Nearly 30 years after graduating from Bole Community School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Samson B. Wakjira never imagined that reconnecting with former classmates would lead to a project bringing new digital opportunities to the next generation of students.
The idea began in a WhatsApp group where former classmates shared memories and eventually began asking a bigger question: How could they give back to the school that had given so much to them?
Drawing on his professional experience in digital transformation, education initiatives, and international development, Samson began organizing weekly Zoom meetings where alumni could share ideas and determine what they could accomplish together. Inspired by a former professor who had helped build a library for his own school, Samson and his classmates decided to focus on expanding access to technology at Bole Community School.
Their research eventually led them to World Computer Exchange (WCE). Over several months, Samson worked with WCE to navigate the process of purchasing and donating computers. Although the alumni group did not yet have formal nonprofit status, continued collaboration resulted in an arrangement that allowed Bole Community General Secondary School to receive the computers directly.
After months of fundraising, documentation, transportation, and customs-clearance work, 20 refurbished Dell Latitude laptops arrived at the school.
For Samson, receiving confirmation from school director Ato Muluken Simachew that the computers had finally arrived was the most meaningful moment of the project. What started as a conversation among classmates became something students and teachers could actually use.
Bole Community General Secondary School serves approximately 1,700 students in Grades 1 through 12, and its library previously had no computers available for student use. The new Digital Learning Center will give students opportunities to conduct research, develop digital skills, explore science and technology, prepare for national examinations, and access resources beyond their textbooks. Teachers will also be able to use computers to prepare lessons and incorporate more technology into classroom learning.
The project was truly a collective effort. Alumni helped coordinate fundraising and organize the project, while individual contributors in Ethiopia, the United States, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere gave generously, with contributions ranging from about $50 to $300. Their support helped cover the computers, transportation, installation, training, and other project needs. The effort also benefited from the support of the Bole Community School principal, the Addis Ababa Education Bureau IT office, and an Addis Ababa City Administration official who is also a BCS alumnus, all of whom helped move the project forward.
The delivery of the 20 computers marks the first phase of the Digital Learning Center project. Building on this initial phase, the alumni hope to improve internet connectivity, introduce digital literacy and coding opportunities, and develop other learning opportunities that can support the Center’s long-term growth.
The alumni have requested that the Center be named in honor of Teacher Teshome and his colleagues, the educators who invested in them years ago. The proposed name reflects both gratitude for the opportunities these educators provided and the alumni’s commitment to creating similar opportunities for the students who come after them.
For Samson, the project demonstrates that meaningful change can start small—with former classmates reconnecting, remembering where they came from, and deciding to give back together.
