Initiative Africa is a non government organization of local citizens and reform advocates dedicated to promoting quality education in Ethiopia and in Africa in general. Initiative Africa’s motto “to Teach, Inspire and Support” reflects its integral and unique role in the enhancement of Africa’s intellectual, cultural and environmental heritage.

Since 2005, IA administered SIDA grants have had significant impact on strengthening the capacities of civil society organizations operating in Ethiopia in the areas of good governance. As of 2010 IA has initiated changes in its grant making priorities and strategies, focusing to advance the global campaign “education for all”.

The Education for All movement is a global commitment to provide quality basic education for all children, youth and adults. The movement was launched at the World Conference on Education for All in 1990 by UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA , UNICEF, the World Bank and civil society partners from around the world. Participants endorsed an 'expanded vision of learning' and pledged to universalize primary education and massively reduce illiteracy by the end of the decade. Ten years later, with many countries far from reaching this goal, the international community met again in Dakar, Senegal , and affirmed their commitment to achieving Education for All by the year 2015.They identified six key education goals which aim to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015:

1. Expand early childhood care and education
2. Provide free and compulsory primary Education for All
3. Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults
4. Increase adult literacy by 50 percent
5. Achieve gender parity by 2005, and gender equality by 2015
6. Improve the quality of education

The Objective

EFA Learn to Serve is a Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) supported Grant Program put in place to support the capacity of Non-Government Organizations and communities to provide quality basic education for all children, youth and adults. More specifically, it aims to contribute of the elimination of poverty , empowerment of active and healthy citizens, and the building of sustainable solutions to the greatest development challenges of our day: HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation, economic deprivation, inequity, violence.

The Initiative 

To achieve these objectives, the EFA-Learn to serve Grant Program will partner with Non-Government Organizations(NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to co-finance innovative and impactful projects.

The Areas of Interest for 2010-2011

Learn to serve Grant Program for 2010-2011 focuses on two main areas:

1.    Life skills training [for adults] - has been proven to increase the youth educational and work   readiness, engagement in their communities, and their self-confidence and focus on the future. IA supports partnerships with:

•  Schools-We believe that life skills help our young participants succeed in the classroom as they understand the connection between education and the world of work
•  Community based organizations-We work with other nonprofit organizations that provide services to the same target population and are committed to producing tangible outcomes for the community's youth.
• Corporate partners-We help bridge the gap between our struggling urban youth and adults and the corporate culture they must learn to navigate to have a real chance at success.

2.    Upgrading the quality of science education -  Upgrading the quality of science education through science fairs is one key priority of IA in 2010-2011. Science fairs teach students about their favorite science content, allow them to practice scientific thinking and problem-solving, improvise when a procedure doesn't work out as predicted, present science findings to others, and constructively critique each other's work. If the presentation is being judged, it sharpens their skills in communicating science process and content.

 Examples of appropriate projects include:

• Demonstrations of practical products such as cameras.
• Creation of models of natural phenomena, such as water cycle, work.
• Illustration of scientific concepts, such as magnetism, and how they relate to experienced phenomena.
• Collections that display and compare variations in objects, such as