students served
teachers trained
total community members engaged
Luminos in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is the Luminos Fund’s largest and longest-running program. In partnership with the government of Ethiopia and community-based organizations, Luminos is implementing an accelerated education program, successfully reaching more than 381,300 vulnerable children.
Meet Roman, a government teacher in Ethiopia:
Ethiopia at a Glance
While Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education has made significant investments and developed new policies to support out-of-school children, it is estimated that more than 5.1 million primary-school-aged children are still out of school in the country.
The impacts of conflict and climate change are significant barriers to accessing quality education, with more than an estimated 5.5 million internally displaced persons. Poverty has decreased overall, however, for the most vulnerable families, little has changed in the past decade.
Student Ruth was out of school her entire life before entering a Luminos classroom. Today, her favorite subject is Amharic and she says, “Education gives you knowledge, and with knowledge you can do anything.” (Photo: Mekbib Tadesse for the Luminos Fund)
Teacher Tiblet checks in on a group of her students, answering questions and getting them excited about the reading lesson. (Photo: Michael Stulman/Luminos Fund)
Teacher Derese in front of his classroom, decorated with learning materials and student work. “The best thing about being a teacher is seeing my students’ improvement,” says Derese. “It is quite amazing how they transform within such a short period of time.” (Photo: Mekbib Tadesse for the Luminos Fund)
Luminos classrooms are joyful places to learn. Here, two Ethiopian students play a game outside. (Photo: Michael Stulman/Luminos Fund)
In Ethiopia, students are often assigned different class roles that rotate throughout the year. Here, the class “photographer” shows off the cardboard camera he created. (Photo: Mekbib Tadesse for the Luminos Fund)
In the Konso zone, where Luminos is running a pilot to serve internally displaced children, students receive a hot meal midway through the school day. (Photo: Michael Stulman/Luminos Fund)
Student Firehiwot practices writing in her colorful, joyful Luminos classroom. “I like school,” declares Firehiwot, “because this is where I learn how to write and read!” (Photo: Mekbib Tadesse for the Luminos Fund)
Students are often asked to pair up throughout the day to practice and complete assignments before sharing in front of the class. (Photo: Michael Stulman/Luminos Fund)
Aster (right) is the mother of Luminos student Andenet and shares her daughter’s love of learning. The mother of five, Aster has recently returned to school herself and is studying at the seventh-grade level! (Photo: Mekbib Tadesse for the Luminos Fund)
Student Mebratu is thriving in the Luminos program. Mebratu’s grandmother Bafane has proudly witnessed his growth and says, “My grandchild has improved a lot. He can now read and write. He now wants to share what he knows with others.” (Photo: Mekbib Tadesse for the Luminos Fund)
What We Do in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, Luminos is reaching thousands of vulnerable and out-of-school children each year through our accelerated education program. In just one school year, we support children to achieve foundational reading, writing, and math skills with transformational results.
To address the learning crisis at scale, Luminos is building capacity within the national, regional, and local education bureaus to adopt and deliver our program. In 2025-26, the government is reaching over 67,000 children through the adoption of our program model.
Through both direct delivery and government adoption of the program, Luminos is scaling to reach new geographies and populations. In the Konso zone of SNNPR, for example, we are testing and scaling a new pilot that is serving internally displaced children, which includes a school meal component.
We have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Education, representing our joint commitment to ensuring all children can catch up to grade level, reintegrate into government schools, and prepare for lifelong learning.
“I have been able to see closely how the lessons are given and how the teachers are committed. The follow up by teachers is quite amazing. They do much better than the regular teachers. Even highly paid teachers do not show this level of commitment and output. The classrooms are lively and have a lot of learning resources. I am now a champion of the program.“
Mesfin Yacob
Sodo Zuria Woreda School Improvement and Supervision Directorate Team Leader (Ethiopian government, district-level official)
The 2025-2026 School Year
classrooms
students
regional states and cities
community partners
These numbers include both Luminos direct delivery classrooms and government adoption classrooms.
Reports & Evaluations
2024-25 Luminos Ethiopia Endline Evaluation Report (Tigray)
(JaRco Consulting )
Evaluating the Effects of Social-Emotional Learning and Activity-Based Teaching Methods in Tigray, Ethiopia
(Institute for Education, Health, and Development at Addis Ababa University)
2018 Longitudinal Study (Summary)
(University of Sussex)
Learning Loss, Trauma, and Resilience in Tigray Report (Summary)
(Institute for Education, Health, and Development at Addis Ababa University)
2020 Report Synthesis (Out-of-School Children in Ethiopia)
(Ministry of Education, Ethiopia)
“I’ve evaluated the Luminos Fund’s programs in Ethiopia over a number of years and want to emphasize their impact educating out-of-school children as well as the great promise of the Ethiopian government to adopt the Luminos model in its own classrooms. Especially given Ethiopia’s focus on accelerated education through the COVID-19 pandemic and eventual recovery, Luminos’s programs and this type of NGO-government collaboration can serve as a model for resilient, transformative education during and after crises.”
Dr. Kwame Akyeampong
Professor of International Education & Development at The Open University and Luminos Board of Directors
90% of Luminos students transition to government school upon completing the program
%
Luminos students outperform their peers in English and Math by an average of 10%
- Luminos students 45%
- Government students 36%
Luminos students are happier and more confident than their peers
Luminos Classroom Materials
The Luminos Fund, in partnership with the Sidama and Tigray Regional Education Bureaus in Ethiopia, is proud to share our comprehensive suite of teaching and learning materials. These materials equip out-of-school, primary-aged children with strong foundational literacy and numeracy skills using evidence-based, structured pedagogy. Materials are aligned with the national Minimum Learning Competencies for Grades 1 and 2 and adapted to the structure of the local language and the specific needs of students in each context.
