Mike's School
Mike decided to make his retirement count. He built a school in Ethiopia.
By the time Mike Schumacher talked to anyone at the Tesfa Foundation, he had done a lot of thinking. Early retirement was approaching, and Mike wanted to do something meaningful with his new time and freedom. He did a lot of reading. He did a lot of questioning: what would be the best way to give back?
Read on...Mission: The Tesfa Foundation expands opportunities for children and youth where the necessary resources to build self-reliance are inadequate. We strengthen families and communities in ways that make for sustainable networks to support children and youth properly. More...
Board of Directors:
Read about the current Board of Directors for the Tesfa Foundation.
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Partnerships/Collaborations:
We would like thank the following agencies and schools for their support and collaboration, in Ethiopia, in the U.S. and in the U.K.
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Our History
Tesfa means 'Hope' in Amharic
It’s a virtue that meant the world to our loved one, Leeza Woubshet. Her greatest dream was someday to help the children of her native country of Ethiopia and guide them to real hope in their lives.
Leeza, (Fregenet Woubshet), a 29-year-old American citizen of Ethiopian origin, died in an auto accident in the summer of 2003. She had just completed her education in accounting, and was about to embark on the work she saw for herself ahead: the support of her family in Ethiopia and, in the longer term, the assistance of the children of Ethiopia. Read on...
When you sponsor Gelila, you change her life. You give her an opportunity for the kind of education that opens doors to a better life. But your $21 per month goes a lot further than that.
Gelila comes from a family that has lived in poverty for generations. She comes from a community in which social and familial relations run deep. After Gelila goes to college, after she becomes the first in her family with a middle-class income, she will give back. Siblings will have funds to start small businesses. Parents and grandparents will get health care. Gelila's children will go to school. Nieces, nephews and cousins will go to school. A long-running cycle of poverty is broken.
Multiply that effect by 59. That's how many classmates she has. Then compound that every year. Add in the effect of micro-loans made available to the struggling mothers of these children through one partnership. Add in the healthcare made available through another partnership. You begin to see real impact upon the community.
This is what is meant by the Ripple Effect. All change originates in the lives of individuals. But no benefit is exclusive to one individual. That's not how any community functions. If you want to see real change in Africa, start with Gelila.
