Fund Report 2017

The scholarship fund was set up in 2009 and supported 10 students to remain in the education system. During the 8 years we have supported 76 students. 21 have successfully completed with a University degree, 5 now have a Diploma and 4 have completed grade 10 in the education system, which would otherwise have been impossible for them. This September, at our annual student meeting, we invited all past and present students. It was an excellent meeting where our graduate students, now in employment, spoke of their experiences and gave strong words of encouragement to those still in the education system. It was rewarding to see so many, successful, young people, very grateful for the opportunity we have been able to give them.

Please excuse the cap and gown. They awarded me a doctorate of something— this really belongs to all of you who give the support.

In 2016/2017, we supported a total of 44 students and paid to them the equivalent of £15,000.

On behalf of all the students we are helping, I thank everyone who has donated to the fund.

Thanks to the Lilly Foundation for their generous donation to the scholarship fund.

Special thanks are due to those who have spent time and energy organising fund raising activities. Doris Hogan, in Belgium, yet again organised a very successful fund raising event. Prestwick Bridge Club organised their first fund raising event and I was lucky to spend a very enjoyable afternoon there.
Special thanks also to Sarah Johnson, in America, who funded for some of our students to have their own computer.

Many thanks to our committees, June, Margaret and Morag in Scotland and Tefera, Habtamu and Teshale in Ethiopia. They all contribute their time to ensure the smooth operation of the fund.

Susan

You can download the full SASF Fund Report 2016-2017 as a PDF for printing or offline viewing

Continuing Undergraduates 2017

23 of our continuing students are in the University system this year.

It has been agreed that all these students will get a monthly payment of 600 birr with 2 performance related bonuses paying up to 400 birr each.

  • ADNA HABTU Aged 21 Years DEBERE MARKOS UNIVERSITY Economics 2nd. Year
  • YENGUSIE MEKONEN Aged 23 years AXUM UNIVERSITY Engineering 5th. Year
  • FIKER GETA BAYE Aged 22 years ADIGRAT UNIVERSITY Civil Engineering 4th. Year
  • ABAY TESFAW GESESE AGED 20 years MEDA WELABO UNIVERSITY Nursing 3rd. Year
  • DAGNACHEW MELKNEW AGED 22 years HARMAYA UNIVERSITY Software Engineering 4th. Year
  • ESHETU TEGEGNE Aged 21 Years BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY Management 3rd. Year
  • FRIHIWOT WOLDE Aged 21 Years DEBRE BIRHAN UNIVERSITY Geography and Environmental Studies 3rd. Year
  • HZBALEM TEKEBA Aged 20 Years GONDAR UNIVERSITY Geography and Environmental Studies 3rd. Year
  • GETNET ADANE Aged 22 Years DEBRE MARKOS UNIVERSITY Softwear Engineering 2nd. Year
  • ANGUACH FENTIE Aged 21 Years JIJIGA UNIVERSITY Engineering 2nd. Year
  • TEDDY W/GABRIEL Aged 21 Years WOLLO UNIVERSITY Architecture 1st. Year
  • DEMEKE TESFAW Aged 20 Years WOLLO UNIVERSITY Engineering 1st. Year
  • DINKU AYENEW Aged 24 Years ADIGRAT UNIVERSITY Agriculture 1st Year
  • EZRA TSEGANEW Aged 23 Years AMBO UNIVERSITY Management 1st. Year
  • GETAHUN FENTAW Aged 24 Years GONDER UNIVERSITY Engineering 1st. Year
  • TIBEBU AMHA Aged 21 Years BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITY Engineering 1st. Year
  • HIWOT MULUGETA Aged 21 Years AXUM UNIVERSITY Marketing 3rd. Year
  • TILAYE ADNEW Aged 20 Years MEKELE UNIVERSITY Vetinary Medicine 2nd. Year
  • MAREG ABEBE Aged 19 Years RAYA UNIVERSITY Computational Science 1st. Year
  • MEKONNEN CHASE Aged 23 Years GONDER UNIVERSITY Law 1st. Year
  • NURUHUSIAN UMER Aged 21 Years WOLLO UNIVERSITY Engineering 1st. Year
  • SALEAMLAK BISETEGN Aged 19 Years BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITY Management 1st. Year
  • TADESSE BIRHANU Aged 26 Years SEMERA UNIVERSITY Accounting 2nd. Year

Continuing College Students 2017

6 of our students are at College this year.

Tewolde was at Metu University last year but became unwell and left the course. At this point his support from us stopped. This year he has started a tour guiding course at the local college and is also doing a management course by distance learning. It has been agreed to restart his support.

All the students are supported with 600 birr per month.