Teacher Toshine holds her Teacher’s Guide outside her government classroom in Sidama. (Photo: Mekbib Tadesse for the Luminos Fund)
Organized into two phases mapped to each region’s academic calendar, the materials enable learners to progress through the equivalent of two years of primary school in just ten months through daily instruction, continuous assessment, and targeted support. Each phase builds progressively—from early phonics and basic numeracy to independent reading, writing, and problem-solving—preparing students to transition into Grade 3 in government schools.
The materials for each phase include a Teacher’s Guide (also known as a Playbook) and a Training Manual. All Teacher’s Guides were developed in collaboration with curriculum experts nominated by the respective Regional Education Bureaus (REBs) and have been validated by the REBs.
In addition to foundational learning, all materials dedicate time to establishing a safe, joyful classroom culture, as well as building social-emotional learning skills and readiness for instruction at the start of the year. The amount of dedicated time is customized to each region’s unique needs. In Sidama, for example, the first five weeks focus solely on literacy to build a strong foundation before numeracy is introduced. In Tigray, a region recovering from conflict, this is extended further: the first three weeks are dedicated specifically to pre-literacy, pre-numeracy, and social-emotional skills, giving teachers additional time to focus on classroom culture.
To download the materials, please fill out the form below.
In Tigray, Teacher Filagot leads a literacy lesson using his Teacher’s Guide. (Photo: Mekbib Tadesse for the Luminos Fund)
Sidaamu Afoo
Tigrinya
Phase 1
Builds early foundational literacy and numeracy skills, including basic phonics, simple word blending, early writing, counting to 100, and addition and subtraction.
Phase 2
Deepens core reading, writing, and math understanding as learners master letter sounds, read and write simple sentences, work with numbers up to 1,000, and begin multiplication.
Training Materials
Training Manuals cover five days of intensive teacher training for each phase, equipping teachers to successfully use the Teacher’s Guide and help children learn effectively.
Classroom Materials
Meet our Ethiopia Team
Roman Tesfaye Adamu
Yadesa Asfaw
Hassen Ahmed Assen
Bisrat Awoke
Ermias Beyene
Dr. Caitlin Collis
Dr. Alemayehu Hailu Gebre
Haftu Hindeya Gebremeskel
Wondu Gudeta
Sintayehu Kute
Tadesse Hailemariam Mamo
Selamawit Melese
Tegistu Petros Mirkano
Million Morki
Woldu Techane
Welday Tesema
Biruke Wesenseged
“Every morning I wake up with full energy knowing that what I am doing is not a mere job, but devotion to equip children with knowledge and skills that will lead them to a better life.”
Dr. Alemayehu Hailu Gebre, Senior Director of Programs, Ethiopia
Our Community Partners
Frontline community-based organizations (CBOs) are fundamental to Luminos’ model. These CBOs help select the communities we work in based on local needs, lead community engagement and delivery of the Luminos program, and monitor the program on an ongoing basis. In Ethiopia, Luminos works with the Ministry of Education and the following CBOs to co-create and deliver our country-specific programs:
Emmanuel Development Association (EDA)
Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus- Development & Social Service Commission – South Area Work (EECMY-DASSC)
Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus – North Area Work (EECMY-NAW)
Hope for Children in Ethiopia Relief and Development Association (HCF-RD)
Integrated Service on Health and Development Organization (ISHDO)
Operation Rescue Ethiopia (ORE)
Positive Action for Development (PAD)
Ratson: Women, Youth, and Children Development Program (RATSON)
Tigray Development Association (TDA)
Wolaita Development Association (WoDA)
“Partnering with the Luminos Fund has allowed us to develop our creativity, attention to detail, and ability to set priorities. It’s truly inspiring to witness the transformation of the vulnerable rural children we work with, as they become more confident and outspoken. The innovative and creative techniques employed by Luminos have also contributed to a positive shift in the working culture of school communities. We continue to learn from the program, and it is making a significant impact in the education sector.”
Woinshet Mengesha
South and Central Branch Office Manager, EECMY-DASSC
Latest news & stories from Ethiopia
Azalech’s Story: From Out of School to Sixth Grade in Ethiopia
Azalech is a proud 6th-grade student in her local government school—and a proud Luminos alum. She excels in math and is focused on completing her education to one day become a doctor. Her journey to the classroom began at age 11, when she enrolled in the Luminos program after years out of school.
Oromia Signs MoU with Luminos Fund, Launching Structured Pedagogy in Government Schools
Ethiopia is home to the Luminos Fund’s largest and longest-running program. Since 2018, the Ethiopian Ministry of Education and regional education bureaus have partnered with Luminos to expand accelerated learning as a government-led strategy for supporting...
How Organizational Learning Shapes the Luminos Program in Ethiopia
Millions of children in sub-Saharan Africa are unable to go to school because of poverty, conflict, and deep systemic barriers. In Ethiopia, government-run Accelerated Learning Programs (ALPs) serve as a vital lifeline, condensing years of missed primary education into an intensive curriculum that helps out-of-school children catch up to grade level and continue their education with peers.
How do organizations behind these complex education interventions improve and scale with government, while maintaining impact over time? A critical part of the answer is building a culture of organizational learning and accountability—assessing what works, collecting feedback from stakeholders, and building practical improvements back into the model.
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