Back gorund of BEN-E

Basic Education Network Ethiopia (BEN-E) is a coalition of 85 Ethiopian Resident and foreign Charities working in education currently. It is also a network that creates a forum for its members to share experiences, collaborate and cooperate to promote Basic Education for all. Member organizations of BEN-E have intervened in education and community development in almost all parts of the country. BEN-E, therefore, is an umbrella organization that has taken the initiative of bringing together, supporting and linking the member organizations to maximize their efforts to make education accessible, particularly to those who don't have the opportunity.

Before the establishment of BEN-E, NGOs were operating in a very small number of ABE centers because of resource limitations. The government's focus was more on formal primary education. These two factors were the major drawbacks for the expansion of ABE; and it was with this background that the thirteen local NGOs involved in the provision of ABE established BEN-E in 1999.

Before BEN-E got its current name, it was established by the name Basic Education Network Ethiopia (BEN-E). The evolution of BEN-E was initiated in the course of a series of Non-Formal Education meetings (NEM) in 1998. After a number of short training workshops organized by Save the Children USA for its partners, it was slowly realized that a collective organ was necessary to work and act in unison for the common goal of promoting Basic Education in Ethiopia. After a series of discussions on various issues and aspects of basic education it was agreed among participating organizations that a draft Memorandum of Association (MOA) be produced.

BEN-E was established with an overall objective of serving as a forum for NGOs working in basic education to exchange and share ideas/information, expertise and experiences, build their capacity through training and technical support, create dialogue with the government on policy issues and approach donors for financial and technical support, undertaking research and advocacy works, and act collectively for the realization of the goal of basic education in Ethiopia.