New Shoes: Announcing Our New Partnership with Dechase
It was a joyous day on the Seeds of Africa campus on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022, when all 250 of our students received new school uniforms for the 2021-2022 school year. Thanks to our newly-established partnership with Dechase, a sustainable contemporary footwear brand, each student was gifted a pair of premium leather school shoes.
Although public school is free to attend for all children, many parents in Ethiopia's most vulnerable communities cannot afford additional costs of schooling such as stationary supplies and uniforms. As a result, over 2.6 million Ethiopian primary school-aged children are out of school.
These barriers to education create limited opportunities for the development of Ethiopia’s large youth population. At Seeds of Africa, our goal is to equip our students with all of the necessary tools they need to stay healthy, happy, enrolled and engaged at school.
Our partnership with Dechase reflects our shared values of community uplift; 100% of Dechase’s production process is done in Ethiopia. With a social impact vision to work with local leather craftsmen and women to create high-quality products, Dechase is committed to providing impeccable working conditions, paying fair wages above market standards, and helping raise household incomes.
Now, Seeds of Africa students will walk alongside Dechase’s journey of elevating sustainable African apparel in global markets towards socio-economic impact. We are grateful and excited to continue working with this visionary brand for school shoes proudly made in Ethiopia.
About Dechase
Founded in 2016 by Tewodros Dechase, Dechase is a contemporary shoe brand that merges diversity, sustainability and African heritage into its core brand ethos. The social enterprise creates premium leather footwear with local craftsmen to catalyze economic, environmental and social development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Learn more at www.dechase.world
About Seeds of Africa
Founded in 2008, Seeds of Africa is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that aims to provide students, families, and their larger networks in Adama, Ethiopia with the resources they need to alleviate poverty, support themselves, and reinvest in their local community. Our Seeding Education program provides a free, full-time school from pre-kindergarten to middle school. Our multi-dimensional model for education offers free healthcare, nutrition, school supplies, and an innovative project-based STEAM methodology.
Images: Tsion Haileselassie / @tsion.haileselassie @zionhaileselassie