In our September 2023 Holt calendar photo, we feature students at Wallana Kindergarten in Ethiopia, smiling in a classroom just for them!

These children are likely the first in their families to attend school. This is an opportunity for education and learning that will continue to benefit them, their families and their community for generations! And it’s all thanks to a special school made possible by Holt sponsors and donors.

Wallana Kindergarten provides both preschool and kindergarten education for children ages 4-6. These children come from three “kebeles” — or neighborhoods — in this rural farming community in southern Ethiopia. 

Recognizing the need for early education in this community, in 2010 Holt partnered with a local church there. Together, they built a three-room stone schoolhouse on a large compound, surrounded on every side by family farms and traditional mud huts.

Holt hired local teachers and social workers and equipped the school with desks, chairs and chalkboards. Holt also paired the children with sponsors whose monthly gifts provide their uniforms, books and supplies. Most importantly, sponsorship covers the cost of keeping the school operational each year for the children.

Thank you for everything you do to serve children around the world, including sending them to school! Learn more about Holt’s work in Ethiopia, or become a child sponsor today.