Wotet Abay Pre-Primary & Primary School
When Wotet Abay Pre-Primary & Primary School was rebuilt in 2017, it served over 2,000 students, including 17 children with additional support needs. At the time, classrooms were unsafe and overcrowded, and academic results were poor. No student had advanced to grade 9 in two years.
Partners replaced the deteriorating mud structures with 16 modern classrooms, a science lab, administration block, and separate boys’ and girls’ latrines, transforming the school into a clean and inspiring learning environment.
Today, Wotet Abay is recognized as a Centre of Excellence and a model for student-centred learning in the region. Teachers have fully adopted new, interactive methods introduced through training and mentorship programs with ICS Addis Ababa. The special needs program now includes two classrooms equipped with materials donated by ISEE-urk, and outdoor classrooms and sports facilities have been added to support holistic education.
A new water system and 20,000-litre storage tank provide clean water for sanitation and irrigation. The thriving educational garden — maintained by students, teachers, and parents — produces strawberries, cabbages, and other crops that generate income to support disadvantaged students and are used as hands-on learning tools across subjects.
