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Q & A's

What is M&T Legacy Foundation?
M&T Legacy is a foundation created to expand educational opportunities for children, beginning in Gondar, Ethiopia. Our goal is to create safe, dignified places to learn and give children opportunities that can change the course of their lives.
M&T honors Manalebish and Tizez, the mothers whose sacrifice, strength, generosity, and belief in education helped shape our families and ultimately inspired this foundation.

Because it is personal. Gondar is where our story began. We grew up there, attended school there, and understand firsthand how one educational opportunity can change a child’s future. We aren’t simply choosing a community to help—we are going home to invest in the community that helped shape us.

We were both given educational opportunities and scholarships that helped change the direction of our lives. Someone believed in us. M&T Legacy is our way of paying that opportunity forward.

We believe helping one child can have an impact far beyond that individual. An educated child can eventually strengthen a family, a community, and the generations that follow.

Our initial projects focus on improving children’s learning environments in Gondar—including classrooms, bathrooms and sanitation, libraries and books, playgrounds, educational resources, and other identified school needs.

We begin by listening to the schools and communities themselves, identifying their most important needs, and prioritizing projects that can make a meaningful and lasting difference for children.

We want our partners to see the impact they helped create. We plan to share project updates, photographs, stories, milestones, and results so you can follow the journey from your contribution to the community it supports.

Yes. Transparency and connection are important to us. As projects progress, we’ll share before-and-after updates and stories from the communities we serve, while protecting children’s privacy and dignity.

Yes. Recurring partners are especially valuable because consistent support allows us to plan projects and make longer-term commitments.

Yes. A gift in honor or memory of someone can be a beautiful way to create a living legacy through education.

Absolutely. We welcome conversations with businesses, schools, community organizations, foundations, and other groups interested in supporting education and community development.

Depending on the needs of a particular project, there may be opportunities to contribute professional expertise, educational resources, services, or other support. We encourage prospective partners to contact us before collecting or shipping physical items.

As M&T grows, we hope to create meaningful ways for people to contribute their time and talents. Opportunities may vary depending on the project and location.

Yes. One of our hopes is to help children see themselves as global citizens who can learn from and care about children beyond their own communities. We want to create age-appropriate opportunities for young people to participate and learn.

Ethiopia—specifically Gondar—is where our journey begins. Our long-term dream is much larger: to develop a model that can reach more children and communities as M&T grows.

Yes. Partners interested in funding a classroom, library, sanitation project, playground, scholarship initiative, or another major project can contact M&T directly so we can discuss current priorities.

As the foundation develops, organized opportunities to experience the work firsthand may become available. Any visits involving schools and children will prioritize safety, dignity, and minimal disruption to their education.

We don’t want success to be measured only by dollars raised. Depending on the project, we will look at tangible outcomes such as schools improved, classrooms restored, sanitation facilities completed, books and resources provided, children reached, and educational opportunities created.

Stay connected. Follow the projects, read the updates, share our story, introduce M&T to others, volunteer when opportunities arise, and consider becoming a recurring partner.

Trust has to be earned. We are committed to showing our partners what we are doing, where projects stand, what has been accomplished, and what still needs to be done.