Association

What We Owe

Today, millions of Ethiopian children depend entirely on public schools like Medhane Alem. We were among them.

Today, the landscape of education in Ethiopia has changed dramatically. Private schools have proliferated across Addis Ababa to meet demand from families willing and able to pay. However, for the vast majority of Ethiopian families, private schooling is simply unattainable. The families who cannot afford those fees depend on public schools like Medhane Alem. This is not an abstract policy issue. It is the story of millions of children whose entire futures hinge on the quality of the public school they attend.

Medhane Alem gave us a foundation. It asked nothing in return. No tuition, no fees, no debt. Now those children are us. And now it is our turn.

What We Are Building

What We Are Doing Together

The MAS Alumni Association was founded to honor that legacy of the gift we received from our country and to act on “paying it forward”. Our members are spread throughout Ethiopia and across the world; united by a shared formative experience and a debt we intend to repay together.

Our focus is the school itself: its physical spaces, its infrastructure, its capacity to deliver the kind of education that changed our lives. We are working to:

• Rebuild and expand the library: Giving current students the same access to knowledge that shaped us
• Rehabilitate the school grounds and sports facilities: Because a school is more than classrooms
• Build digital infrastructure: Computer networks, smartboards, laptops and tablets for teachers and students, connecting Medhane Alem to the 21st century

These are not luxuries. For a school that has served Addis Ababa for nearly a century, they are long overdue.