COEEF

Answers to commonly asked questions

3) Enroll the sponsored student in a nearby existing private school

When you donate money to sponsor a student, this is the process COEEF takes to get the support to your student, and to get updates about your student.

Why concentrate on girls in Ethiopia?

In most families, if there is a choice of who to send to school, the son will go before the daughter. According to a 2003 statistic from UNESCO, only 43% of enrolled students in primary schools were female (57% male).

This trend only grows worse as many girls who do attend primary school are often forced to drop out around age 12.  UNESCO statistics show that the percent of females attending secondary school drops to 36%, while the male enrollment percentage raises to 64%. Some of the reason girls drop out of school around this age are to tend to herds, care for younger siblings or obtain jobs to make money for their families. Some of these jobs can put these girls in danger of being offered money for unhealthy things like sex. Girls are also given in marriage by their families at times, or become sexually active and contract AIDS/HIV. In rural areas, young girls are often kidnapped for wives by men from other villages and never seen by their families again.

Studies have shown that in sub-Saharan Africa, girls who stay in school are less likely to get HIV/AIDS, will marry at an older age (and thus be better prepared for the responsibilities of being a mother, rather than passing poverty on to a child with a teenage mother), and are more likely to improve the lives of their children than comparably educated men. In fact, at the 1994 Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, one speaker declared, "Educate a woman and you will educate a nation."

What should I expect after I have sent in my sponsor application form?

When you join COEEF, you will receive a notice with a student’s name and some biographical information (where she lives, her parent’s names, her favorite things, ambition in life, etc…) and a photo as soon as it is available.

Most girls enter the program around age 6-10. We encourage our sponsors to continue their student support until she completes the 12th grade.

How many times per year should I expect to hear from my sponsor student?

We encourage correspondence between sponsors and students. We require our partner schools to make sure that each student writes her sponsor at least once a year. COEEF sponsors during our regular trips to Ethiopia.

An updated photograph will be sent to you each year along with any letters or drawings from your student. COEEF tries to send updated biography sheets and grade updates as much as possible.

Building friendship and affection by being a pen pal to your student is an essential part of the COEEF program. This personal touch is just one way in which the COEEF program differs from more widely known charities.

If I want to know updated information, how long should I expect to wait before a COEEF representative is able to get me information?

Throughout your sponsorship, if you would like to know updated information about your student that you may not know or that hasn’t already been sent to you, please allow COEEF about a month to get this information for you.

COEEF has one employee in Ethiopia who follows up with each student and is able to get this information. A lot of this information is gained by him visiting the school and checking up on your sponsored student in person. This may take time for him to get this information, so your patience is always appreciated.

Can I send large items to my sponsored student in Ethiopia? What’s an appropriate gift to send her?

Sending a letter to your sponsored student is always encouraged. You can send your letters to our office in Ethiopia, where our representative will hand deliver it to your student (Note: This may take up to a month to get to your student depending on how fast you send it). You can also send it to our office in America and our representative will take it with her/him on an upcoming trip to the country to hand deliver to your student. Addresses and more details will be included in your “New Sponsor Packet.”

If you would like to send your student a gift item, COEEF encourages you to send it to your America office so we can make sure if gets to your student without any mail tampering. Please keep it under 1 lb. as there are many other sponsors sending gifts to their students that our representative in America will take over to Ethiopia as well.

Appropriate gifts to send sponsored students include: stationary, pens, pencils, stickers, small hair items, inexpensive jewelry, hygiene kit items, etc… The best gift that every student enjoys the most is a picture of you and your family.

Please do not send money, expensive or large items to your student. It can be very unsafe for her to walk around with, as others may be tempted to take it. It also may set her apart from her peers and lead to ostracizing depending on what the gift is. Please contact a COEEF representative if you have any questions about what to send and how to do so safely.

Can I visit my student in Ethiopia?

Yes! Please come visit your student in Ethiopia. It is always a lot of fun for a student to meet her sponsor, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how thankful your sponsored student is about her education you are providing for her and your visit to see her.

1. COEEF arranges two sponsor trips per year that you can take part in, so you can see Ethiopia and the COEEF projects more in-depth. If you would like to schedule your own trip, contact COEEF at least a month prior to your departure to Ethiopia, and a COEEF representative in Ethiopia will arrange a day for you to visit your students partner school, visit with your student and sometimes even meet her family.
   
   Ethiopia has a lot of beautiful places to see and stay, so make it a vacation while you are there.
   
   

How much is a COEEF sponsorship, and how much goes directly to the student?

The base sponsorship fee to send a student to a private school for one year is $255/year or $25/month. This base donation covers the student’s tuition, uniforms, supplies and books. There are other sponsorship levels that include medical and personal assistance for students who may need it throughout the year, and other sponsorship levels that help COEEF with partner school building projects and other programs. For a complete list, please see our most current brochure. (Note: You can pay once a year to continue supporting her education or COEEF can set you up on an automatic monthly payment plan).

Currently, 90% of your sponsorship donation goes directly to your student. The other 10% goes to fund program costs in Ethiopia and America to help keep the organization running.

If you have any other questions about this information, please contact us and COEEF will send you any other documents you would like to see.

Are there any other in-kind donations, volunteer opportunities or other funding needed apart from the girls education program?

Yes, COEEF always has a need for those who are able to donate to the general fund. This enables us to keep the organization running. Without it, and without much of it, it makes COEEF less able to reach more potential sponsors.

COEEF also has other programs like building projects, the Mesgana Dance Fund, supplementary education fund – tutoring, medical fund and college fund that people can specify their donations to help with.

If you are able to donate your time or resources on a different level COEEF has volunteer, internship, corporate giving and grant sharing opportunities available.

Why is a COEEF sponsorship so important?

COEEF feels strongly that the biggest way to make a difference in a child’s life in Ethiopia is to empower them through education. These children would not have the opportunity to receive a quality education like they are getting in the COEEF partner schools unless sponsors like you commit to their educational development. Something that is taken for granted in America is so precious to these children in Ethiopia. Don’t let them go another day without this incredible gift that cannot be taken away once given.

Remember, if you educate a child, you educate a nation – By them, our futures can be brighter. 

Map of COEEF Schools |   Partner Schools