Every child deserves a chance to learn, play, and grow. But in rural Ethiopia, children with disabilities are rarely welcomed in classrooms. Girls are kept out of sports. And some communities have been overlooked entirely. Roots Ethiopia's Inclusion Projects work to change that — one classroom, one team, one community at a time.
At the center of this work is the Children with Disabilities Center in Halaba — the first of its kind in Central and Southern Ethiopia.
What are Inclusion Projects?
Inclusion Projects fund the work that makes classrooms, sports programs, and community spaces accessible to everyone. That means dedicated classrooms for children with disabilities, girls' sports programs, local language books, community libraries, and early childhood education in communities that have been left out.
Why are Inclusion Projects important?
In Ethiopia, less than 5% of children with disabilities ever attend school. Girls drop out to take on household work. Communities hours from the nearest city have almost nothing.
That's the gap Roots Ethiopia works to close. Not with a single solution, but with projects designed around what each community actually needs — a dedicated classroom, a girls' soccer team, a library stocked with books in local languages.
When a child who was told there was no place for them walks through a school door, something shifts. For them. For their family. For their community.
The Children with Disabilities Center
In Halaba, Ethiopia, Roots Ethiopia built something that had never existed in Central or Southern Ethiopia — a dedicated center for children with disabilities.
Today the CWD Center serves 20 full-time students in a space designed for them, with dedicated staff trained to meet their needs. Parents are part of the process too — staff work directly with families so support doesn't stop when the school day ends.
And we are just getting started. As the CWD Center grows, more students will find their place here.
Beyond Halaba, 37 more children attend dedicated classrooms at two other schools — classrooms that exist because donors made them possible.
These children were told there was no place for them in school. There is now.
Do you have questions about Inclusion Projects?
Email us at info@rootsethiopia.org or submit a message below.
