Tigist Assefa

Revolutionized girls' education access in Ethiopia through community-based schools

Tigist Assefa (b. 1978) is an Ethiopian educator and founder of Betalsirat Girls' School, the first community-built girls' school in rural Ethiopia. Growing up in a village where only 10% of girls attended school, she pioneered a model where communities contribute land and labor to establish schools. Her approach has led to the creation of 12 girls' schools impacting over 3,000 students. Assefa's "Education for All" initiative includes training female teachers and creating safe transportation networks. Her work reduced girls' dropout rates by 45% in target regions and inspired similar programs in Kenya and Tanzania. A Harvard Kennedy School case study Ethiopian Girls' Education: A Model for Sustainable Development highlights her systemic approach. She was awarded the Global Teacher Prize in 2018 and featured in the documentary Period. End of Sentence.