Between 2017 and 2020, Mary Help College, managed by the Salesian Sisters, carried out the "Dilla Girls' Dormitory" project in Dilla, in Ethiopia's Gedeo region, with the aim of combating female school dropout. A residential structure was built for 200 young women between the ages of 18 and 35, offering them a safe environment to attend courses in Information Technology, tailoring, and secretariat.
In Ethiopia, over 60% of girls drop out before completing secondary studies, often due to housing insecurity, early marriages, or lack of adequate facilities. The dormitory allowed the girls to live on campus, ensuring educational continuity, protection, and dignity, and promoting economic independence.
The initiative had an impact on over 800 indirect beneficiaries, including families and local communities, helping to strengthen the role of women in society and open new professional prospects for the most vulnerable young women.
Women's empowerment means offering tools and opportunities to strengthen autonomy, skills, and active participation in society. Through training and concrete support, we help women become protagonists of change in their communities.
Direct: 200
Indirect: 800
The city of Dilla is the heart of the Gedeo region, an area internationally known for coffee production, which accounts for much of Ethiopia's exports. Agriculture, particularly coffee and enset (false banana) cultivation, is the main source of sustenance for the local population. Despite this potential, the region remains marked by widespread poverty: many small farmers earn too little to guarantee continuous education for their children. Schools are overcrowded and often lack adequate resources, with one of the highest student-to-teacher ratios in the country. Infrastructural difficulties are compounded by economic ones, making access to quality educational pathways complicated. At the same time, the Gedeo community is known for its resilience and strong cooperative spirit, elements that constitute a precious resource for facing the challenges of the future.
With the goal of supporting basic education and vocational training, the Foundation invests in infrastructure and initiatives addressing educational challenges such as the empowerment of girls and women.
Each project is developed in collaboration with local communities and aims to promote education, personal growth, and sustainable development.
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The Nuovo Fiore in Africa Foundation is recognized as a public utility organization, registered with the Federal Supervisory Authority, and all donations made are tax-deductible.
