Our Mission

The M&T Legacy Foundation, founded by Edilawit Adugna and Fasil Muche, honors the lives and legacy of their mothers, Manalebish Zewdu and Tizeze Haile.

Their lives were guided by faith and shaped by kindness, generosity, hard work, sacrifice, and service to others. Though they had limited opportunities for formal education themselves, they believed deeply in the importance of education and in giving the next generation a better opportunity.

Our work begins with Debreselam and Tsadiku, the schools in Gondar, Ethiopia that were part of our own beginnings. We believe every child deserves a safe place to learn, a place to play, and the opportunity to grow into the person they are capable of becoming.

We are not focused on building new schools. Instead, we seek to care for and restore what already exists, transforming deteriorating and potentially unsafe schools into safe, welcoming, and dignified spaces where children feel valued and can learn with confidence. We also hope to create safe places for children to play, gather, and simply enjoy being children.

Through this work, we hope to carry forward the spirit of Manalebish and Tizeze and the values they passed on to us. Their lives remind us that even when you have little, you can still give much through faith, kindness, sacrifice, and service to others.

Our mission is simple: to create safe and caring places for children to learn and play, and to give them the opportunity to build a better future.