Yonas’ Story

Yonas was born in 1991 in a small village called Womberko which is approximately 20km north of Lalibela. His parents are farmers and he is the second youngest of 6 children.

2009
2024

There was no school in Womberko so the children had a 2 hour walk to a neighbouring village, Sarzena, in order to access education. All 5 of Yonas’s siblings are now married with children and all live in Womberko.

Yonas completed grade 4 in Sarzena and was interested in furthering his education. In 2001 he moved to stay with relatives in Lalibela. In Lalibela he studied from grade 5 to grade 12.

2011

In 2009, Yonas made successful application to join the scholarship fund. He was accepted to study medicine at University of Gondar. He graduated in 2015.

2015
  • 2016 In Gondar, General Practitioner and Lecturer. Researcher with Belgian team from the Institute of Tropical Medicine.
  • 2017-2019 Internal medicine specialisation at Gondar
  • 2020 In Lalibela, Internist + COVID coordinator+ Medical director
  • 2021 In Gondar, Internist + Academic coordinator for medical students.
  • 2022-2023 St. Paul’s hospital, Addis Ababa. Fellowships in Gastroenterology and Hepatology
  • 2024 Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist in Addis Ababa

August 2023
Attended Endoscopy
service in Turkey

August 2023
Attended international
conference in
Ghana

April 2024
Completed first international
training on digestive
endoscopy in China

July 2024
Presented an e- poster abstract on benign
esophageal stricture at an international
conference in South Korea

August. 2024
Attended International conference in
Kenya

Yonas’s graduation ceremony as a Gastroenterologist and Hepatalogist will take place in October 2024.

Yonas has asked me to pass on his grateful thanks to everyone who has
supported him, especially the members of the Bude Methodist Church. It would have been impossible for him to continue his education without the financial help we were able to give him.

Doanload Jonas Story pdf here

Fund Report 2023

Image: September 2023 student meeting with Teshale, Fund Manager

A peace treaty was signed at the end of 2022 and everything started to return to normal.  Unfortunately a new conflict started in July 2023 between the government militia and the Amhara regional militia. Lalibela has been one of the main conflict areas. I arrived in Ethiopia in the middle of August with the aim to be in Lalibela for the meeting with the students. The war has made it impossible for me to go to Lalibela and at the time of writing, mid November, I am still in Addis Ababa.

Teshale organised and conducted the meeting himself. I am delighted that 37 of our students managed to attend.

We started in September 2022 supporting 48 students.

Bayush Achenef decided to leave school and start working. Biruk Behayilu took the opportunity to move to Poland. Both are no longer supported.

Four of our students graduated from University.

We therefore have 42 continuing students. 9 new students have been accepted into the fund. This means we started in September 2023 supporting 51 students.

13 students are in University, 10 at College and 28 are in the school system.

Many congratulations to Zuriash Abebe who was the top student in Lalibela in her grade 12 national exam and is now studying Dentistry at Addis Ababa University.

Between September 2009 and August 2023, the fund has supported 122 students for a total of 431 years of support. 74 students have completed their studies, 55 with University degrees and 11 with College diplomas.

All this is only possible because of the support everyone generously gives. I am aware of the restrictions COVID made to fund raising activities and am delighted that these are taking place again. A particular thank you to all those who donate monthly via a standing order.

Last year 765,170 birr was distributed which is approximately £12,000.

The fund could not operate without the team of people who give their time to ensure the smooth operation. Many thanks to June, Margaret and Joan who keep everything running in Scotland and to Tefera , Habtamu and Teshale who look after everything in Ethiopia. Thanks to Getnet for the support he gives to the Ethiopian committee. Thanks also to Simon, in London, who donates his time and his computing skills to keep the website updated. Thanks to Isobel for verifying our annual accounts.

Susan

You can download the full SASF Fund Report 2023 as a PDF for printing or offline viewing

If you are able to help us then please use our Just Giving fund raising account to contribute.

Fund Report 2022

Many tell me that they love all the pictures and have missed them in the reports during the troubles.

As you will see, we managed to have the meeting with the students in September 2022 and I am happy to be able to give you all the up to date photographs.

