Helina Meaza
Hilena’s Leap of Faith
At twelve years old, Hilena Meaza W/Selassie should have been happily settled into fourth grade. Instead, she had never experienced the joy of holding a textbook or writing her name in a notebook. “Before the war, I was too young to start school,” Hilena explains, her small frame nearly swallowed by the blue uniform she now wears with visible pride at Izana Primary School in Aksum. When the guns finally fell silent after two brutal years of conflict, her parents seized their chance – at last enrolling their daughter in first grade.
The Malala Fund’s intervention, implemented through Initiative Africa, revolutionized Hilina’s educational journey in ways both practical and profound. The accelerated learning program compressed two academic years into one, helping students like Hilina reclaim lost time. “Thanks to Initiative Africa, we receive exercise books and pencils twice a year. This generous support has made a big difference for us and brought joy to our family.” Helina explains. Beyond academics, it provided crucial psychosocial support to help children process the trauma of war, while the simple provision of school supplies lifted an enormous burden from struggling families. The photocopied machine alone changed everything for us.” The transformation in the 12-year-old is palpable, where once she spoke in hesitant whispers, she now declares with quiet conviction: “I will become a banker.” In most contexts, this might seem an ordinary childhood aspiration. But in Tigray, where bullets have shattered the majorityof school buildings and the very concept of normalcy, such dreams become acts of quiet rebellion against despair.
Meron Birhane
Merons’s Stolen YearsEleven-year-old Meron Birhane remembers the exact date her education stopped: November 2020, when soldiers entered her town of Adwa. A star student who had just begun KG 3, she spent the next 30 months watching her textbooks fade in the sun as her family moved between shelters. “I cried when I saw younger cousins learning to read while I forgot my lessons,” she confesses.
The ALP program became her lifeline. Through targeted catch-up courses and small-group tutoring, Meron didn’t just recover lost ground; she soared. Last term, she achieved perfect scores in six subjects. “My teacher says I’m doctor material now,” she grins, her once-withdrawn demeanor replaced by quiet confidence. Her message to girls still hesitant to return to school? “The war tried to make us forget our worth. But look, my hands that carried water buckets can now hold a stethoscope.”
Ephrem G/Michael
Ephrem’s self taught survivalEfrem G/Michael’s education unfolded in stolen moments. During the worst fighting, the 12-year-old from Aksum would crouch in his family’s makeshift basement, tracing letters in the dirt by flashlight. “My parents were teachers before the war,” he explains. “They made me promise to keep learning.” But makeshift lessons couldn’t compensate for systemic collapse, by 2022, Tigray’s education system had lost nearly two years.
Malala Fund’s program provided what Efrem determination can’t: psychological support and training for their teachers. “In our ALP class of 40, we get what others don’t, teachers who notice when you’re struggling,” he says. Now ranking first in Grade 5, Efrem embodies the program’s ripple effect: “I tutor younger kids on weekends. War took enough from us, we won’t let it take our future too.”