Creative Community Impact through schools

I am Yemesrach Assefa

My friends call me Yemi. I trained as an economist and I am very much inspired by development work. I have spent 13 years working in various development organizations, both national and international. In this time, I have seen that real change can only come about if we realize the energy contained deep within each community. I have also learnt that this energy can be harnessed and supported with knowledge that equips communities with the necessary skill to change their lives for good.

I work with various people, including in senior government, to craft policies and programmes that will bring about development in Ethiopia. But I have always got my biggest satisfaction by working directly with communities to improve the school environment for their children. This is not a coincidence of any sort, but a belief that is strongly grounded with the fact that education is the only means to eradicate poverty and change our lives once and for all.

My personal story is a real example of this. My parents did not have much to offer me apart from fulfilling my basic needs and sending me to school. They always encouraged me to continue my education and to do the best at school. I believe that I have managed to reach to this level of professional development due to the education that I received. I am sad with the fact that so many other children in Ethiopia are not getting the quality of education they need to be a citizen that will help to transform their country.

Experience has taught me that one-time donations of money are not the whole solution to many communities’ problems: but inspiring them and equipping them can work miracles because of the multiplier effect it has. This is my inspiration for setting up CHILD Ethiopia: as I believe together we can rebuild our community."

The CHILD Trust invests in Yemi to support her efforts to give more children in Ethiopia a chance to get the education they deserve. For instance, as a result of Yemi's training programme, funded by the CHILD Trust, the community of Berkele school recently raised £965 towards school improvement works. Yemi currently works unpaid.

For 2009 and 2010, all fundraising costs for the CHILD Trust have been covered personally by the Trustees, meaning that over 99% of all donations went directly to supporting our work.

Join us. Join Yemi. Make your Impact.