Welcome to the Fregenet Foundation

    The Fregenet Foundation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing early childhood education to children from low-income families in Ethiopia. The first Fregenet School (Fregenet Kidan Lehitsanat) opened its doors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in the fall of 2004, and enrolled 31 children of ages 4 to 6 from a small and impoverished community in Addis Abeba. The vision for the school was inspired by Fregenet Tafesse Woubshet, an Ethiopian-American, who died in 2003 before she could realize her dream of returning to Ethiopia to help children.

    Thanks to generous benefactors, the first batch of students has completed three years of schooling and graduated successfully to second grade on July 14, 2006. In the school's fourth year of operation, the number of students enrolled has grown to 140. 

    According to the World Bank, 58% of Ethiopians age 15 and above cannot read or write, compared to 37% in neighboring countries. For Ethiopian women, that number could be as high as 75%. According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Education figures for the 2002/03 school year, 2% of kindergarten age children are in school. There are no public kindergarten schools in Ethiopia. In the capital city, Addis Ababa, where the number of private schools has grown in recent years, only 33.1% of kindergarten-age children are in school.

    The Foundation has plans to expand and open additional schools, and cultivate partnerships with health agencies, community organizations, orphanages, and agencies that can sponsor students. Close contact with families, sponsors, and orphanages will be maintained to monitor progress and assure success. A long-term plan envisages inviting alumni to return to the school to serve as tutors and help in various capacities.

    The Fregenet Foundation is a non-profit corporation committed to non-discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender or disability.

Fregenet means "fruit of heaven" in Amharic It was the name of our loved one, Fregenet Tafesse, or Leeza, as we called her. Her greatest dream was someday to help the children of her native country of Ethiopia. Read more about Leeza »

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