Barefoot Initiative believes that education is an important part of the future. The community in the Afar believes the same, and the students that we sponsor are very grateful for receiving a tertiary education. It provides them with tools and knowledge to serve their community. By supporting these students, you are doing a lot more than helping one person. The education that these students receive will not only benefit them and their families, but their entire communities.

ishka humid ishka/graduated

Ishka is the chief of Yooren’s eldest child. He is one of 15 siblings. He was born in Malka Warrar, which is a small Afar town 30km from Yooren. His mother died when he was 16 years old from falling onto the firewood she was collecting while she was pregnant.

With our support he completed a degree in Public Health and graduated in September 2020.  Ishka now works as a public health officer in a government health clinic back in Afar region.

IBRAHAM HUMID ISHKA/Graduated

Ibraham is Ishka’s younger brother, and graduated with a Degree in Public Health in September 2019. Ibraham now works as a public health officer in the Awash city Administration Health office.

Kamil Mensur/graduated

Kamil first got a diploma in nursing at Samara university where he then worked as a nurse in the Yooren health post for over 3 years. He felt that with just a diploma his knowledge and capacity was limited, especially for a single post low resourced settings as was the case in Yooren. Our program supported Kamil to complete a degree in Public health in Addis where he graduated in 2020. Kamil now works as the Medical Director for the Haruka Health Center. He also works as a volunteer for Waklisa.

GUMATI IBRAHIM & EYSA ESSE HUMAD/GRADUATED

Gumati Ibrahim and Eysa Esse Humad graduated with a Bachelor of Accounting & Finance in 2020 and both now have jobs in the Afar capital of Semara where Gumata is the assistant accountant in the Afar regional state President’s office and Eysa works as an accountant for the youth sport bureau for the regional state.

FATUMA MOHAMED/gratuated

Fatuma is also from Halidabi. She is a middle child of 10 siblings. Her father and seven of her siblings died when she was younger.

Fatuma graduated in September 2015 with a degree in Clinical Nursing. She is our first student to graduate from the program. With the tragedy and loss within her immediate family she is aware of the dire need for an improved health care system within her community. Fatuma is currently working to improve child and maternal health in one of the 2 Government Hospitals in the Afar region. 

Mohamed, Awel & hussen/Graduated

Mohamed, Awel and Hussen are our first pharmacy students in our scholarship program. All 3 students graduated in Late 2023 and now wish to return to the Afar to improve health outcomes by supporting better access to safe medication and its use.

zehara mohammed/current

Zehara Mohammed, 20 is a 1st year Accounting and Finance scholarship student at Admas university. Here she is outside the house she shares with 2 other female students from the program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Zehara will graduate in September 2025.

Momina mohammed/current

Momina is in her1st year as an Accounting and Finance student in Addis Ababa. Momina will graduate in September 2025.

Ibramhim Mohammed humido

Ibrahim joined the program in October 2023 to study a bachelor in Clinical Nursing. Ibrahim will graduate in September 2027.

Ebrahim is 20 years old and comes from the village of Angalille. He comes from a family with 7 siblings. Ebrahim has a dream to complete his nursing degree and then take on a masters in public health and nutrition as he would like to address the huge issue, he sees in his community regarding child malnutrition.

ali hassen abdo/current

Ali joined the program in October 2023 to study a bachelor in Financing and Accounting. Ali will graduate in September 2027.

Ali has a dream to support his community in using the bank system. Afar traditionally use their animals to trade and acquire wealth, however with increasing droughts and diseases in the region, many animals are dying, thus according to Ali it is not a sustainable way to invest your wealth. Ali wants to change this and support his community with this change.

Due to Ali’s religious beliefs, he has not allowed his photo to be taken, however he is very grateful for the scholarship program and the opportunity he is being given.

ABDO ABAHABa ali/graduated

Abdo was born in the Afar community of Halidabi. Halidabi is 20km north of Yooren. Abdo is the youngest of six siblings. His mother and siblings are based in Halidabi.

Abdo graduated with a degree in Public health in 2017, with the highest score for his year he received an academic certificate of excellence. He went on to graduate in 2020 with a masters in public health. Abdo juggles consultancy contracts with the WHO while holding his position as co-founder to Waklisa, an Afar registered NGO, who we partnered with to support the implementation of the Scholarship and Access to Safe Water projects.

MUSSER MENSSUR/graduated

Musser is from a large family in Halidabi, but unfortunately both his parents four of his 9 siblings have died.

Musser feels that health education is essential to tackle some of the challenges that are faced within the Afar region. He recognizes that there are few Afar’s with a degree in Public Health, and therefore his ambition is to assist within this field to have a positive impact on his community.

Musser graduated with a Degree in Public health in September 2017. He now works as a Maternal and Child Health officer in Amibara Health office.

Mohammed sedean/graduated

Mohammed is from Buri, which is 10 km from Yooren. He has 4 sisters, of whom 1 has died and 4 brothers. He completed year 12 in September 2016. His father works as a farm laborer for an investor and his mother is a pastoralist. Mohammed graduated with a degree in public health in 2020. He now works with Khamil in Haruka Health center as a public health officer.

ABDO MOHAMED/gratuated

Abdo was born in Halidabi, which is where his family are from. He has 8 sisters and 2 brothers. His mother is still alive, but his father died when he was younger.

When Abod was 16 he moved to Yooren where he was married and had two small children. His son died from suspected pneumonia and soon after his wife, second child and 14 year old sister died tragically in a cholera outbreak. Since Abdo has remarried and has now has 3 children.

Abdo graduated in September 2016 with a Degree in Clinical Nursing. Abdo now lives in Gawane where he is the Woreda Health office disease prevention and control process officer, and is also the focal point for a EU project titled ‘Addressing social determinants of health for gender equality’. Abdo is passionate about sharing his knowledge to prevent avoidable diseases, and to educate his community about primary health care so that other families do not have to suffer as he has done. Abdo is now pursuing his masters in public health from the Semara University where he has already completed 2 years.

MEDINA OMAR/Graduated

Medina joined our scholarship program in 2018 and graduated in 2021 with a bachelor of Accounting and Finance. Medina comes from Barta, where she grew up in a traditional Afar hut herding goats, collecting water, firewood and grass to weave matt walls for the family home. When she was 8 years old she started to attend school, which was a 3 hour round trip, which she did daily walking without shoes. Medina shares that on this daily walk she was determined to complete year 12, so that she would have an education to be able to help herself and her family. In 2021 Medina graduated with a degree in Accounting &Finance and is still in search of a job which Waklisa is supporting her with.

Abdo ibrahim/Graduated

Abdo started a Bachelor of Accounting and Finance in 2018. He shares that in his family and in his community, people don’t understand how to save and spend money. Abdo graudated in 2021 and hopes to set up his own business in time and create awareness regarding business and financing in his own family and in his community, to help them to become economically independent and healthy.

Hasna Sechem Oumer/current

Hasna comes from the village of Buri and entered our program in 2022 to study a bachelors in Accounting and finance.

Abdo mohammed helem/current

Abdo comes from Daknamo village and joined our program in 2022 to study a bachelor in clinical nursing. Abdo will graduate in September 2025.