Lelt on the Ground: Amplifying Impact

Our partners in Ethiopia have started the year with strong momentum. Here are a few highlights from the field:

Anchor Ethiopia

Earlier this month, Anchor Ethiopia hosted a joyful community celebration honoring students’ academic achievements and reflecting on the progress made throughout 2025. Students were recognized for their dedication and hard work, a meaningful moment that highlighted how access to consistent educational and family support can translate into real academic success. The event also served as a powerful reminder of what’s possible when students, families, and community partners come together with shared purpose.

Since launching in April 2023, the Suki-Mariam Children and Family Empowerment Project — a collaboration between Anchor Ethiopia and the Lelt Foundation — has supported 50 households, reaching 260 family members through an integrated approach that includes education, nutrition, digital literacy, healthcare access, and economic empowerment. In 2025 alone, children benefited from daily nutrition support, quarterly food rations, educational materials, after-school tutoring, and computer skills training, while parents gained access to community-based health insurance, small-business training, and startup funding. Together, these efforts are not only meeting immediate needs, but also building long-term stability, resilience, and opportunity for families in the Suki-Mariam community.

Open Future Ethiopia

Lelt is pleased to announce a new 12-month grant agreement with Open Future Ethiopia, continuing a 14 year partnership rooted in shared values and community-driven solutions. Throughout 2025, our collaboration delivered critical food and nutrition support to students and families, including a weekday meal program serving 95 students, emergency food assistance for families facing acute hardship, and the quarterly distribution of food rations to 140 households. These interventions have helped stabilize food security for vulnerable families and ensured that students are healthy, nourished, and able to stay engaged in school.

Beyond nutrition, our partnership with Open Future Ethiopia has supported students academically, creatively, and economically. Through scholarships and education programs, 50 primary and secondary students, and 20 college students received full tuition and transportation support, while more than 130 additional students benefited from school supplies, backpacks, and access to a full libarary. Students also participated in computer literacy and programming courses, music instruction, art-therapy classes, vocational training, and received healthcare and hygiene support through local partnerships. Together with Lelt, Open Future Ethiopia continues to build pathways that not only meet immediate needs, but also foster long-term opportunity, resilience, and self-determination for children and families across the communities we serve.