Our software engineering student, Getnet Adane, came to Lalibela for the meeting and, with the hire of a generator, set up a zoom link. I was able to speak to the students while sitting in comfort in Scotland. Many thanks Getnet for all your hard work and expertise.

Since the meeting, a peace treaty has been signed. The electricity supply has recently been returned to Lalibela which means water can now be pumped into the town. Everything is looking very positive.

The disruption from COVID restrictions, followed by the war, has meant disruption to the education system. The timings of student promotion to the next grade at school and to graduations have been variable for the last 3 years. I am pleased to report that the fund has been operational throughout all the disruption. This is thanks to the efforts of the Lalibelan committee and, in particular, to Teshale, the fund manager.

When I reported in April 2022, we were supporting 47 students. Since then, 11 students have graduated from University and College and are now out of the programme. Unfortunately, one young student, Temesgen Destaw, did not take the opportunity offered and left the programme. We accepted 13 new students into the programme in September and are now supporting 48 young people.
10 are at University, 7 at College and 31 are in the school system.

We distributed 685,012 Birr (Approximately £11,500) in the 2021/2022 academic year. The exchange rate has averaged about 60 Birr to £1. Because of this inflation, we increased the student monthly payments to 1,100 Birr as from September. (Approximately £18).

A little money goes a long way in Ethiopia. We can only operate the fund because of your support. Many thanks for keeping thinking about us. All our young people send their thanks for the opportunity you are giving them.

The fund could not operate without the team of people who give their time to ensure the smooth operation. Many thanks to June, Margaret and Joan who keep everything running in Scotland and to Tefera , Habtamu and Teshale who look after everything in Ethiopia. Thanks also to Simon, in London, who donates his time and his computing skills to keep the website updated. Thanks to Maureen for verifying our annual accounts.

Susan

You can download the full SASF Fund Report 2022 as a PDF for printing or offline viewing

If you are able to help us then please use our Just Giving fund raising account to contribute.

Don’t forget you can view the stories of all of our students, year-by-year, by clicking on any of their names in the menu of “Young People Funded” on the left. Or you can click the “tag” of their name at the bottom of any article about them to see their full story in the fund.

Our 2022 Graduates

Congratulations to the class of 2022

Birhan Zewdu BSc Civil Engineering
Hanan Bedru BSc Textile Engineering
Dinku Ayenew BSc Agriculture
Getahun Fentaw BSc Electrical and Computer Engineering
Tibebu Amha BSc Civil Engineering
Seble Agaze BA Management
Mulugeta Seteye BSc Electrical Engineering
Nuruhusien Umer BSc Mechatronics Engineering
Demeke Tesfaw BScMechatronics Engineering
Dr. Birhan Mesele Medicine
Tangut Agazh Diploma 4 Pharmacy

Continuing Undergraduates 2022

Tilaye Biset He is in his 6th. year studying Veterinary Medicine. Because of the war, he has had to move from Mekele to Gondar University. He will graduate in 2023.
Getnet Adane He is studying his masters in Software Engineering Hopes to graduate in 2023
Tadiso Fentaw 4th. year Bahirdar University studying Economics
Aweke Addise He is in 1st. year at Woldia University studying Natural Science
Tseganew Telake He is in 1st. year at Woldia University studying Economics
Tewodrose Mogoes He is in 1st. year of Social Science programme at Woldia University
Hailu Wendimnew He is in 2nd. year at Gondar University studying Law
Getachew Zemene 5th. year at Arba Minch University studying Water Supply Environmental Engineering

Mekides Muluye

2022 Age 16

Mekdes lives with her family in Shimsha, 23 Km. from Lalibela. She is expected to work on the farm and help her mother in the kitchen.

A year ago, she had a kidney removed and was advised not to do heavy work but her parents still expected her to work hard.

Our support means that she can concentrate on her education. She is in grade 10.

Selamawit Mareg

2022 Age 15

She was born out of wedlock and neither parent wanted her. When she was 8 years old, her mother forced her to work as a waitress and kept all the money.

Our support is letting her start an independent life.

She assures us that by investing in her we are investing in 100 girls as, in the future, she plans an organisation to help others in the same position! She has reached grade 8 by studying at night school.

