Our Story

Access Learning was born out of necessity—fueled by the determination of a rural Ethiopian community that refused to let a lack of access to education determine a child’s future.

For years, students were forced to walk 15-25 km to the only high school in the entire Gurage region or rent a room away from their family from as young as age 14. This led to an alarming dropout rate: over 75% of all students and more than 95% of girls never completed high school. Our founder was one of those dropouts.
In response, the community, with local authorities, transformed their local elementary school into a high school. This grassroots effort brought education closer to home and produced successful students. However, as enrollment soared, the infrastructure couldn’t keep up. Classrooms deteriorated, overcrowding became critical, and a lack of materials brought the school to a breaking point. Today, it risks being shut down or downgraded.

That’s why we created Access Learning. Our mission is to prevent this school—and others like it—from disappearing. We are here to rebuild, equip, and sustain rural schools so that every child can learn, thrive, and lead.