The Problem:

Acceptance to college is only the beginning.
Although the Israeli government covers some tuition and living costs for Ethiopian-Israeli students pursuing higher education, students must pay for most living expenses, including rent, transportation, and above all, food. They also must buy their own books and other educational materials.

The costs of higher education prevent Ethiopian students from pursuing and completing a degree.
For most Ethiopian families in Israel, financing their children’s college education, or  helping them cover other expenses, is often impossible. In many cases, students work to support their families but the financial burden sometimes causes them to drop out of school and take unskilled jobs.

The Solution: Providing a Choice and a Chance

AAS Graduate works as a respirator technician

The NACOEJ/ Vidal Sassoon Adopt-A-Student College Sponsorship Program gives Ethiopian-Israeli college students the support they need to make it through school and earn a degree. Program sponsors fund scholarships that provide students with a monthly stipend which enables them to focus on their studies and participate fully in university activities. Ultimately, this education helps Ethiopian students to become professionals and break out of the cycle of poverty that many Ethiopian families find themselves in.    

Ethiopian Students Build a Future

AAS Students at Bar Ilan University

Since the inception of the NACOEJ/ Vidal Sassoon Adopt-A-Student (AAS)
College Sponsorship Program, hundreds of Ethiopian-Israeli young men and women have been able to complete professional degrees and enter the Israeli workforce, serving as teachers, nurses, engineers, social workers, government employees, artists and more.
These students become role models for the next generations of Ethiopian-Israelis, inspiring younger generations of Ethiopian-Israeli students to follow in their footsteps. As they have become more prominent in Israeli society, they have become leaders who work to improve the integration of Ethiopians into Israeli life, ultimately benefiting all Israelis.

You Can Help!

Sponsor an Ethiopian-Israeli college student and enable him or her to stay in school and earn a degree. We will make a match between you and one or more students. You will receive a biography of each student with a photo and will continue to hear from your student throughout the academic year.

The cost to sponsor a student for each academic year is $1140 and can be donated monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or annually. You can “adopt” a student as an individual, family, or as a group.  We hope that you will continue to support your student throughout his or her college career.

You can also choose to donate to the general college program, helping students with special needs and contributing to the program’s general goals.

For more information, please contact Judy Dick at 212-233-5200 x. 230 or contact us by email at college@nacoej.org.