MAKING A DIFFERENCE SINCE
2003
WHEN WE OPENED OUR FIRST PUBLIC CHILDREN'S LIBRARY
WE HAVE STARTED
80
PUBLIC, SCHOOL AND MOBILE LIBRARIES
WHICH SERVE
130,000
CHILDREN ANNUALLY
We have now trained
450
Librarians and Teachers
WE HAVE DONATED AND DISTRIBUTED
500,000
Ethiopian and English Language Books
TO OVER
350
Schools in Every Region of Ethiopia
Here is what we do for children in Ethiopia:
Find out more about Ethiopia Reads
About our organization
Ethiopia Reads collaborates with communities to plant libraries, train educators, boost literacy, and provide youth and families with the tools to improve their lives. Discover our great team here!
Our projects
When you sign up for our monthly newsletter you will get information on our new and ongoing projects, updates on staff, and profiles of students that have been impacted by the work we do at Ethiopia Reads. Find out about our work on the ground in this section!
Get Involved
Join in to support literacy, teach children the value of philanthropy, and enjoy some healthy competition! Join us in our efforts to help Ethiopian literacy today!
Building libraries and putting books in the hands of children!
Since 1998, Ethiopia Reads has planted 80 libraries, and now annually serves over 130,000 children. Our efforts go beyond just building libraries.
In rural areas, our horse-powered literacy program reaches children with no access to schools. We support professional development year-round with workshops, discussion circles, mentoring, and program evaluation.
About education in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, there is currently broad-based cooperation across multiple sectors. Ethiopia Reads was one of the original pioneers drawing attention to the issue of literacy, working with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, National Archives and Library of Ethiopia, embassies and cultural attaches in Addis Ababa, as well as international NGOs like Save the Children. This cross-sector coalition has promoted literacy through book fairs, public readings and other symposia. Ethiopia Reads continues to work with these partners and our staff members remain very publicly engaged, regularly participating in all of these events.
A big population
With 110 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is Africa's second largest country.
The weight of youth
There are 47 million children ages 0-14 (43.5% of population).
Early education
Only 5.5% of children attend kindergarten and pre-K.
Low school enrolment
Primary school attendance (ages 7-12) is just 68%.
National literacy rate
Adult literacy in Ethiopia is 49%.
Male national literacy rate
The male literacy rate in Ethiopia is 57%.
Female national literacy rate
The female literacy rate in Ethiopia is 41%.
Post-secondary education in Ethiopia
7.5% of adults have any post-secondary education.
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