Category: Year 2014/15

Ezra Tseganew Mengste

EZRA-TSEGANEW-MENGSTE-20152015 Age 20

Ezra is a disabled boy and cannot walk without the use of a crutch. He is one of 5 children and the family has no means to support them. He was living with an aunt and uncle but has now had to move out and live on his own. Because of his disability, he is unable to earn money for house rent, food, school materials etc.

He did well in the grade 10 national exams and now has a place in grade 11. His ambition is to become a journalist.

It has been agreed to support him with 600 Birr per month

Gashaw Mekonn Getu

GASHAW-MEKONEN-GETU-20152015 Age 15

Gashaw’s father died when he was very young. He lives with his younger brother and his mother. His mother has no work and finds it very difficult to keep Gashaw in the school system.

Gashaw is in grade 10 this year.

It has been agreed to support him through grade 10 with 600 Birr per month. The support will continue if he is successful in getting a place in grade 11 next year.

Getaye Belay Kassawu

GETAYE-BELAY-KASSAWU-20152015 Age 23 

Getaye lived in the countryside 30km from Lalibela. A number of years ago both his parents were killed during a thunder storm. After this he moved into Lalibela.

He survives by working as a labourer and has tried to keep up with his schoolwork at the same time.

He did well in the grade 10 national exams and now has a place in grade 11. It has been agreed to support him with 600 Birr per month.

Hzbalem Tekeba Mesfin

HZBALEM-TEKEBA-MESFIN-20152015 Age 17

Hzbalem was born in a very poor family in the countryside and her mother died when she was very young.

She has faced many challenges in trying to access an education. She has attended school for half a day and has looked for any kind of work in the other half of the day in order to have money to survive.

She did well in her grade 12 National exams and now has a place at Gonder University where she is studying Social Sciences.

It has been agreed to support her with 600 Birr per month.

Mekonn Chane Gesese

MEKONN-CHANE-GESESE-20152015 Age 20

Mekonn is a disabled boy who only has the use of 1 hand.

His father was killed in the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea and his mother is sick and unable to support him.

He sat the grade 10 National exams this year and has been awarded his certificate with great distinction. He is now in grade 11.

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

Huruhusien Umer Musa

NURUHUSIEN-UMER-MUSA-20152015 Age 18

Nuruhusien is one of 5 children. Like many young people in Lalibela, there is a lack of money to give them support through the education system.

His ambition for the future is to become a water engineer and ensure that all rural areas have access to water.

He did well in the grade 10 national exams and now has a place in grade 11. It has been agreed to support him with 600 Birr per month.

Teddy Wgberail Tekola

TEDDY-WGBERAIL-TEKOLA-20152015 Age 18

I first met Teddy when I came to Lalibela 8 years ago.

He is an orphan and, when very young, was living on the streets in Lalibela. He then found a place in an orphanage, where schooling was encouraged, and I have watched him fast track through the school system. The orphanage closed 2 years ago and he is now on his own.

He is a very talented artist and he would like to make this his career.

He did well in the grade 10 national exams and now has a place in grade 11. It has been agreed to support him with 600 Birr per month.

Eshetu Tegegne

ESHETU-TEGEGNE-20152105 Age 18

Eshetu is part of a large family in Lalibela. His father died when he was a child and his mother has struggled hard to support the family.

Eshetu did exceptionally well in the grade 12 National exams and is now in his 1st. year at Bahir Dar University where he is studying Business and Economics.

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

Samrawit Misgan

SAMRAWIT-MISGAN-20152015 Age 19

Samrawit is from a poor family in Lalibela.

She wanted to study nursing but was not accepted for university.

In September 2014, she joined the Kae-Med College of Nursing in Addis Ababa. She was finding it very difficult to pay the college fees and the Bude Methodist church agreed to give her support from February 2015.

She is now in her second year of study.

Birhan Melese Belete

BIRHAN-MELESE-BELETE-20152015 Age 17

Birhan was born in Lalibela. Her father died when she was young. This has meant her living, and going to school, in a number of towns in Ethiopia as her mother was looking for family to support them. Recently they have been living in Kombolcha with an uncle of Birhan.

Birhan sat her grade 12 National exams in Kombolcha and scored an incredibly high mark of 569 out of a possible 700.

She made application to St. Paul’s teaching hospital in Addis Ababa, sat their exam, was interviewed and was one of the lucky 100 students accepted for medical training.

She has now settled into her 1st. year of training.

Kiberealem Biset

KIBEREALEM-BISET-20152015 Aged 22

Kiberealem has completed 2 years as a medical nursing student at Arbaminch University. Her goal is to become a retinal specialist.

Her family are very poor and can give her no support. She has been struggling to stay at University and applied for some help from the scholarship fund.

Once accepted for University, accommodation and food is provided but she has no money for things like photocopying.