About Us - History

It all started with a study tour that Marianne Carolan, the founder of the Sponsorship Project, made to Ethiopia. Marianne was very struck by the poverty, hunger and poor health of the children in Lalibela. A young boy, called Amdemariam, told her that he had to chop wood to earn a living for his mother and sister, but that he wanted to go to school regularly, so that he could fulfil his dream of becoming a doctor. Marianne decided to sponsor him and from that time in 2002 the scheme has grown. Currently 26 children are being sponsored by people in the UK, the Netherlands and Austria.

All the children come from the poorest families, and have been selected by the town administrator together with the schools. It is amazing to see the difference in the children after a period of sponsorship. Because the family can rent a hut with electricity near the school, the child does not have to walk so far, is better fed, less tired and can concentrate better. There is often also a marked improvement in their self-confidence. All the sponsored children are intelligent and motivated to learn. They want to become professionals, such as teachers, nurses, engineers, lawyers.

The cost of supporting a young person through higher education is considerable and can amount to £3000 for a three-year period. These fees are beyond the means of most sponsors and, so, the Lalibela Educational Trust (LET) was set up in 2006 as the first young people moved into professional education. The aim of LET is to ensure that all the children in the sponsorship project can achieve their ambition and independence by helping to finance further or professional education, if necessary.

LET supports some of the older children who go to Summer School for two months in either Dessie or the capital Addis Ababa. They take computer classes and get extra English tuition; living away form home for the first time is also a good way of preparing them for their later studies. The fund can also be used as a backup if, for some reason, a sponsor is unable to continue. In addition, the fund supports the families of the older children who have to leave Lalibela for further education in another town, until such time as the children themselves can support their own families.