School’s A Gift is a not-for-profit organisation with the goal of increasing school enrolment and attendance in deprived areas of the developing world, with an emphasis on providing equal educational opportunities for girls and boys. School’s A Gift is currently focussed on supporting schools in a remote region of Ethiopia.
Most people in Australia take school for granted. Yet there are millions of children living in rural Ethiopia who are currently denied this right due to poverty. For these children, school is a gift. With high adult illiteracy rates, school provides these children with their only opportunity to learn to read and write. It empowers them with the only opportunity to change their life and their community.
School’s A Gift views education as the key to alleviating poverty. Research has shown that girls’ education is an integral part to almost every aspect of development: improved income, child and maternal health, HIV/AIDS prevention, empowerment of women and prevention of violence against women. When a girl receives an education she is more likely to have healthier children who receive an education of their own.
School’s A Gift raises funds for education based projects that will assist children to access primary and secondary level education and reduce the number of school drop outs. The current projects of School’s A Gift include the construction of school buildings; the purchase of essential school supplies and furnishings; and plans to provide scholarships to girls to assist them complete secondary school.
The local communities propose each one of School’s A Gift’s projects and participate in the implementation and management of the projects. School’s A Gift’s projects are also co-ordinated with the support of the local government. The communities are not receiving assistance from any other non-government organisations.
School’s A Gift was founded by Georgina Fenton and Sophie Coleman in 2010. They are determined to bring the gift of education to rural children who despite living in poverty deserve a chance to go to school. By starting with one school and providing practical educational facilities, School’s A Gift hopes to improve the wellbeing of entire communities.