Education
Education transforms lives. It is the single most powerful tool we have for breaking the cycle of poverty — not just for the individual who gains knowledge, but for their family, their community, and the generations that follow. A child who stays in school earns more, lives longer, and raises healthier children. A community that invests in education builds the human foundation that every other form of progress depends on.
The Berhan Foundation is committed to making that investment real. We support organizations that remove the barriers standing between people and the education they deserve — financial barriers, geographic barriers, infrastructure barriers, and the deeper systemic barriers that have historically excluded girls, rural communities, and the most marginalized from quality learning.
Our education grantmaking is not about access alone. Access is the starting point, not the finish line. We invest in the quality of learning environments, the training and support of educators, and the systemic conditions that allow education to fulfill its full promise — for every child, in every community, without exception.
What we fund
Scholarships and financial support
For too many students, the decision to stay in school is not about desire — it is about money. School fees, uniforms, books, transportation, and the opportunity cost of a child's labor can all combine to make education feel impossible for families living in poverty. We fund scholarship programs that remove those financial obstacles, covering tuition and related educational costs so that students can focus on learning rather than survival.
Our scholarship support extends across levels — from primary school through secondary and into higher education and vocational training — because we believe the right to learn does not end when a student reaches a certain age or grade.
School construction and infrastructure
Quality education requires safe, functional, and adequately equipped learning spaces. In too many communities across the Global South, students learn in overcrowded classrooms, crumbling buildings, or open-air spaces with no protection from the elements. These conditions do not just make learning harder — they send a message to children about how much their education is valued.
We invest in the development and improvement of educational facilities in underserved communities: building new schools where none exist, renovating deteriorating structures, and equipping classrooms with the libraries, technology, and materials that effective learning requires. We believe that every student deserves a space that says, clearly and unmistakably: your education matters.
Teacher training and professional development
The single most important factor in a student's education is the quality of their teacher. Yet in many of the communities we serve, teachers work in isolation — without access to training, mentorship, peer support, or the ongoing professional development that helps educators grow and improve. The result is a cycle where under-resourced schools produce under-prepared graduates who become under-resourced teachers.
We fund programs that break that cycle. We support teacher training initiatives, professional development workshops, and mentorship programs that give educators the tools, knowledge, and confidence to excel in their classrooms. We invest in the people who invest in students — because when teachers thrive, students thrive.
Educational resources and materials
Books, learning materials, and technology are not luxuries — they are the basic tools of education. Yet in underserved communities, their absence is routine. Students share single textbooks among dozens. Libraries are bare. Digital learning tools remain out of reach. We fund the distribution of educational resources that equip students and teachers to do the work of learning and teaching effectively.
Adult education and lifelong learning
Education is not only for children. Adults who missed out on formal schooling — or who need new skills to navigate a changing economy — deserve pathways to learning too. We support adult literacy programs, vocational education, and continuing learning initiatives that open doors for people at every stage of life. Because the capacity to grow and learn does not have an expiration date.
We believe education is not a privilege to be earned — it is a right to be protected. When we invest in education, we are investing in the most powerful force for change the world has ever known. Every student supported is a future expanded. Every classroom built is a community strengthened. Every teacher trained is a generation transformed.
That is the work. And we are committed to it for the long term.