Fund Report 2021

March 2021 – April 2022

It has been another bad year for Lalibela. In addition to the COVID virus, the civil war between the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) spilled into Amhara region in the summer of 2021. The TPLF took control of, and completely closed down, Lalibela in early August. Most of the young men left Lalibela at that time to avoid being forcibly conscripted to the TPLF or shot.

The UK committee agreed that the monthly payments to the students should continue while they were not in the education system as there was no chance of any employment and they needed this money to survive. Teshale was amazing in keeping track of where everyone was and ensuring that their money reached them.

The government army regained control at the end of December and the town is gradually getting back to normal. Most schools reopened in early February with some a bit later because of the damage that had been done. The students at College and University were in towns outside Lalibela and most of their studies were not affected by the war.

I am delighted that 5 of our students graduated between July 2021 and January 2022. Mengistu has always been a favourite of mine as he was a student in the very first class at the school in Erfa when I went there in 2007.

Many of you tell me that you love all the photographs. For the first time since the fund started in 2009, we were unable to hold the September meeting as the town was occupied by the TPLF. We always hold the meeting in September as it is Ethiopian New Year and most students are back with their families for the holiday. I therefore apologise for the lack of photographs and hope that all will be back to normal this September.

In the 12 months between 1 September 2020 and 31 August 2021, we distributed 564,315.00 Ethiopian Birr (approximately £10, 200).

The exchange rate is now up to 64 Birr per UK pound so a little money goes a very long way.  Because of inflation, it was agreed to increase the monthly payments from 800 to 1,000 birr as from September 2021 (equivalent to approx.. £16).

The Bude Methodist Church continues to support our students studying in the medical field.

Thanks are due to all the people who give their time and expertise to ensure the smooth running of the programme.

Thanks to Tefera, Habtamu and Teshale from the Lalibelan committee.

Morag resigned from the Scottish committee and we thank her for all the help she has given. We welcome Joan Lees to the committee and look forward to working with her.

Thanks to June, Margaret, Morag and Joan from the Scottish committee.

Thanks to Simon for his computer expertise and for keeping the website updated.

Thanks to Maureen for her expertise in auditing the accounts.

Susan.

You can download the full SASF Fund Report 2020-21 as a PDF for printing or offline viewing

If you are able to help us then please use our Just Giving fund raising account to contribute.

Fund Report 2020

This annual report has extended to 18 months. If I had written after 12 months, it would have said ‘everything is the same as last year’. Similar to the rest of the world, the covid virus disrupted the Ethiopian education system. Another disrupting factor was the civil unrest in the country.

We started in September 2019 with the same 45 students we had been supporting in 2018/2019. We agreed to take on no new students in the new session and then 7 young people were referred to us for sponsorship as, for a variety of reasons, their sponsorship had stopped. We agreed to include them and started in September 2020 supporting 52 students.

In December 2020 and January 2021, 8 of our students graduated from University and College.

One of our graduates, Getnet Adane, did exceptionally well in his exams and had spent much of his time at University as the elected student president. The University offered him a place, at no cost, to study for his Masters. He could not do this without our continued support therefore we have agreed his support be continued for another 2 years.

This means that, at the time of writing, we are supporting 45 students.

In the 12 months between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020, we distributed
470, 500.00 Ethiopian Birr (approximately £11, 500). The exchange rate is now up to 55 Birr per UK pound so a little money goes a very long way.

Our thanks go to all who contribute to the fund. Your donations give the young people here a lifeline to a better future. I must give a special thank you to my friend Ann Macleod. She was a regular donor to the fund and, when she was diagnosed with cancer last year, she asked for no flowers at the funeral but money into the scholarship fund. £3,700 worth of ‘flowers’ showed how much she had been loved and appreciated during her life. As an educator all her life, she understood the importance of education to everyone’s future.

The fund could not operate without the team of people who give their time to ensure the smooth operation. Many thanks to June, Margaret and Morag who keep everything running in Scotland and to Tefera , Habtamu and Teshale who look after everything in Ethiopia. Thanks also to Simon, in London, who donates his time and his computing skills to keep the website updated.

Susan.

You can download the full SASF Fund Report 2019-20 as a PDF for printing or offline viewing

If you are able to help us then please use our Just Giving fund raising account to contribute.