Education to Change Lives

My name is Dibaba Amele.

I have been involved in education for almost 20 years.  My role have been lecturing at the higher education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.  I have also been involved in mentoring, training, advising and coaching students from all over the world and children from disadvantaged background. 

I have a deep passion in inspiring people to realise their potentials and succeed in life.  That's why I choose to involve in education empower people.     

My project is aimed at solving the lack of access to education for children's from poor background in the remotest part of Ethiopia. 

I have been helping a school started under a tree and with my single handed support the school has grown to grade 7.  In the next academic year the school need to add one more class to grow to grade 8.  I have been funding the school for the last 7 years on my own without any financial support.

My project is trying to/aims to alleviate children from poor background from abject and chronic poverty. I want to reach out to these children to help them to get opportunity for a better life.  

I am working to solve the chronic problems of lack of access to education in the remotest parts of Ethiopia.  

The reason I started this project is that I heard from someone who encountered a 7 years old child and asked why he could not going to school that started under the tree.  According the heartbreaking story, the child replied he could go to school because, his parents could not afford a pen or a pencil.  As soon as I heard that story, I have decided to act. And I sent 15 kilo grams of pens, pencils, writing pads and two foot balls with some accessories.  After my initial response I have also decided to send 2000 pound to start building the school from the scratch.  Now the school has some furniture.  Student under the tree school used to sit on a stone.  Now they have some desks and tables.          

My project is providing access to education for student from absolute poverty backgrounds. 

The project does two things simultaneously. 

1. Keep building extra class every year one grade at a time.

2. It provides stationary such as pencils, pens, and writing pads for those children who cannot afford. 

In the future, I would like to grow the school to a high school, provide solar energy to power the school, provide some computers and laptops. 

At the moment, the school has no access to electricity and ICT facilities due to lack of energy.  If I found resources, I aim to grow the school to standard modern school with necessary facilities.  

Empowering poor children education will have a significant impact in changing their life and their parents life as a result the community life.  

I do understand very well the value of education in changing both an individual and community lives. 

Education can impact on the communities health and economic well being. 

It can also reduce conflict prone community to lead a peaceful and harmonious community coexistence.  

My project is trying to empower children through access to education from abject poor backgrounds in order to lift them from poverty.  The Poor children cannot go to school because they cannot afford even as basic as  pen and pencil or writing pads.  

So, my courageous take on the neglected community and voiceless people to change lives through education has been an uphill tasks.  I have been doing the little things I could and I will continue doing my utmost best to help the poor children to help them realise a better life for themselves and their community.   

My project started after I heard there are poor children who cannot even attend a school under a tree due to lack of pencil, pen and writing pads.  

First of all, a school under a tree.  Second of all, they eve cannot the basics such as pen and pencil and writing pad.  

When I heard the story, I shade tears and then I decided to do something to do about it.  

I have an excellent motto that says.

Don't complain about the darkness, but shine where ever you are.  I believe we are all capable of being a beautiful and radiant candle if we are willing to be. 

Furthermore, I believe, 'TO HELP ONE PERSON TO GROW IS TO HELP TO BUILD THE WORLD’

My belief is also that life is good when we are happy.  But life is better when other people are happy because of us. 

I am passionate about my project because, I believe access to education vitally important in changing lives.  Education I believe improves I quality of life and for the stability and harmonious coexistence humanity.  I also have a moral duty to reach out to the unfortunate and the disadvantaged poor children.  I have also a connection with the community and understand the deep rooted community problems.  

My motivation is I believe we can play our own little role in creating a better world if we commit ourselves. 

My grand father used to tell us, the nation cannot change by wishful thinking, but by hard works and every little efforts.  So, based on my grand fathers motto, I have been trying my little efforts to make a difference.      

As an educator and someone who has been involved in education and mentoring, I believe I am well suited to deliver the project.  I have already been doing the hard work. 

As also, a trainer in project design and management step by step.  I believe I have acquired both the academic and practical experiences over the last twenty years. 

Mahtam Gahandi once said, "let your work speaks not you."

Challenges and adversities shapes our character.  I solve problems by prioritising resources and time and energy.  I am very good in optimising little financial resources at my disposal to see great results.  

As I have already said, my motto is don't complain about the darkness, but shine where ever you are. 

My character strength is I believe in what I do.  And I am committed to pay any price it takes to see it through any vision i have had.  

For Example, I managed to complete multiple undergraduate and postgraduate degrees without a student loans or government supports or any one by holding two or three jobs some times with a very low wage/income.

I have tasted my quality and strength by believing that we can get there if we invision something no matter the time it takes.       

I have lead an education program in the past that changed many thousands of children in the refuge comps in Uganda and Kenya from The Sudan.  I trained fund raisers and designed the project to raise 360,000 pounds sterling.  Some of the children have now got a better life in many parts of the world according to my information.  

I have also been training grass root community development leadership in parts of Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, India, Mongolia, Ghana, Gambia, Uganda, Southern Sudan, The Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Nepal, Philippine, Vietnam, Mozambique, etc.    

What makes my project innovative is that I started with a low cost local material building projects.  The school is build by a very basic building material as i could not provide the funding necessary.  But I did not give up, I advised the project managers/people responsible for the project to optimise the little resources to a greater effects.  They followed my advice and with their free labour input we have achieved something even if not the best quality.    

My theory of change is to tackle any problems from its root causes.  Understanding clearly what a problems is a half way to the solution.  

I have already seen what any efforts no matter how little can make a differences.  I was involved to build a library initiated a group i know in the United States.  I also know the geographical location personally. Not far from my own project.  It has made a lot of difference.  Many students have gained a good qualification and joined higher education with excellent result due to the facilities we have collectively provided book and building costs of the library. That's why i am encouraged to do my bit bring change to a neglected community.  

Currently, about 270 people

in one year, about 300-500 people

in five year, about 2000 people 

My modest target for the next year is to grow the school to a higher school.  

In the next five years my goal is to provide the necessary education equipment's such as computers, and library facility.   

The barriers are financial.  If the finance is available it is possible to build the school to modern standard with modern facilities. The community can help with their labour.  But they need fund to get the building materials.  

My efforts is to look for funding from different sources as much as I can.  

I have not partnered with this particular project so far.  But I have been in contact with alumni association across the world.  

You can check on my Facebook link.

'TO HELP ONE PERSON TO GROW IS TO HELP TO BUILD THE WORLD’

If i find the fund, i can provide the ICT facility with energy sources and that could also help generate some income for the local community. 

For the moment , I am tying to raise funds to build the school and provide the facilities.  But in the future, my plan is to design a project to create a sustainable income through agribusiness or poultry or Cattle rearing, honey production, etc. 

I have not raised any funds for this project yet.

I am looking for grants of $100,000.

$100,000