Why help?

Why help education?

• Every child has the right to learn to read, to write, to count.
• Every child has the right to an education.
• Education permits people to become self-sufficient.

Students going to school

Education leads to:

• increased job opportunities
• a healthier way of life
• becoming conscious of our environment
• tolerance
• peace in the world

A future student?

Why H.E.L.P. to assist schools in Ethiopia?

• The Ethiopian people are very hospitable with foreign visitors.
• Ethiopia has few natural resources to sell to other countries, that would give it a source of income to help its people.
• Eco-tourism can develop  in Ethiopia, but only through education.
• Ethiopia has no opening to the sea for imports or exports, and must rely only on road or air transportation, which is slow or expensive.
• Because of the high poverty level in Ethiopia, many young children must work instead of going to school.
• Ethiopians love their country very much. If there were more job opportunities, Ethiopians would not have to leave Ethiopia in search of work abroad, and could help to develop their own nation.
• H.E.L.P. is a non-profit association, following the French law of 1901. A large part of each donation given by individuals, companies or organizations is tax deductible.

For which purposes are donations used?

• hiring and training teachers,
• purchasing school materials,
• reparing school classrooms,
• constructing additional school buildings,
• creating and equipping libraries and science laboratories,
• purchasing school furniture,
• purchasing generators to supply electricity,
• purchasing and installing solar energy panels.

In Ethiopia there is a real desire to develop the country, to progress. Today there is a huge construction boom in Ethiopia. There are many dams being built or almost finished on Ethiopia's rivers in order to solve the problem of supplying electricity, and also to export electrical power to neighboring countries. The country is also improving and developing its road network. In Spring 2009 Ethiopia reformed its educational program, to train its teachers better.

Students in a Surma village

However, the recent global economic crisis may hinder all Ethiopia's efforts in development. Europe and America are reducing the aid they usually allot to African countries. Although Ethiopian financial institutions did not invest abroad, Ethiopia is still a victim of the economic crisis. Food prices have doubled. Prices for imported articles have risen sharply. The demand for Ethiopian exports, such as coffee and flowers, has collapsed, and foreign investment has greatly decreased.