Hello!

My name is Luel, and I grew up in a small village in northern Ethiopia called Koraro. Koraro is a rural town where most people work as farmers. For children there, accessing education can be challenging.

Schools are few and far between, so distances alone can be a barrier to education.

I was fortunate to be able to attend school. I started school when I was 7, walking three miles each way with the help of older students from my neighborhood. After second grade, my family moved closer, reducing the daily journey to half an hour. However, upon completing elementary school, the nearest high school was 17 miles away, and there were no buses available. At that time, there were not even paved roads between the towns. To pursue education, I had to move out by myself or risk dropping out.

And so I did. I moved to the town of Hawzen, which had the closest high school to where I grew up. Visiting my family became a tough journey, requiring a 5-6 hour walk from the high school. Despite these challenges, my determination and family support led me through grades 9-12 in Hawzen and later for college, in Addis Ababa University.

Fast forward to today. In the past few years Koraro has been through a lot. Like many schools, they closed with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but there was no option for distance learning in Koraro. Schools stayed closed due to the pandemic, followed by civil unrest for more than three years. Finally, schools reopened in May 2023, and now they face new challenges. After the war, a new high school was built in Koraro, but it lacks essential supplies.

Considering my personal journey with education, I am committed to take action to support the school. So, on Sunday March 24, 2024, I am going to run the Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon to fundraise for the school. My goal is to establish a well-equipped library with books and tablets loaded with educational materials.

Your support in this endeavor will make a significant difference in providing these students with the tools they need to succeed. Myself, and the children of Koraro, appreciate any contribution that you could make- big or small in supporting the cause of education in our community. Thank you in advance for your support."