Lai Windigi Primary School
Located in the rural farming village of Lema, about 158 kilometres southwest of Bahir Dar, Lay Windigi Primary School (LWPS) serves children from Lema and neighbouring communities where few schools go beyond Grade 4 or 6. Established 17 years ago by parents, it now enrolls over 1,200 students from pre-primary to Grade 8.
Before Partners’s involvement, classrooms were dark, unsafe, and overcrowded. The school lacked water, latrines, and learning resources, leading to high dropout rates and poor achievement. In 2024, Partners and the community — who contributed 60% of project costs — rebuilt the school with furnished classrooms, laboratories, a library, teacher resource centres, and a 10,000-litre water system serving the entire campus.
The project construction created 93 local jobs, providing vital income and new skills. One young woman, Maritu, joined as a labourer, learned plastering, and now works as a skilled tradesperson — doubling her income and setting her up for success to finish high school.
Classes began in September 2024, and the community celebrated the school’s official opening in November.
I never thought I could change my life by helping build a school—but I did.” — Maritu, construction worker at Lay Windigi
