I am excited to come to school: Nemo’s story

Nemo, 9, lives in Golijano Woreda of Somali region. She is a grade one student at Barkhadle primary school.

 “ I wake up early in the morning excited to come to school because I enjoy learning new things, the meal and playing with my friends,” said Nemo.

Nemo joined the first grade after finishing the school readiness program. “ I am glad that I have attended the school readiness program. It has helped me to know the alphabet and numbers easily” said Nemo.

Nemo’s father works in Golijano Woreda office and her mother owns a small shop in their neighborhood. After school, she supports her family by looking after her young siblings. “My parents motivate me to love education so I can have a successful life.” Said Nemo.

At school, Nemo likes to play with her friends. “My friends and I usually enjoy running and singing songs,” said Nemo.

In Goljano primary school, with the support from ECW MYRP, temporary learning spaces were constructed, combined desks and learning materials like exercise books were provided for the students. The students receive hot meals once a day and capacity building training for teachers was provided with support from the program.

About ECW MYRP

ECW MYRP aims to improve learning through equitable access, crisis-sensitive, and quality education for emergency-affected children including children living with disabilities in targeted Woredas in Ethiopia. The MYRP was developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Education, co-leadership of Cluster Lead Agencies, UNICEF, and Save the Children, with the support from the Education Cluster partners. UNICEF and Save the Children are the grantees of the ECW MYRP. UNICEF is the grantee for Amhara and Oromia regions. Save the Children is the grantee for the Somali region. World Vision implements ECW MYRP in the Amhara region and Geneva Global implements the ECW MYRP in the Oromia region. Save the Children is the lead implementer for the Somali region.  

Currently, the ECW MYRP is implemented through 27 million USD seed funding from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), initially focusing interventions on addressing the critical educational needs of 60,487 out of school-displaced children in 81 schools, 17 Woredas of Amhara, Oromia, and Somali regions. Part of the seed money will support efforts to mobilize the funding gap of US$138 million needed for the whole program.