Camara in ETHIOPIA
Camara’s offices in Ethiopia are based in Addis Ababa in the Lideta area of the city, where you can find a diverse range of staff who contribute positively to the overall environment. Camara also offers internships and volunteer work to around 40 students every year, some of whom go on to work for us.
The team is led by country director Mikiyas Woldeyesus.
In our local warehouse we receive the refurbished computers and install open-source operating systems as well as digital content tailored to the local curriculum. Since many schools lack internet connectivity, this offline educational content is a vital component of our offering.
Camara Ethiopia is a not-for-profit social enterprise, locally managed and run, and is registered as an International NGO with the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO).
Our Work
Camara Education Ethiopia works in partnership with the Ministry of Education to supply computers loaded with educational content relevant to the local curriculum. We also offer training for teachers and school leaders, along with maintenance and follow-up support, often in rural and remote areas of the country. We identify schools in need of computer-based learning, assist in creating secure and dust-free environments for computer classrooms, and install 35 to 40 computers. Our trainers typically visit schools for a week, during which they train between 15 and 24 teachers in the use of computers in the curriculum and in basic maintenance. We continuously monitor and evaluate each school regarding the status and usage of the computers, collecting relevant data.
Our computers in Ethiopia use the Ubuntu operating system. They are equipped with numerous educational programs, ranging from simple games that help students learn computer skills to special resources like the Camara Learning Studio for maths and science. Each computer also features an interactive curriculum of digital content and software, which is particularly beneficial for schools without access to reliable internet. Furthermore, the computers contain digital versions of all textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education. This is particularly significant since many schools in Ethiopia lack sufficient physical textbooks.
We also offer a variety of other training and resources, including workshops for headteachers on education and leadership in the 21st century; monitoring and evaluation of existing projects; and responsible end-of-life recycling for computers.
Our Projects
Camara Education Ethiopia has successfully implemented a number of projects which focused on enabling schools to integrate ICT into education. We have worked with partners including the World Bank, Learning Equality, The Waterloo Foundation, Lenovo, CHK, Africa Code Week, the British Council and Dell Technologies. Two of our major projects are outlined below.
Unleashing the power of ICT in Ethiopian Schools 2023-2028
Since 2011, Camara Education Ethiopia has worked in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education (MoE) and has been committed to improving access to quality education through technology in disadvantaged communities in Ethiopia and to supporting the education sector in line with government strategies and policies.
Our latest five-year agreement incorporates the lessons learned from three previous federal-level projects and our Impact Project in Silte Zone (see below), with a greater focus on learner outcomes. Through this new project and with the support of our key funding partner, Dell Technologies, Camara aims to:
- Equip 875 more schools with 35,000 computers loaded with local curriculum-aligned content and innovative learning platforms
- Train 9,450 more educators
- Impact 790,000 more learners
In addition to offering the support provided in previous agreements for project schools, there have been some additions in this agreement based off our learning from the previous MOU including:
- Additional refresher Training to be provided after one year
- Scheduled Maintenance after one year
- Improved computer specifications to meet current needs
- Updated content from MoE and others
- 35-40 PCs per school, to handle large class sizes
- Removal of Ewaste from these schools and those previously supported.
Project to Impact Learners’ Performance in STEM Subjects in the Silte Zone
From May 2018 to October 2021, we compared the results of five secondary schools that had been provided with computers and training by Camara against schools which had not. The results of this long-term study of the effectiveness of our work in Ethiopia were truly impressive.
In the impact schools studied, there was a dramatic increase in pass rates in Grade 10 Physics and Maths exams. The proportion of students who reported having good ICT skills increased from 13% to 84% over three academic years, while teachers’ assessment of their own ICT skills also nearly doubled. Meanwhile, school dropout rates halved, against a slight increase in dropout rates in the control schools.
Our Successes
“My name is Alemayehu Tuffa and I am the Deputy Director of Dr. Haddis Alemayehu Secondary School. On behalf of the school community, I’d like to thank Dell Technologies and Camara Education for donating this Digital Learning Center. I want to talk about how computers are making a big difference in our students’ learning. With computers, our students are learning in new and exciting ways. They use technology to learn more and get better grades. Our Digital Learning Center is a special place where students can learn difficult subjects on their own, even if there isn’t a teacher around. The Camara computers also help our teachers teach better. They use the computers to make interesting lessons and give tests. This makes learning more fun and helps students understand the subject matter better. In short, the Camara computers have changed the way we teach and learn at our school. They help both students and teachers do better in today’s digital world.”
Abenezer Desta is a leader of Misrak Goh school’s ICT club. He says: “Using Camara computers has really changed things for me. My grades have gotten better and I really believe that technology can make a big difference in how we learn. Being involved with computers hasn’t just helped me do better in school, it’s also made me want to achieve more in the long run. As a leader of the ICT club, I want to encourage other students to see how technology can help them succeed in school and beyond. It’s great to see younger students, especially those in grades 9 and 10, getting interested in coding and computer science. With the help of Camara computers, they’re not only getting better at coding but also exploring all the cool things technology can do. Learning with computers has made school more fun and interactive. We’re not just sitting back and listening anymore—we’re actively learning and discovering new things. Overall, our experience with computers shows how much they can improve education and open up endless possibilities for the future.”
One of the students at Dr. Haddis Alemayehu Secondary is Kidan Gizaw. “I use these computers to help me learn better. When I have free time, I go to the lab and study topics I didn’t understand well in class. I also learn more by searching online, reading and watching educational videos loaded on the computer. Since it’s hard for me to get physical books, I rely on the Camara computers to find and read the books I need. Besides doing my homework, I mainly use the computers to get ready for the upcoming national exams. I practise a lot and take the previous year’s mock exams which are available on the computers. This helps me see how well I can do.”
Kidan’s dream is to become an astronomer, and with her dedication and the digital content provided by the Camara computers, she’s well on her way to reaching for the stars.
I may be different from my other friends because I have a physical disability, but I can do things they do, even type on a computer and manage the mouse – it’s not that hard! Computer is something that I adore and love because it gives me so much information about my condition. I first read about it on Wikipedia and learn that I wasn’t the only one with a condition like this and that it’s OK and that I can do better in school.
Beimnet Kassa, 8-year-old in grade 2
Contact Us
Camara Education Ethiopia,
Dama House, Office No. 304, behind Lideta condominium,
Lideta,
Addis Ababa
Phone: +251 (0)11869051
E-mail: ethiopia@camara.org