a cet

What a cet does

A-CET (African Children's Educational Trust) is a UK-registered independent charity founded in 1997 (Charity Reg. No 1066869) that funds long-term scholarships (10–15 years) for vulnerable Ethiopian children and builds rural community elementary schools in the Tigray Region of Northern Ethiopia. The organization is run entirely by experienced volunteers, has no statutory funding, and is entirely dependent on private voluntary donations received via the Charities Aid Foundation, PayPal, Just Giving, and Virgin Giving platforms. All in-country program delivery is executed through the local Ethiopian NGO EYES (Ethiopian Youth Educational Support), which is managed by A-CET-trained ex-students and works in coordination with the Tigray Bureau of Education.

The charity operates two core programs: a Scholarship Funding Program under which over 500 students have graduated with college/university degrees and entered full-time employment, and a School Building and Upgrading Program under which 12 schools have been constructed and furnished over 15 years using local labour and materials. Scholarship amounts range from £15–25 per month for basic scholarships up to £50 per month for disabled students or those renting rooms, and payments are distributed directly to families in Mekelle City or via bank transfer. Operations are governed by a volunteer board led by Founding Chairman and Administrator Dr David G Stables, with patrons including Dame Dr Claire Berschinger. The charity maintains GDPR compliance and is a member of the Fundraising Standards Board.

The current strategic priority is the Tigray Appeal: Return to School Campaign, which seeks donations to help children resume education after nearly three years of conflict-driven interruption. The charity maintains a strict apolitical stance and only accepts school projects on recommendation from EYES after recommendation by the local Bureau of Education, embedding program selection within local governance and partner verification. There are no products or services sold, no technology platform, no headcount disclosure beyond volunteer operations, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

a cet

Legal name

African Children's Educational Trust

Website

https://a-cet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Short description

A-CET is a UK-registered independent charity that funds long-term scholarships for vulnerable Ethiopian children and builds rural elementary schools in the Tigray Region, delivering all programs through local partner NGO EYES and relying entirely on private voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Charity Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE)

Keywords

• Student scholarship funding
• Rural school construction
• Education charity services
• Voluntary donation programs
• Community development education

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Donations and Sponsorship: A-CET is entirely dependent on private voluntary support with no statutory funding or grants. Revenue comes from individual donations, student sponsorship programs, and fundraising activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

A-CET funds long-term scholarships (10-15 years) for locally selected vulnerable Ethiopian youngsters who could not otherwise attend full-time education, and builds and upgrades rural community elementary schools in Northern Ethiopia (Tigray) using local labour and materials. Both programs are delivered on the ground through the local NGO partner EYES (Ethiopian Youth Educational Support), managed by trained ex-A-CET students, and supported entirely by private voluntary donations.

Product overview

A-CET operates as a charitable organization offering two core programs: scholarship funding and school construction. The Scholarship Funding Program provides long-term support (10-15 years) for vulnerable Ethiopian youngsters, enabling them to complete education through college/university level. The School Building Program constructs and upgrades rural community elementary schools in Northern Ethiopia using local resources. Donations are accepted through CAF (with GiftAID capability) and PayPal platforms. The organization partners with local NGO EYES (Ethiopian Youth Educational Support) to deliver programs on the ground.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship Funding Program Long-term scholarship funding (10-15 years) for vulnerable Ethiopian youngsters who could not otherwise attend full-time education, covering books, shoes, uniforms, transport, and room rental. Over 500 students have graduated with a college/university degree and are in full-time employment through this program.
• School Building and Upgrading Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 students have graduated with college/university degrees and found full-time employment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EYES (Ethiopian Youth Educational Support)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA-CET funds all educational support programmes within Ethiopia through the local NGO EYES, which is managed by trained and experienced ex-students. EYES works with the newly established administration to offer humanitarian and educational assistance in Tigray.
• CAF (Charities Aid Foundation)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCAF donation platform enables A-CET to receive GiftAID donations from UK taxpayers, allowing additional tax recovery on donations.
• Just GivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party fundraising platform where supporters can set up fundraising events for A-CET.
• Virgin GivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party fundraising platform where supporters can set up fundraising events for A-CET.
• BT MyDonateminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party fundraising platform (now discontinued) where supporters previously set up fundraising events for A-CET.
• UK Charity CommissionminorOthersUK regulatory body for charities; A-CET's annual reports and accounts are filed with and accessible via the Charity Commission.
• Local Bureau of Education (BoE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA-CET works in fully integrated manner with the local Bureau of Education. All school projects are only accepted on recommendations by EYES after recommendation by the BoE.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education): UK- and Africa-based charity that funds long-term scholarships for vulnerable African students through secondary and tertiary education, mirroring A-CET's long-duration student sponsorship model.
• BuildOn: International non-profit that builds schools in low-income communities using local labour and materials; directly comparable to A-CET's rural school construction program in Northern Ethiopia.
• Room to Read: Global non-profit combining school construction with long-term scholarships for girls, with active programs across Africa — overlapping A-CET's twin pillars of infrastructure and individual student support.
• Pencils of Promise: Non-profit that builds schools and supports education access in developing countries, including Africa, with a donor-driven model closely aligned to A-CET's private-voluntary-support approach.
• Mary's Meals: UK-rooted charity providing school feeding programs in some of the world's poorest communities, including Ethiopia, with a low-overhead volunteer-supported operating model similar to A-CET.
• VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas): UK-based international development charity placing education volunteers in Africa and Asia; comparable to A-CET in its volunteer-driven, education-focused, UK-headquartered operating model.
• Farm Africa: UK charity focused on rural livelihoods and education in Ethiopia and East Africa, sharing A-CET's geography, rural community focus, and small-scale targeted project philosophy.
• Send a Cow: UK-based charity working on rural development in Ethiopia; comparable in geography, target beneficiary profile, and small targeted community projects, though focused on livelihoods rather than education.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children: Large global INGO running education programs in Ethiopia; comparable mission space but operates at vastly greater scale with institutional and government funding rather than A-CET's volunteer/donation model.
• Plan International UK: Established UK children's rights and education charity with active Ethiopia programming; overlaps A-CET's vulnerable-children scholarship mission but at significantly larger scale and institutional sophistication.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ACETcharity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ACEducationalTrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/African-Childrens-Educational-Trust-A-CET-110939315631794

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about a cet