  • ASHENAFI YIMAN Aged 19 Years LALIBELA VOCATIONAL SCHOOL Front Office 2nd. Year
  • GASHAW MEKONEN Aged 18 Years LALIBELA VOCATIONAL SCHOOL Front Office 2nd. Year
  • CHERNET GETAY Aged 20 Years ALAGE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Plant Science 1st. Year
  • TEWOLDE MELKAMU Aged 20 Years LALIBELA VOCATIONAL SCHOOL Tour Guiding 1st. Year
  • GETAYE BELAYE Aged 26 Years ALKAN COLLEGE, BAHIRDAR Accounting 1st. Year
  • MALEFIA MERSHA Aged 21 Years ALKAN COLLEGE, DESSIE Accounting 1st. Year

Continuing Students 2017

We have 10 continuing students still in the school system.

  • HABTEMARIAM EZRA BERHANIE Aged 17 years HIGH SCHOOL GRADE 10
  • BETHLEHEM DEBASH Aged 19 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADE 7
  • LEMLEM SHUMEYE Aged 19 PREPARATORY SCHOOL GRADE 12
  • GETACHEW ZEMENE Aged 22 PREPARATORY SCHOOL GRADE 12
  • YOHANNES SHAMBLE Aged 11 Years ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADE 3
  • LIDIYA TADESSE Aged 11 Years ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADE 6
  • BIMREW DEBASH Aged 15 Years ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADE 8
  • BIZUYE TSEGAWU Aged 18 Years HIGH SCHOOL GRADE 9
  • TIGIST ADNEW Aged 16 Years PREPARATORY SCHOOL GRADE 11
  • RAHEL BIRHANU Aged 14 Years ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADE 8

All the students are supported with 600 birr per month.

Mulugeta Seteye

2017 Aged 20

Mulugeta is from a very poor family in the village of Dibuko. He is one of 8 children. His father is a farmer and, when young, he helped his father with the animals. There was no money to support his education and he moved to Lalibela in order to find work as a labourer. The money he made supported him and his education.

In the grade 10 national exams, he scored straight As and was awarded a certificate of very great distinction.  Teachers at the preparatory school helped him through grades 11 and 12 by giving him pens, paper and often buying him a cup of coffee or tea. He did well in the grade 12 national exams and is now studying engineering at Addis Ababa Institute of Technology.

It has been agreed to support him with 600 birr per month.

Mengistu Yiman

2017 Aged 17

Mengistu is from the village of Erfa, 35 Km from Lalibela. He is one of 7 children. His family are subsistence farmers. The reason I came to Ethiopia was to help start a school in the village of Erfa. Mengistu was a student in the very first grade 1. Without a school in the village, Mengistu probably wouldn’t have accessed any education and would have lived his life as a farmer. He is now in Lalibela, in grade 12, and hopes to go to university next year. He walks home every weekend and brings food back to keep him for the week.

He needs money to pay for a rent room while at school. It has been agreed to support him with 600 birr per month.

Birhanu Hailu Demissie

2017 Aged 18

Birhanu is from a small village called Debuko. His family are subsistence farmers and have no money to support him. He has gone through the school system by working as a labourer when not at school. In the grade 10 National exams, he scored straight ‘A’s and was awarded his certificate with ‘very Great Distinction’. He did exceptionally well in his grade 12 National exams and has now started studying Anaesthesia at Gonder University

Sefi Kelemu

2017 Aged 22

Sefi is from a village called Sorba which is 30 Km. from Lalibela. She is one of 6 children and has elderly, very poor, parents.

She completed her elementary education in Sorba. Her parents then wanted her to marry a local farmer that she didn’t know. Sefi did not want this and wanted to continue with her education. She therefore moved into Lalibela and has managed to complete grades 9,10, 11 and 12. Unfortunately she did not get a place at University.  She is now in her 2nd. year of nurse training at Medical College in Dessie

Fund Report 2016

What a crowd! The photograph was taken at our annual meeting in September and shows our Ethiopian committee, Tefera, Habtamu and Teshale, with some of our existing and some of our new students.

In 2015/2016, we supported a total of 40 students and paid to them the equivalent of £11,342. 8 graduated from University, 3 with BSc degrees in Engineering, 1 with BSc in Chemistry, 1 with BSc in Animal Science, 2 with BA degrees in Management and 1 with a BA degree in Economics. One girl, unfortunately, did not complete her university course.

We supported Fiker Getnet last year to study Electrical Engineering at the Maritime Academy in Addis Ababa. He successfully completed his course and is now on the high seas, last heard of in China.

Destaw Temesgen graduated in 2015 with a BSc in Civil Engineering. He was working in Addis Ababa but competed, and won, a scholarship from the Ethiopian Roads Authority and is now back at University, studying for his Masters degree. Two of our students were unsuccessful in getting a place in grade 11. They have left the fund.

Two of our students, who were unsuccessful in gaining a place in grade 11, have joined the local FE College and we have agreed to support them throughout their programme. One girl from grade 12 did not get a place at University and we are continuing to support her at the Medical College in Dessie, where she is studying nursing.

