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
the board
Cleopatra Kiros
Cleo Kiros is the founder of Wajirat Foundation. Growing up, her father would tell the story of how at twelve years old, he would walk from his village to the nearest city to pursue an education. When she visited Wajirat in 2017 and saw first-hand the hardships of life in rural Ethiopia, she wanted to take action. The young people in the village were ambitious and had dreams just like her father did. Wajirat Foundation was founded after Cleo visited the vocational school located in the village her father grew up in. As a mother of two teenage boys, she recognizes how imperative it is for young people to have the opportunity to live fulfilling lives and be able to support their families. Upon returning from Wajirat, Cleo’s mission became seeking to support youth education in rural Ethiopia. Previously, Cleo has continued to volunteer in different capacities across the Bay Area to meet the needs of women and children. Cleo has a BS in Accounting from San Francisco State University
Amber Stime (TBD)
Lisa Olson
Lisa started her career as a lawyer in the high-tech industry. She has been involved in nonprofit work since her three kids were young and has been involved in early education advocacy for the last seven years. She most recently was on the board of directors for 10 Books A Home, an early education nonprofit serving high poverty preschoolers in East Palo Alto and also served as its Development Director. She has been involved with other nonprofits including Children of Ethiopia Education Fund, Citizen Schools, Sequoia High School Mentoring Program, and Project Read. Lisa is also a team leader for the Education Circle of the Full Circle Fund, a nonprofit community organization that leverages resources and accelerates nonprofits to build a better Bay Area.
Priti Khare
Priti is an experienced communications strategist with extensive experience in high-tech and consumer public relations. She has developed corporate positioning and messaging, provided strategy and counsel, and managed global/local program management for companies including Digital Impact, Ebates (now Rakuten) and Handshake. Priti has also been an active volunteer and has served on the boards of Helios School and Menlo-Atherton High School's Foundation for the Future. She holds a B.A. in Communications from San Clara University and MLA from the University of Pennsylvania.
Noah Tesfaye
Noah Tesfaye is a first year student at the University of Chicago studying Political Science and History. He also is a journalist focusing on race and politics in the 2020 presidential campaign, writing for the Chicago Maroon and the UChicago Institute of Politics political journal. In his free time, he enjoys writing his weekly blog and discovering new coffee recipes at the shop he works at.
Kelemework Kejela (aka Munit)