Dr. Woyita Woza, the head of the education department of the EKHC that supports the network of 220 primary and high schools, made a request for help to resource technological support for these schools. These church-related schools have weaknesses in resources and the economic context of the country is such that the need for help on this front is urgent. There are over 100,000 students in these schools who would be beneficiaries. The teaching faculty of the schools will be the recipients of the equipment. Among the uses for the computers and projectors, in addition to numeracy and literacy instruction, will be teaching English as a foreign language https://joytwopublications.com, Farming God’s Way https://www.farming-gods-way.org, Days with Jesus videos https://mentorlink.org/resources/days-with-jesus and others.

These schools are located primarily in central and southern Ethiopia. The country has reached a peace agreement over the conflict in the north of the country. However, the inflation rate is about 37% and goods are scarcer and disposable income is lower. Private education is usually preferred to the public system, yet they receive no public funding.

Projectors and Bluetooth speakers are also a necessary component for any computer used for classroom teaching as this enables the use of videos, documentaries and a variety of educational content.

Tim Jacobson

Tim was born and raised in Ethiopia and after his education in Canada he returned with his family under SIM and served in development work and theological education. He founded one college and was involved in the development, administration and advising of others in Ethiopia and then consulted internationally for theological education programs. He has been involved in multiple projects and led multiple teams to Ethiopia. He is currently the executive director of MentorLink Canada. He and Lorna are the grandparents of six grandchildren. Two of their children and their families live in Canada; half of the grandchildren and their parents live in Ethiopia.

Peter Wallace

Peter has worked in the development field for 20 years and in the environmental field for 28 years. He is a professional engineer & co-owner of Green-Port Environmental whose primary business is the recycling of <50 ppm PCB oil filled transformers and related equipment such as switchgear, regulators, hydro meters, E-waste and HPS streetlights. GPE recycles more than 96% of the weight of incoming material and operates an MECP approved facility in Georgetown, Ontario.  He is actively working on promoting and raising corporate sponsorships for Life Changing Laptops – Ethiopia. Peter and his wife Kim live in Oakville Ontario and enjoy outdoor activities and the achievements of their four children.

Dave is an adjunct professor of language at Fanshawe College in London, Canada. He is a retired teacher with the Thames Valley District School Board serving 28 years. He and his wife Sharon are ESL teachers with North Park ESL in London and Dave has partnered with educators in Ethiopia providing TEFL training to college professors and children teachers since 2017. Dave has been involved in educational development in Thailand and the Caribbean and also serves in providing settlement and support to newcomers to Canada. Currently, he is actively working on promoting and raising sponsorships for Life Changing Laptops – Ethiopia, a project of DevXchange. He loves outdoor activities and spending time with his family which includes his three married children, their spouses, and six grandchildren

Stephen McCombe

Stephen has worked in education for over 38 years as teacher, principal and international consultant. He has been fortunate to meet and work with prospective leaders, principals and district leaders from over 20 different nations in the world through Ontario Principals’ Council and International School Leadership. He is presently working on projects with school leaders in Togo and Ethiopia along with DevXchange program called Life Changing Laptops – Ethiopia. Stephen and his wife Karen (also a teacher) live in Southwestern Ontario and are the proud grandparents of 6 grandchildren.