The Hope for Children Youth Learning Center

HFC provides financial assistance and other resources to its beneficiaries until they are 18, when they are expected to become financially independent.  However, many beneficiaries are not equipped with the education and skills necessary to find jobs or pursue the additional education and training that will enable them to become self-supporting.  Compounding the problem is the recent requirement that students in Ethiopia sit for their 10th grade exams in English; since passing these exams is a prerequisite to moving on to higher education in Ethiopia, most youth at HFC, whose English skills have not been developed, have been deprived of this opportunity.  Three years ago, with funding provided by HFC-US, the Youth Learning Center at Hope for Children opened its doors.  More than 150 youth now regularly take advantage of its offerings during the school year, with attendance jumping to more than 300 during the summer break when the Center can operate full-time, 7 days a week.

At the Hope for Children Youth Learning Center, you will find: 

• After school English classes. English classes, at all levels, are offered to youth after school during the school year and throughout the day during the summer vacation.  The classes are taught by experienced Ethiopian teachers with frequent assistance from volunteers.  In addition, approximately 16 adult home-based caregivers and credit/loan association women from the Hope for Children community attend classes.  The improvement in the students’ English skills has been remarkable.
• Computer classes. Classes are offered at different levels to help students develop basic and more advanced computer skills.  Recently, several students were hired for a short-term data entry project where they earned high praise.
• Tutoring. After school tutoring is provided to help students improve their grades and to prepare for the national exams
• Art.  Approximately 50 children attend arts and crafts classes.
• Sewing.  Sewing lessons are offered to caregivers from the community and interested students.
• On-Site Library. Several hundred books have been donated to the YLC Library by Ethiopia Reads (www.ethiopiareads.org), and by the Global Fund for Children (www.globalfundforchildren.org). Hope for Children youth have been trained as library assistants, and the library lends books and offer programs for children of all ages.  By summer’s end, we hope to receive a large donation of books from FirstBook (www.firstbook.org) which will substantially increase our library.

The Youth Center has also been remarkably successful in building youth’s confidence and self-esteem by offering them a safe and supportive environment for learning and interacting with their teachers.  When asked recently how she liked the Youth Center, 13-year-old Tihut replied that, “It helps other students and me to build our confidence which may enable us to challenge the problems we may face in actual life.”  The Youth Center has also give the children some fun educational opportunities to travel outside of their very poor community.   Twice recently, selected students have been invited to participate in the “General Knowledge Question and Answer Program” that is very popular on Ethiopian television.  By all accounts, the students read and studied hard for the competition and acquitted themselves well!

The Youth Center has become a vital part of the lives of the youth in the Hope for Children community, but we need your help to ensure its continuation and expansion.