28 of our students are continuing in the fund in session 2016/2017. We have taken on 16 new students and are therefore supporting 44 young people this year. 17 are at University, 4 are at college and 23 are in various stages of the school system.

Many thanks to our committees, June, Margaret and Morag in Scotland and Tefera, Habtamu and Teshale in Ethiopia. They all contribute their time to ensure the smooth operation of the fund.

The fund was started because of the generosity of the members of Hamilton Bridge Club. A Bridge tournament was again held this year and the proceeds were added to the fund. Thanks to everyone who has donated throughout the year. There are far too many to mention here but I hope that you have all had a personal thank you. Without your donations there would be no fund and these young people would not get the support they need to give them the chance of a life out of poverty.

Susan

You can download the full SASF Report 2015-2016 as a PDF for printing or offline viewing

Eyerus Sisay

Eyerus was one of our first 10 students who joined the fund in 2009. We have supported her through grades 11 and 12 at school and through 5 years at Axum University. She now has a BSc in Engineering and a handsome husband. It is time for her to leave the fund and we wish her every success for her future. We hope she keeps her smile!

  • 2009
  • 2010
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • July 2016
    Wedding Day

Our Graduates 2016

THANK YOU

Without the support from the scholarship fund, we would never have seen this day.

We are very grateful to all who have contributed.

You have given us a chance of a future and we will do our best to grasp it with both hands.

  • EYERUS SISAY BSc Civil Engineering from Axum University
  • MENGISTU YAREGAL BA in Economics from Bahir Dar University
  • ABEBE SALEHU BSc Civil Engineering from Gondar University
  • BIRHAN HABTAMU BA in Management from Adama University
  • TSIGIMARIAM TAFETE BSc in Chemistry from Bahir Dar University
  • TESHOME ANTACHEW BSc Civil Engineering from Addis Ababa University
  • HABTAMU MESKER BSc. In Animal Science From Axum University
  • BIRHAN TESFAY BSc. In Management from Jimma University

Continuing Undergraduates 2016

10 of our continuing students are in the University system this year. 

Only Bikis is scheduled to graduate in July 2017.

As all our students are from very poor backgrounds, often with illiterate parents, their success is amazing. They all have a thirst for education and will hopefully have a future very different from that of their parents.

It has been agreed that all these students will get a monthly payment of 600 birr with 2 performance related bonuses paying up to 400 birr each.

  • BIKIS SETEGN Aged 22 Years ARBAMINCH UNIVERSITY Management 3rd. Year
  • YENGUSIE MEKONEN Aged 22 years AXUM UNIVERSITY Engineering 4th. Year
  • FIKER GETA BAYE Aged 21 years ADIGRAT UNIVERSITY Civil Engineering 3rd. Year
  • ABAY TESFAW GESESE AGED 19 years MEDA WELABO UNIVERSITY Nursing 2nd. Year
  • DAGNACHEW MELKNEW AGED 21 years HARMAYA UNIVERSITY Software Engineering 3rd. Year
  • ESHETU TEGEGNE Aged 20 Years BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY Management 2nd. Year
  • FRIHIWOT WOLDE Aged 20 Years DEBRE BIRHAN UNIVERSITY Geography and Environmental Studies 2nd. Year
  • HZBALEM TEKEBA Aged 19 Years GONDAR UNIVERSITY Geography and Environmental Studies 2nd. Year
  • GETNET ADANE Aged 21 Years DEBRE MARKOS UNIVERSITY Engineering 1st. Year
  • TEWOLDE MELKAMU Aged 19 Years METU UNIVERSITY Agriculture & Natural Science 1st. Year

Continuing Students 2016

We have 12 students still in the school system.

  • HABTEMARIAM EZRA BERHANIE Aged 16 years HIGH SCHOOL GRADE 9
  • NURUHUSIAN UMER Aged 20 Years PREPARATORY SCHOOL GRADE 12
  • LEMLEM SHUMEYE Aged 18 PREPARATORY SCHOOL GRADE 11
  • TEDDY W/GABRIEL Aged 20 Years PREPARATORY SCHOOL GRADE 12
  • YOHANNES SHAMBLE Aged 10 Years ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADE 2
  • LIDIYA TADESSE Aged 10 Years ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADE 5
  • BIMREW DEBASH Aged 14 Years ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADE 7
  • BIZUYE TSEGAWU Aged 17 Years ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADE 8
  • DINKU AYENU Aged 23 Years PREPARATORY SCHOOL Grade 12
  • EZRA TSEGANEW Aged 22 Years PREPARATORY SCHOOL GRADE 12
  • GETAYE BELAYE Aged 25 Years PREPARATORY SCHOOL GRADE 12
  • MEKONNEN CHASE Aged 22 Years PREPARATORY SCHOOL GRADE 12