Est. 2025 · Founded by Pastor Melkamu Negeri
Educate a child.
Change the future.
A family-led initiative supporting academically disadvantaged students — beginning within the Negeri family and extending outward, one student at a time.
A letter from the founder
The smallest act of support can transform someone’s future.
Years ago, while I was still in elementary school, my parents could not afford to send me to school. After my father passed away, our family struggled to survive, and I had to leave school and start farming at a young age.
My older brother, Rev. Olana Negeri, changed the course of my life by pulling me away from traditional farming and back into the classroom. Without his intervention, my life would have taken a very different path.
Many students today face the same risk — dropping out of school, or never starting, simply because they lack support and encouragement. As followers of Christian teachings, we are called to extend a helping hand. Even a small contribution can make a significant difference in a life.
The Negeri Family Foundation is a way for our family to come together — in ways that are manageable but meaningful — and do something about it.
Pastor Melkamu Negeri
Founder · Author of “Life and Ministry,” “The Secrets of a Good Marriage,” and “The Importance of Family History”
From the founder
Let our family help one student stay in school.
My older brother, Rev. Olana Negeri, pulled me out of farming and put me back in a classroom. Decades later, I’m asking our family to do the same for the next child — beginning with one student at Bodji Dirmaji High School in Western Oromia.
Phase 1 · Building the family directory
Be part of the Foundation.
Before we send a single document, fund a single student, or hold a single vote — we need to know who’s in. This page is the front door.
If you’re part of the Negeri family — or married into it — please share your name and your spouse’s email here. Amanti is collecting the family directory on Pastor Melkamu’s behalf.
Once we have enough names, we’ll start the family newsletter, share the founding letter and bylaws for comment, and hold the first vote on the Governing Committee.
What happens with your information
- Stays within the family. Never sold, never shared.
- Used to send the founding documents and the newsletter only.
- You can ask Amanti to remove you at any time.
Where we are
A foundation is built in phases, not announcements.
This is the path from the first email to a real, operating foundation. Everything starts with the family directory.
- Now
Build the family directory
Collect names, emails, and spouse emails. We can’t send a single founding document until we know how to reach each branch of the family.
- Next
Launch the family newsletter
Pastor Melkamu shares the founding letter, bylaws, and the proposed Governing Committee. Family members reply with comments and revisions.
- Soon
Vote on the Governing Committee
Five family members confirmed by unanimous agreement: Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and two General Members. Bylaws ratified.
- Then
Operate as a real foundation
Open the bank account, raise the first cohort of funds, and launch the pilot at Bodji Dirmaji High School in Western Oromia.
Mission
To make a positive difference in someone’s life.
Family first.
Priority support for students within the extended Negeri family — the people closest to us, where help travels fastest and farthest.
Then outward.
Once family needs are met, the Foundation supports academically competitive students outside the family, beginning with Bodji Dirmaji High School in Western Oromia.
Small acts, real lives.
This is not about large financial sacrifice. It is about coming together as a family to contribute in ways that are manageable but meaningful.
Pay it forward.
Graduates are encouraged to support the next generation. The Foundation is a cycle, not a transaction.
Governance
A Governing Committee of five family members.
Decisions are made by unanimous agreement; funds move only with the joint signatures of the Chairperson and Treasurer.
Names confirmed by family vote · Phase 3
Chairperson
To be appointed by the family.
Secretary
To be appointed by the family.
Treasurer
To be appointed by the family.
General Member
To be appointed by the family.
General Member
To be appointed by the family.
Documents
Open for family review, and open for citation.
Nothing is finalized. Feedback from family members is welcome — and researchers in the family, like Eliyas Tarfasa, are welcome to cite these documents in academic work.
