Philanthrophy
Visiting Ethiopia after many years of exile in the US , in 1998 Zeleke presented the Idea of assisting Ethiopia`s under privileged rural children with education to Ziggy Marley ,Stephen Marley,Cidela Marley ,and Addis Gessesse. The initiative was organized by forming ,One Love Africa org. nfp. in Chicago and opened an office in New York, After two years of hard work by Zeleke and Addis to solicit funding and partnership with the counseling of people like Profesor Ephrem Isaac,Mrs Jan Zwiren,and mr. Paul Julian, and mr. Peter scelozzi ,we found a chicago based foundation,The Ann and Robert Lurie foundation to finance the 1st phase of the project. After approaching many NGOs active in Africa(Ethiopia) in the education sector , Save the Children USA had a pilot programs in different parts of Africa. We had many meetings in their head quarters office in Connecticut . The partnership was sighned in late 1998,and the 1st phase rural community based schools were oppened in southern Ethiopia (Hageremariam Wereda) Borena in 2000. The Ann Lurie foundation funded the 1st 10 village schools with the amount of $700,000. With the success of the 1st fasse ,we continued on building the next phase of 10 schools in central part of Ethiopia (Oromia).and northern Showa Amhara regions.
In 2004 after constant visits and supervision by Zeleke ,with the mobilization of the communities most of the 1st built schools were expand from 4th grade to 6th and 8th grades. This was possible by the comunitys building the basic structures and One love africa furnishing,staffing the Expantion. After the second fase of the schools were built ,now there were 20 village primary schools operating,after hearing the comunitys request for water wells to be dug in some of the schools where water shortage was sevear , we built 8 water wells in 8 of the schools with pumps and despensory. wich changed the whole comunitys water needs .
The third fase of the school building was in Dembia wereda ,in Gonder region in 2008.10 schools were built with the funding from Ann Lurie foundations donation of $650,000 In 2010 Zeleke solicited 1000 lap tap computers from a chicago based NgO.from the one lop top per child program. We distributed the computers to 13 of the schools in different regions. In 2013 we donated Lab equipment to the 6th and 7th grade students of Chewahit #2 school in Dembia wereda We also furnished 6th and 7th grade classes in Arsi Negele ,Adensho wereda . and made a documentary film on the progress of the chools and how it is changing the lives of thousands of rural children. In 2015 some of the first students from the 1st opened schools from the southern regions have in rolled in Arba minch university. A documentary film will be produced this year too show the progress and results of the schools.