience in both high-tech and consumer public relations. Throughout her career, she has honed her skills in corporate positioning and messaging, providing strategic counsel and managing global and local programs for companies such as Digital Impact, Ebates (now Rakuten), and Handshake. In addition to her professional pursuits, Priti is also an active volunteer and has served on the boards of the Helios School and Menlo-Atherton High School's Foundation for the Future. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Santa Clara University and a Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

Noah Tesfaye

Noah Tesfaye is a first-year student at the University of Chicago where he is pursuing a double major in Political Science and History. He also has a passion for journalism, focusing on race and politics in the 2020 presidential campaign. He has honed his writing skills by contributing articles to the Chicago Maroon and the UChicago Institute of Politics political journal. When not studying or writing, Noah enjoys running his weekly blog and experimenting with new coffee recipes at the café where he works.

Kelemework Kejela (aka Munit)