With Funding from SIM Ethiopia

Education is critical for the future of Afar. Imagine learning, how to read in your mother tongue - your "heart language" For many Afars that have learned basic literacy, it is a marked barrier in learning to read - no written books are available in Afar. Friendship Support Association has spent several years in contextualizing education for both adults and children in making it culturally relevant, accessible, and readily available to pastoralists.

With the objective of expanding children education enrollment in schools and strengthening adult literacy program in pastoral community, FSA has been implementing a project entitled “Afambo Education Support project” In this project 300 children and 300 adults from six target schools benefited. Capacity building training was arranged for 12 schoolteachers on Quick Reading and Writing Skills methods. In this education promotion work, schoolteachers, members of parent’s teachers associations (PTAs) and the school communities at large have played remarkable role.

Additionally, FSA provided solar panels, sports equipment and education materials for these targeted schools. The provision of solar panels greatly aided adult learning during evenings, as evenings were the only suitable time for students to study and their homes lack electricity.

The adults were enclosed in the adult literacy program Integrated Function Adult Literacy (IFAL), 36 of which got employed in various organizations after completing the program. Some however chose to continue on their education and have joined regular educational programs. During the project closure, FSA granted awards to the following:

17 women and 35 men outstanding adult students who stood 1st and 2nd level;
25 adult graduates who transitioned to formal schools;
Two schools for their IFAL program follow up performance, their good relationship with our facilitators;
Four teachers who were best in teaching and supporting students.