Education Support
Uniforms, school materials, tutorials and kindergarten classrooms so no child drops out for lack of means.
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Ende Enat · እንደ እናት · “Like a mother”
Every child deserves a mother's care. Every mother deserves a chance.
Since 2000 we have walked beside vulnerable children and women in Jimma — keeping children in school, feeding families, healing hurts and helping mothers earn a living. In 2026 we bring that care to the streets of Addis Ababa.
Expanding to Addis Ababa in 2026
Since 2000Jimma → Addis Ababa- 3,408+
- children and family members reached with comprehensive care
- 12
- public schools and 7 kebeles served in Jimma Town
- 600
- pregnant mothers referred for safe hospital delivery
- 26
- years of volunteer service since 2000
Who we are
Community-rooted care for children exposed to street life, hunger and lost schooling
Ende Enat — “like a mother” in Amharic — grew out of a teacher's gender club at Setto Primary School in Jimma. What began as volunteers collecting uniforms and exercise books became a registered Ethiopian charity delivering a full continuum of care: education, counselling, nutrition, health referrals, child protection, shelter and livelihoods for mothers.
- Works through public primary schools, kebeles and community committees
- Led by Ethiopian staff, community volunteers and a volunteer board
- Partnered with Jimma University, PXL University College (Belgium) and the U.S. Embassy
What we do
Six ways we stand in for a mother
Vulnerability rarely has one cause, so our support does not have one shape. Each programme area answers a need we have seen up close in Jimma's public schools and neighbourhoods.
Psychosocial Support & Counselling
Guidance, counselling, life skills and school gender clubs for children carrying more than they should.
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Livelihoods for Mothers
Container shops, saving groups and business skills so mothers can pay for their children's needs themselves.
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Health & Nutrition
School meals, emergency food support and health referrals for children and families affected by HIV.
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Child Protection & Legal Support
Birth certificates, abuse prevention and legal information for children at risk, especially girls.
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Community, Volunteers & Shelter
Trained volunteers, community committees and safer homes — the structure that keeps care going.
Learn moreReal change
From a school gender club to container shops that pay school fees
In 2007 we opened our first income-generating container shops inside a school compound — coffee corners and a hair salon run by mothers of vulnerable pupils. The earnings pay for uniforms, books and food, and the mothers gain a trade and a savings habit. The model, together with community self-help saving groups, is how we make support last after a project ends.
Looking ahead · 2026
Bringing Ende Enat to the streets of Addis Ababa
More and more very young children spend their days on the streets of Addis Ababa with mothers who beg to feed them. Growing up this way means missing school, danger and a future decided far too early. Beginning in 2026 (2019 in the Ethiopian calendar) we are opening an office in Addis Ababa, starting in the Asko and Addis Sefer neighbourhoods.
- Identify children living or spending their days on the streets with their mothers
- Enrol them in school with uniforms, materials and tutorial support
- Meet basic needs — food, health referrals, protection
- Give mothers a sustainable livelihood so children never have to beg again
News & blogs
Stories from the field
Updates from our programmes, events and the people we serve.
NewsAnnouncements
Ende Enat to open an Addis Ababa office in 2026
After years of work in Jimma, we are bringing our care for children on the streets and their mothers to the Asko and Addis Sefer areas of the capital.
Stories
Container shops give mothers an income inside school compounds
A coffee corner, a hair salon and school-supply kiosks: how small shops run by mothers keep their children in class.
NewsEvents
A school feeding day in Jimma
Volunteers, teachers and mothers came together to prepare a shared meal for pupils of a partner primary school.
Gallery
Moments that matter
Partners
Working together
Universities, embassies, community groups, volunteers and individuals who make this work possible.
- U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa — PEPFAR Small Grants Program
- Jimma University
- Jimma University — School of Nursing
- Jimma University — Department of Social Work and Sociology
- Jimma University — Department of Psychology and Psychiatry
- PXL University College (Belgium)
- Jimma OSA
- Jimma Agricultural College
- DEC Project, Jimma
- Jimma Town Anileye Mothers Self-Help Federation
Support
Your gift keeps a child in school and a mother in business
Ende Enat is funded by partners and private individuals from Ethiopia and around the world. Every contribution goes to uniforms, meals, counselling, medicine and start-up capital for mothers — with lean administration and full transparency.