Education, Training, and Capacity Building Program
The EDA Education Program has established 23 alternative basic education centers for more than 20,000 marginalized children who need extra support to be successful in school. Of these children, 95% have already moved on to formal primary schools and some have gone on to higher education.
In the EDA Youth Training Program, more than 9,000 youth have been trained in vocational fields including metal work, wood work, and hotel management. Many of these at-risk youth have become self-reliant business owners. The youth who successfully complete our training programs become mentors and in turn hire other unemployed youth in their small businesses.

Shoa Robit is a rapidly growing town approximately 250 km north-east of Addis Ababa. According to the national population and housing census, the population of the town is estimated to be 36,642. Shoa Robit is one of the most vulnerable sites in the Amhara National Regional State. Extreme poverty, a prevalence of HIV/AIDS, and high unemployment, particularly among the youth, are serious problems in the area.

Akaki –Kaliti is one of the ten urban zones of Addis Ababa. This busy industrial area is located in the southern part of the city, 20 km from the city center. It has an estimated population of 220,740 (114,095 females and 106,645 males). A large percentage of the families are headed by single women.

Debre Berhan is located130 km from Addis Ababa. It is the capital town of North Shoa Zone in Amhara Region with an estimated population of 94,829, of which 50,259 (53%) are female. Many ex-soldiers and displaced people from the north settled in the town following the war to overthrow the Derg regime. Many families are headed by women who lost their husbands in the war. Average incomes in the area are very low, often no more than 500 Bir ($25 CDN) per month.