Here at ET Learns, we work to provide technology to underprivileged students and teachers in Ethiopia. But with a country of 100 million people, and a youth population of over 60 million, where does one begin?

This week we were thrilled to learn that students in Liqa, Wolaita, scored 612/700 on their exams – the highest score in the region. In fact, the students were only a few points away from matching the highest score in the country.

For many students around the world, education goes on hold during the summer holiday. In nearly a dozen schools in Southern Ethiopia though, students decided to change that.

ET Learns is excited this month to have installed seven new learning labs in Southern Ethiopia. The labs, in Badesa, Bale, Bugale Walelu, Humbo, Gacheno, Gasuba, and Shanto will serve more than 12,000 students each year.

Learning Labs provide students and teachers access to technology, digital learning tools, and online resources. But what do students actually think of the Learning Labs?

With a female adult literacy rate of only 18%, few understand the need for accessible education better than Ethiopia’s young women. Our new effort is helping to double the number of girls in these clubs, and is working to provide them scholarships, school books, pens and pencils, uniforms, blankets, bed sheets, and personal hygiene products.

We are excited to announce a new affiliation with World Possible, a non-profit organization committed to providing modern teaching tools to students and teachers around the world.

We believe every child deserves to know more, so in 2007 ET Learns began the Books for Ethiopia project.  We focused our efforts in the Southern Nations region, aiming to increase access in libraries and schools to the necessary books.

As the school year started in Ethiopia last Monday, the students at Offa School greeted the new year gripping special, personalized notebooks. 870 students each received 8 subject notebooks and an agenda, all free of charge as part of a partnership between Felek Notebooks and ET Learns.