edusquared - the idea

edu² is an innovative non-profit start-up driven by five highly motivated students and young professionals who aim at granting scholarships to goal-oriented Ethiopian university students.

Progress

At first an extensive business plan was written. This was followed by a detailed research in Ethiopia from June to August 2011. During that time, the business plan was adapted to the local peculiarities, an extensive network has been build up, and the local infrastructure necessary to start the program was established. From the beginning of 2012, two German volunteers will follow to Addis Ababa to continue to prepare the initialization of the launch of edu² and accompany the first batch of scholars through the program.

Our Program

It is edu² mission to connect excellent Ethiopian students with the local private sector by the use of a comprehensive scholarship-program. Carefully selected undergraduates will be provided with a full scholarship for a master’s program at an Ethiopian university, as well as with extensive extra-curricular course programs to foster their soft-skills and support the development of their personality.

Funding

edu² funding concept is based on three columns: Firstly, the initial financing is provided by German foundations funding the first scholars. Secondly, local and international companies will be asked to provide a partial funding and to engage in the extracurricular activities by e.g. mentoring- and coaching-programs or joint workshops. In return the companies will have exclusive access to edu²’s pool of excellent graduates. Thirdly, the scholarship holders will be obliged to enter a reverse intergenerational contract and contribute to the program in the future. The contract states that the scholarship holders have to donate a certain percentage of their annual income to edu² for the first ten year after entering the working life. The innovative financing concept of the reverse intergenerational contract will make the program self-sustaining in the long-term.

Outlook

Within a horizon of six years, the program will be self-supporting. Moreover, in six to seven years after the program started the German founders and supporters of the program will be gradually replaced by the local alumni base. In the end, edu² Ethiopia will be a locally rooted program, supported and managed by its extensive network of Ethiopian partners and alumni. The vision of edu² is to close the current mismatch between the industry’s demands and the tertiary education. The companies are incentivized to promote the educational system directly and communicate their needs to increase the efficiency of the education system. This intention is in line with the Ethiopian governments policies and supplements its current efforts. Since the program focuses on the education and training of future leaders, the alumni of the program are intended to serve as role models and multipliers of this mindset within the Ethiopian society - changing and improving the social fabric as a whole. In the end, the entire country will benefit from the given stimulus.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

edusquared - ethiopia

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Ethiopia is located at the Horn of Africa and is the second largest state in Africa, with a population of over 90m. It is the only territory in Africa that was free from colonial rule.

Ethiopia was ranked 157th of 169 states in the 2011 Human Development Index. The education sector demonstrated particular weakness, positioned at number 168 out of 173 countries. Life expectancy is 56 years and the state is comprised of many different ethnical and religious groups. Ethiopia's GDP accounted for USD 86.12bn in 2010 with a real growth rate of 8% and a per capita income of USD 1,000 per year. The economy is dominated by low-profit-firms from the informal sector. The lack of a vibrant private sector combined with a declining state sector resulted in a wide productivity gap: The private sector could not create a sufficient number of jobs to absorb the pool of labor created by Ethiopia’s fast population growth combined with the declining public sector. In Ethiopia high returns on investment in education can be seen, measured by the salaries of more highly educated employees relative to the wages of uneducated workers. Despite this, unemployment rates of young people with high school diplomas and tertiary education degrees remain high, demonstrating a huge mismatch between skills supplied by the education system and those demanded by the private sector. In the early 2000s, 20% of vacancies remained unfilled, due to a lack of properly skilled workers. Graduates severely lack basic abilities such as communication skills or solution-oriented thinking.

The primary net enrollment rate in Ethiopia was at 87.9% in 2010 with a literacy rate of 42.7% of the population aged 15 and over. The number of undergraduate students was 78,232 in 2009/10. At graduate schools 9,781 students were enrolled during the same period. At the same time more than twenty times as many students have been enrolled in Germany (2,121,178). There are 22 publicly funded universities in the country with 11,238 lecturing staff. Undergraduate students have to take out student loans of approximately USD 890, provided by the government to cover tuition fees, accommodation and subsistence costs. Undergraduate students are also assigned to their subject of study with no free choice unless they go to private universities. Graduate scholarships are often awarded by the government and hard to finance privately for most of the undergraduates.

Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.

edusquared - team

The team of edu² consists of five young Social Entrepreneurs who have bundled their skills, knowledge, and experience to implement the powerful idea edu² - to unleash the hidden potential of the most outstanding students in Ethiopia.

From June to August 2011, the Team conducted a detailed research in Ethiopia, building up an extensive network, and establishing the local infrastructure necessary to start the venture. From the beginning of 2012, two German volunteers will follow to Addis Ababa to continue to prepare the initialization of the launch of edu² and accompany the first batch of scholars through the program.

• Konstantin v. Büren Human Resource · Konstantin@edusquared.de

  Konstantin studies International Business Administration at the German WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. He has gained extensive experience by working in the strategy consulting, in the fast moving consumer goods, and pharmaceutical business. Konstantin has successfully founded and co-founded three companies.

  

• Leonard Goetze Founder & Strategy · Leonard@edusquared.de

  Leonard studies International Business Administration at the German WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. Before starting his studies, Leonard has lived in Yunnan, China working for the German government in the education sector. During his time in China, he has co-founded a sponsorship program in the primary/secondary education sector called BTAC Baumhaus.

  

• Tim Kollmann Founder & Strategy · Tim@edusquared.de

  Since 2010, Tim holds a BA degree of the Zeppelin University, having studied at University of St. Gallen and Harvard University. After his graduation, Tim jointed McKinsey & Company. Tim has practical experience in the start-up, social, strategy consulting, telecommunication, and fast moving consumer goods sector.

  

• Katharina Rausch Fundraising, Public Relations, Foundation Advisory · Katharina@edusquared.de

  Since 2010, Katharina holds a BA degree of the Zeppelin University. Katharina has gained significant knowledge while working in the advertisement, fundraising, consulting business. She has coordinated several university-linked as well as social programs. Currently, Katharina is preparing her further academic studies.

  

• Tilmann Roth Financial Planning · Tilmann@edusquared.de

  Since 2010, Tilmann holds a BA degree of the Zeppelin University. Tilmann has gained practical experience in the position of a founder and general manager. He has set a focus on banking, focusing on the M&A advisory business. At present, Tilmann is working for the Boston Consulting Group.

  

edusquared - partner

• Ebene 11

  edusquared.de was developed by Hannes Letsch and Jan Müller from ebene11.com

  

• TEDx

  Addis based conference to disseminate "ideas worth spreading", bringing together Ethiopia’s leaders and entrepreneurs multiple times a year

  

• FirstConsult

  Ethiopian management consultancy founded by the former CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Ahmed Kellow

  

• Mekelle University and Addis Ababa University

  Two of Ethiopia’sd leading universities, especially in the field Engineering and Business Administration

  

• startsocial

  edu² is scholar of the German startsocial initiative, which aims to support social projects and ideas, and is sponsored by the German Government and McKinsey & Company, Inc.

  

edusquared - support us

Bank account for donation

Edu2 e.V.
Sparkasse Koblenz
account number: 102735438
bank identification code: 57050120

Tax Deductibility: Your donation is tax deductible. Upon request, we will send you a contribution receipt.

Should you have questions regarding a donation, please feel free to contact us via info@edusquared.de.

We are constantly looking for support of any kind. If you have any questions or if you are interested in our program, please feel free to contact us via email - we are always happy to discuss our idea.

edusquared - contact

Official mailing address

edu2 e.V.
Cranachstrasse 7
69168 Wiesloch, Germany
info@edusquared.de
+49 (0) 1234 - 67 89 000

Should you have general questions regarding edu², please feel free to contact us via info@edusquared.de.

You may also contact our team members directly.