Project Description Region: Africa Country: Ethiopia Location: Addis Abeba, Bahir Dar, H Total Budget: $131,519 Area of Focus: Community economic development Empowering Visually Impaired Female University Students: Tsehay Zewde Memorial Scholarship Program I. Background â-� Public Health Challenge: Visual impairment affects 1.6 million Ethiopians (1.6% of the population), disproportionately impacting rural women. â-� Barriers: Gender bias and disability hinder access to education. Many visually impaired female students face academic exclusion, sexism, and limited exposure to adaptive technologies. â-� Existing Success: Since 2011, the Tsehay Zewde Memorial Scholarship Program (TZMSP) has supported 350+ blind female students at Addis Ababa University (AAU) through scholarship grants, skills training, and assistive technologies. II. Objective â-� Primary Goal: Expand TZMSP’s reach to 3 universities nationwide, focusing on adaptive technologies, computer literacy, and life skills training. â-� Immediate Goal: Reduce dropout rates and ensure academic completion, followed by job-readiness training for gainful employment. â-� Alignment with Rotary: Supports Rotary’s strategic focus on empowering women and promoting inclusive education. III. Needs Assessment â-� Student-Centered Approach: - Annual reviews of universities’ disability services to identify gaps. - Focus group discussions with students, faculty, and disability centers to tailor interventions. - Select 5-6 student delegates to provide ongoing feedback and shape training and resources. â-� Core Training Areas: Life skills, computer literacy (for freshmen), and job readiness (for graduates). IV. Rotary Involvement â-� Host Club: Rotary Club of Addis Ababa Entoto (RCAA Entoto) will be the Host Club and will lead fundraising, program management, and partnerships. â-� Collaboration: District 9212 endorses the project; international and local Rotary clubs are invited to partner. â-� Transparency: Strict adherence to RI grant guidelines, with regular reporting and oversight by host and partner clubs. V. Achievements (2011â€"2024) â-� 350+ Graduates: Alumni include a diplomat, university lecturer, public prosecutor, and other government employees â-� Key Support: Scholarship gras, laptops, smartphones, and voice recorders provided to all beneficiaries. â-� Advocacy: Promotes inclusive education policies in Ethiopian universities. VI. Expected Impact â-� Retention/Completion: Track academic progress and graduation rates. â-� Employment: Partner with Ethiojobs for job placements in public and private sectors. â-� Sustainability: Encourage universities to integrate disability support into their budgets/policies. VII. Partnerships â-� Universities: Addis Abeba University, Bahir Dar, and Hawassa universities will be the executing agencies. An MOU on the roles and responsibilities of each partner will be signed with RCAA Entoto. â-� Training Partners: Ethiojobs (job readiness), Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (internships). â-� Advocacy/Media: Ethiopian National Association of the Blind, Together Ethiopia, EBS/ETV media. â-� Funding Partners: Rotary Clubs Private donors Ethiopian Airlines VIII. Budget â-� Total Request: $131,519 USD (2026-2028) for the program to spread to the 3 universities. â-� Coverage: Scholarship grants, training, assistive technologies, and program coordination. IX. Monitoring & Sustainability â-� Reporting: RCAA Entoto oversees data collection, implementation status progress reviews, and RI compliance. â-� Student Feedback: Monthly meetings with delegates to review progress and address emerging needs. â-� Long-Term Vision: Universities to institutionalize inclusive education policies and disability support services Build on TZMSP’s 14-year model and sustain the legacy across universities in Ethiopia. X. Contact: Rotary Club of Addis Ababa Entoto : â-� PP Zerihoun Tecle, RCAA Entoto, Director of Service Project, Primary Contact of the proposed GG tecle-zerihoun@gmail.com, +251953406680 â-� PP Dr Tegest Guirma, RCAA Entoto, Director of Foundation, Secondary Contact, t.guerma@gmail,com â-� PP Saba Lambert, RCAA Entoto Secondary Contact, sabalambert@hotmail.com Primary Host Partner District: 9212 Rotary Club of: Addis Ababa Entoto Primary Contact: Zerihoun Tecle Email: tecle.zerihoun@gmail.com Primary International Partner District: 6380 Rotary Club of: Ann Arbor North Primary Contact: Robert Ransom Email: ransom.bob@gmail.com Project Status Need $131,519 This project needs to receive some pledges to go to the next level. Please check the "Financing" tab to see the list of current pledges. Once the amount pledged is equal to the project budget, the status of the project will be automatically changed to "Fully Pledged". Click here to pledge support for this project. Project listed for the 2026-27 Rotary Year.

Proposed Financing Existing Contributions Towards This Project Date Cash DDF Total There are no contributions yet for this project. Remaining Amount to Raise Additional Club Contribution (Needed) - Add a contribution $131,519 - $131,519 Amount Requested from The Rotary Foundation - $0 $0 Total $131,519 Note: as of July 1, 2015 there is a 5% additional support fee for cash contributions. This fee does not appear in the financials above because it does not apply if the funds are sent directly to the project account (without going through TRF, and therefore without Paul Harris credit). Clubs sending their cash contribution to TRF must be aware they will have to send an additional 5%.

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History Log Entries 7-May-26 System Entry System Entry: Creation of project page.