About BEN-E
BEN-E was never meant to be another implementer. It was built so that organizations already working on basic education across Ethiopia could add their voices together — and be heard.
Our history
1998
Ethiopian and international civil society organizations working on basic education come together as a coordinating network.
April 2004
Registered by the Ministry of Justice as the Basic Education Association in Ethiopia (BEA-E), giving the network formal standing.
August 2019
Re-registered as a local non-government organization under Ethiopia's Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019, Registry No. 1372.
2024–2026
Operating under GPE's Education Out Loud fund, continuing work previously backed by the Civil Society Education Fund, and active in the KIX Africa 19 regional learning hub.
Our mission
Every child in Ethiopia learning to read, write, and do basic math — and reaching that goal by making sure the organizations already doing this work are coordinated, heard, and backed by evidence.
BEN-E's membership spans more than ninety organizations, from small community-based groups to established international NGOs. What they share is a focus on basic education, and a recognition that policy change rarely comes from a single voice.
The network's role is to make sure the experience of a teacher in a rural classroom, or a mother trying to keep her daughter enrolled through a drought, actually reaches the people writing national education policy — and that it's backed by evidence, not just anecdote.
How we operate
Stage 1
90+ organizations working directly in schools and communities across Ethiopia.
Stage 2
Coordinates, aggregates evidence, and builds a shared advocacy agenda.
Stage 3
Policy dialogue with federal and regional education bureaus, and partners like GPE.
Get in touch
Whether you're a member organization, a donor, or a journalist — reach us here.
Registered as a local non-government organization under Ethiopia's Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019 — Registry No. 1372.