United States Supports Ministry of Education Initiative to Improve Quality and Equity in Primary Education
Donation Ceremony Marks Support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children at Schools

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008 Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – As part of its ongoing commitment to support Ethiopia’s education system, today the United States is donating school kits to 5,000 orphan and vulnerable children (OVCs) in 100 schools in Amhara, Oromiya and SNNP Regions.  The school kits contain notebooks, writing tools, a dictionary and a uniform.  The donation of school kits is part of a program administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and implemented through World Learning Inc.

Speaking at a donation ceremony held at Waserbee School in Addis Ababa, USAID-Ethiopia Mission Director Glenn Anders said, “This donation is made possible through USAID’s response to HIV/AIDS as part of PEPFAR care and support to HIV/AIDS affected and infected children at schools. We believe that this support will substantially enhance performance at school and reduce the dropout of OVCs.  We are proud to be working with school PTAs, teachers, students and communities to support OVCs to help this country’s children to be better prepared for productive futures.”

Through this U.S. $3.2 million program, USAID’s support for OVCs integrates essential health and education services.  These services include education, food, shelter, protection, healthcare, and psychosocial services.  The OVC program also has an income-generation component which better enables schools and their communities to support their OVCs.

The OVC program provides scholarships for five thousand children in 100 schools in Amhara, Oromiya and SNNP regions. Girls constitute about fifty percent of the beneficiary OVCs. 

The support provided to OVCs at schools has substantially improved the retention and academic performance of the OVCs.

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