Education for Sustainable Development

What Education for Sustainable Development does

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a women-led Civil Society Organization founded in 2007 by Amsale Mulugeta and headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The organization implements a portfolio of five integrated program pillars across six Ethiopian regions (Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, Central Ethiopia, and Benishangul Gumuz): Early Childhood Development and Education, Education Quality Improvement, Girls and Women Empowerment, Youth Vocational Skills and Entrepreneurship, and Humanitarian Response and Climate Resilience. ESD has reached more than 1.8 million people cumulatively, with approximately 61 percent being girls and women, operating 140 ECD centers, supporting 135 primary schools, training 11,146 youth, and installing 61 solar energy systems alongside 13 biogas systems.

Technically, ESD does not operate a proprietary technology platform. Its technical capabilities center on field-based program delivery, including solar energy system installation and maintenance, ICT-enabled learning integration in schools, proprietary Play-Learn-Teach Materials (PLTM) production for early childhood education, and nine nationally accredited TVET solar PV assessment centers. ESD maintains partnerships with the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia, UNHCR, the Refugees and Returnees Service, Finn Church Aid, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Malala Fund, Trócaire, Kinderpostzegels, ICCO Cooperation, SolarAid, and others.

ESD's revenue model is dual-stream. The primary stream is donor funding from international development agencies, sovereign donors, and global non-profits supporting development, humanitarian, and climate resilience programs. The secondary stream is social enterprise revenue generated through Ye Birhan Chora Trading PLC, which produces and sells learning/teaching aids, school furniture, catering services, vocational training, and climate-smart agriculture outputs. All programs and services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries; there is no commercial pricing model. ESD distributes programs directly via field teams, community structures, schools, ECD centers, youth saving cooperatives, VSLAs, and humanitarian response networks.

Name

Education for Sustainable Development

Legal name

Education for Sustainable Development

Website

https://esdethio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a women-led Ethiopian civil society organization operating across six regions to deliver early childhood education, school quality improvement, girls' and women's empowerment, youth vocational training, and humanitarian and climate resilience programs, reaching over 1.8 million people.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Education and Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Childhood Development (ECD) & Pre-Primary Education (BPADAKAB), Emergency Education / Education in Emergencies (EiE) (BPADADAN), Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Vocational skills training
• Humanitarian aid services
• Women empowerment programs
• Community development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Addis Ababa

HQ country

Ethiopia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding: ESD operates as a civil society organization (CSO) funded primarily by international donors. Funding supports development programs, humanitarian response, and climate resilience initiatives across multiple regions in Ethiopia.
2. Social Enterprise Revenue (Ye Birhan Chora Trading PLC): ESD operates a social enterprise wing (Ye Birhan Chora Trading PLC) that generates revenue through production and sale of learning/teaching aids, school furniture, catering services, vocational skill training, and climate-smart agriculture. Revenue supports organizational sustainability and reduces reliance on external donations.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an Ethiopian women-led Civil Society Organization founded in 2007 that delivers Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) through dedicated Early Childhood Development and Education Centers, education quality improvement programs integrating ICT-enabled learning, vocational skills training for out-of-school youth, and economic empowerment programs for girls and women organized around Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs). The organization complements these development activities with humanitarian response programs for displaced and drought-affected communities and operates a social enterprise (Ye Birhan Chora Trading PLC) that produces educational materials, biogas systems, solar energy products, and livelihood items for cost-recovery revenue.

