Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Ethiopia Education Initiatives (EEI)?
EEI is a nonprofit organization founded in 2016 by Rebecca Haile and Jean Manas to expand access to world-class secondary education in Ethiopia. Our flagship project is Haile-Manas Academy, a model residential high school in Debre Birhan that serves high-achieving students from across the country.

2.  Where does EEI work? 
EEI is a US organization with an office in New York. All of its programs are in Ethiopia.  

3. Why is Haile-Manas Academy EEI’s first project?
We chose Haile-Manas Academy as our first project because we wanted to create a model for what is possible in Ethiopia. Our mission is to serve the talented students who attend HMA, and to impact Ethiopian education more broadly.  

4. What makes Haile-Manas Academy different?
Haile-Manas Academy is the first school of its kind in Ethiopia: a boarding school that delivers academic excellence in a setting that promotes community, service and leadership. Our teaching is different—we replace traditional “chalk and talk” models with teaching that emphasizes design thinking, hands-on work, and a genuine engagement with classroom material. Our community is different—we are the only school in the country that recruits students from all over Ethiopia, uses merit-based admissions, and offers financial aid to admitted students who need it. Our residential setting is different—we offer students time to go deep with co-curricular activities and the opportunity to grow as individuals who can take care of themselves and each other. This is what we want to model for others. 

5.  How do you measure success?  
While Haile-Manas Academy is still a relatively new school, all data to date points to success. Our first two classes of graduates achieved extremely high results on the Grade 12 Ethiopian National Exam and our graduates have matriculated at prestigious universities around the world.

6.  Does EEI have other projects besides HMA? 
EEI’s current focus is HMA, but through HMA has launched several programs that serves the local community. For example, through HMA service learning, we run daily programming for a group of local elementary students and offer robotics programming for middle school students, and we have done a lot of work with refugee children in Debre Birhan town.

Beyond our campus, we strive to serve as a national resource. The Ministry of Education has solicited our input and sent educators to observe our work. In the fall of 2025, we were privileged to host the ten newly hired directors and deputy directors of the Ministry’s new special boarding schools on our campus for an intensive, three-week visit to share best practices, experiences and expertise in support of these new schools. 

7.  How can I donate to EEI or HMA?
You can donate to EEI securely online here, or you can send a check, ACH debit/or wire, or a gift of appreciated securities.  You can make a one-time contribution or sign up to join our group of monthly donors. HMA is a project of EEI and donations to EEI are used to support the school.

8.  Is my donation to EEI tax-deductible?
Yes, EEI is a US 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit and donations made within the United States are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.  

9.  How can I stay updated on EEI’s work? 
Follow our social media channels (linked below) and subscribe to our email newsletter for updates, project highlights, and stories of impact.