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A Love for Education: Fatuma’s Story

An Education Cannot Wait funded programme delivered by Save the Children in Ethiopia is providing school meals and helping girls to realize their dreams

By Education Cannot Wait

January 9^th, 2023

At Barkhadle primary school in Goljiano Woreda of the Somali Region in Ethiopia, 9-year-old Fatuma enthusiastically jumps up from her seat to answer a question.

Fatuma is one of over 800 students who learn and play in and out of the classroom at Barkhadle. At her teacher’s command, she stands up eagerly.

She is excited to learn.

“I love coming to school because at school we learn, play and eat our meals,” says Fatuma.

Fatuma and her friends eat a nutritious meal provided by the canteen during school. Photo © Save the Children/Emnet Dereje

WORSENING CRISIS IN ETHIOPIA

Fatuma wasn’t always in school. She, like millions of other children and adolescents in her country, face a deteriorating humanitarian situation — marked by the worst drought in four decades, the recent conflict in Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions and the ongoing violence in the Oromia region.

The drought is affecting 24.1 million people, including 12.6 million children. Over 1 million people have been displaced by the drought in the Somali region alone. They are on the frontlines of crisis, in dire need of food assistance and many are unable to attend school.

The number of out-of-school children in Ethiopia as a result of these emergencies spiked from 3.1 million to 3.6 million just in the last six months.

Due to the instability in the Somali region, Fatuma’s family has no permanent income. Her father works as a daily laborer at construction sites and gets a small amount of money for the livelihood of his family.

Fatuma’s story speaks for the millions of children who are hungry and in desperate need of the safety, protection, and opportunities that an education provides.

Fatuma smiles as she recalls her love for school. Photo © Save the Children/Emnet Dereje

A MULTI-YEAR SOLUTION

In response to the drought, in December 2022 Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, announced a US$5 million emergency grant that builds on ongoing multi-year investments in Ethiopia.

The grant was announced following a joint, high-level mission to Ethiopia by ECW and the Norwegian Minister of International Development.

Barkhadle primary school was recently rehabilitated with funding from ECW. Save the Children Ethiopia supported the rehabilitation of classrooms and is providing students with clean water and hot meals once a day.

EDUCATION TRANSFORMS LIVES

Fatuma is currently in first grade at Barkhadle, but she’s catching up fast. Two months prior, she was attending a school readiness programme to understand and identify letters of the alphabet and numbers. Her love of language is only growing.

“I enjoy learning the Amharic language because I want to speak Amharic fluently. I also enjoy learning the Somali language,” says Fatuma.

Fatuma’s mother never had the opportunity to attend school, so sending Fatuma and her four siblings to school is a dream come true.

“At home, my father supports me to understand the lessons we learned at school,” she says.

Fatuma has a deep admiration for the female teachers at her school, who have encouraged her to dream big.

“All the female teachers are very nice. When I grow up and finish my education, I want to be a teacher. I also want to live in big towns and cities,” Fatuma says.

Fatuma actively listens to the teacher’s instructions. Photo © Save the Children/Emnet Dereje

COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS IN 2023

While Fatuma is learning happily in school now, her dreams and the dreams of others like her won’t come true without substantial funding.

The upcoming Education Cannot Wait High-Level Financing Conference taking place in Geneva on February 16-17, 2023 is a key opportunity for leaders to turn their commitments into action.

ECW is calling on world leaders, donors, governments, private sector companies, high-net-worth individuals, and other global advocates to make substantive funding contributions to ECW and its global promise of inclusive and equitable quality education for all, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.

The #222MillionDreams✨📚 of children like Fatuma need our immediate help to become a reality. Their education cannot wait.

Fatuma and her friends at Barkhadle primary school. Photo © Save the Children/Emnet Dereje

© 2026 Education Cannot Wait

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