Product overview

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a women-led Civil Society Organization in Ethiopia operating as a multi-program development and humanitarian entity rather than a technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs including Early Childhood Development and Education Centers (ECDECs) with Play-Learn-Teach Materials (PLTMs) and Child Play Hubs; Education Quality Improvement featuring ICT-enabled learning systems and Green School initiatives; Youth Vocational Skills and Entrepreneurship programs with solar energy systems and saving cooperatives; Girls and Women Empowerment through SHGs, VSLAs, and biogas systems; and Humanitarian Response including the SAFE Project. The Social Enterprise Development arm operates through Ye Birhan Chora Trading PLC for income generation. ESD does not offer a traditional software product, API, or technology platform but implements programs using technology integration where relevant.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) Programs
• Education Quality Improvement Programs
• Youth Vocational Skills Training
• Girls and Women Empowerment Programs Economic empowerment and social support programs for girls and women organized around Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), and a Youth Saving and Credit Cooperative, providing financial inclusion, livelihood assets, and gender-transformative community structures. Targeted at adolescent girls and adult women in ESD's operational communities.
• Humanitarian Response and Climate Resilience Programs Emergency humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and drought- and conflict-affected communities, including shelter, food security, WASH, and climate adaptation support, delivered through mobile outreach teams and last-mile distribution. Targeted at crisis-affected populations in ESD's operational regions.
• Ye Birhan Chora Trading PLC (Social Enterprise) ESD's social enterprise arm that manufactures and sells educational materials (including PLTMs), biogas systems, solar energy products, catering and food services, and other livelihood items to generate cost-recovery revenue that subsidizes ESD's non-profit programs. Targeted at schools, households, NGOs, and community consumers in Ethiopia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 259,413 students (52% girls) benefited from education quality improvements in 135 schools
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Finn Church Aid (FCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025ESD collaborates with FCA on the Safe, All Inclusive, Friendly Education (SAFE) Project, inaugurated in July 2025. FCA provides funding and operational support, with funding from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The project aims to improve safe, inclusive, and protective education services for over 24,000 refugee and host community children in Assosa Zone, Benishangul Gumuz Region. Three school blocks comprising 12 classrooms were constructed at Tsore 2 Primary School, Ura Inclusive Secondary School, and Womba Inclusive Secondary School.
• Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body responsible for refugee and returnee affairs in Ethiopia. RRS participates in inauguration ceremonies and provides institutional support for refugee education programs.
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency supporting refugee protection and education. UNHCR representatives attend inauguration ceremonies for school construction projects benefiting refugee and host community children.
• SolarAid / solafricamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonor and partner supporting ESD's solar energy initiatives, including solar installation training for youth and provision of solar home systems to off-grid households.
• Ministry of Education (Ethiopia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing policy guidance, institutional support, and partnership for education quality improvement programs. ESD has institutionalized the Gender-Safe School Bill with the Ministry's collaboration.
• CCRDA (Christian Relief and Development Association)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmbrella network of Ethiopian civil society organizations. ESD participates as a member, contributing to sector coordination and policy advocacy.
• CHS AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network for humanitarian and development organizations focusing on accountability and quality standards. ESD participates in CHS Alliance initiatives.
• GPC (Global Partnership for Cooperation)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership network supporting ESD's programmatic work in cooperation and coordination.
• CoSAP (Civil Society Organization Support Platform)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform providing support and coordination for civil society organizations in Ethiopia.
• Global Education Campaign (GEC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal education advocacy network of which ESD is a member.
• TVET Colleges (Nationally Accredited Solar PV Assessment Centers)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNine TVET colleges strengthened by ESD to become nationally accredited solar PV assessment centers, enabling standardized solar skills certification across Ethiopia.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• World Vision Ethiopia: Large faith-based INGO operating multi-sector development (education, child protection, livelihoods, WASH) across Ethiopian regions with a sponsorship-driven donor model. Closely matches ESD on geographic breadth and integrated programming.
• Plan International Ethiopia: INGO with a deep girls'-education, child-protection, and youth-economic-empowerment portfolio in Ethiopia. Closely comparable to ESD on gender-transformative programming, ECD/school quality, and youth livelihoods.
• BRAC Ethiopia: International development organization running ECD, primary education, microfinance, and youth livelihoods in Ethiopia. Closely comparable to ESD's ECD, microenterprise, and savings-cooperative programs, especially the VSLA and youth enterprise support work.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Ethiopia: INGO providing education-in-emergencies, shelter, WASH, and protection services to displaced populations in Ethiopia. Directly comparable to ESD's humanitarian response work for IDPs and refugees in Benishangul-Gumuz and Amhara.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC) Ethiopia: INGO delivering education, economic recovery, GBV response, and humanitarian assistance to crisis-affected populations in Ethiopia. Closely comparable to ESD's combined refugee/IDP education, women empowerment, and humanitarian programming.
• Finn Church Aid (FCA): Finnish faith-based INGO and ESD's core implementing partner on the SAFE Project for refugee and host-community education in Benishangul-Gumuz. Operates education-in-emergencies, ECD, and livelihoods programs across Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa on a similar donor-funded, multi-sector model.
• CARE Ethiopia: INGO delivering integrated development + humanitarian programming in Ethiopia, with strong women's economic empowerment, VSLA/SHG, food security, and emergency response tracks — mirroring ESD's portfolio architecture.
• Save the Children Ethiopia: Major INGO running ECD, primary education, child protection, and humanitarian response programs across Ethiopia. Highly comparable in geographic footprint (multiple regions), beneficiary mix (girls/women focus), and donor base (institutional Western donors).

Emerging players

• Right To Play Ethiopia: INGO using play-based learning for ECD, child protection, and gender equality in Ethiopia. Comparable to ESD's ECD and child-play-hub work, with overlapping donor networks (Kinderpostzegels, ICCO) but narrower geographic and programmatic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF Ethiopia: UN agency with a national-scale education, ECD, child protection, and humanitarian mandate in Ethiopia. Comparable on ECD programming, school quality, and humanitarian response, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope than ESD.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/for_esd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@educationforsustainabledev2022
• Facebookfacebook.com/ESDEthiopia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esdethiopia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Education for Sustainable Development