Our Projects
Safe School Zones
Practical school-zone safety support through evidence, engagement, signs, crossings, training, visibility and partner-funded implementation.
In planning — implementation scheduled to begin in the coming months
Safer journeys to school for Ethiopian children
Save the Nation supports safer school journeys by helping schools, communities, councils, companies, donors and public institutions identify road safety risks around schools and respond with practical measures.
Our work focuses on
- Children walking to and from school
- School entrances and crossing points
- Speed risk and roadside behaviour
- Driver awareness and traffic warden support
- School-community engagement
Over 30%
speed reduction targeted at project sites
20%
targeted drop in unsafe crossing behaviour
3-star
minimum iRAP pedestrian rating aimed for at all sites
Figures above are the targets the Safe School Zones model is designed to achieve, not results recorded to date.
Why it matters
Children should not face preventable road danger on the way to school. Many school journeys in Ethiopia expose children to:
- Traffic speed
- Poor or missing crossings
- Narrow or absent walkways
- Unsafe roadside behaviour
- Congestion and public transport conflicts
- Weak driver compliance around school environments
A safe school zone is not only a signboard. It requires a combination of:
- Road environment review
- Stakeholder agreement
- Visible safety measures
- Speed management
- School engagement
- Community ownership
- Responsible follow-up
What Save the Nation does
The Save the Nation Method
From school risk to practical protection.
- 1
Identify risk
Save the Nation reviews available data and site conditions.
- 2
Engage the right institutions
Works with schools and relevant authorities.
- 3
Support practical protection
Helps define practical measures.
- 4
Train users
Supports school and community engagement.
- 5
Monitor and report responsibly
Records evidence without overstating results.
Where infrastructure is involved, Save the Nation does not replace statutory road authorities or approve road works on behalf of councils or agencies. Save the Nation supports coordination, documentation, advocacy, partner alignment and implementation follow-through.
Implementation package
What a partner-funded Safe School Zone package may include.
School-zone visibility and protection
- School-zone signs
- Zebra crossing markings
- Visibility materials for wardens or school-frontage support
- Traffic calming measures where approved
- Walkway or frontage improvements where feasible and approved
Education and engagement
- School road-safety talks
- Teacher or traffic warden orientation
- Pupil road-safety messages
- Parent and community engagement where relevant
- Launch or awareness activity with partner visibility
Documentation and reporting
- Before-and-after photos
- School names and location records
- Site summaries
- School acknowledgement letters where available
- Partner implementation report
Approvals and safeguards
- Coordination with relevant authorities
- School engagement and consent where required
- Responsible photography and child safeguarding
- Financial controls and procurement records
- Evidence-based public communication
Call for partners
Save the Nation is seeking partners to support school-zone assessments, signs, crossings, traffic-calming measures, school engagement, monitoring and evidence reporting at high-risk schools across Ethiopia.
Corporate partners
For sponsorship and ESG/HSE road-risk support.
Donors and foundations
For fundable implementation packages.
Government and public institutions
For local road-safety priorities and school-zone pipelines.
Schools and universities
For campus safety collaboration.
Get involved
The Safe School Zones Project is a practical, evidence-based intervention that saves lives. By working together — government, private sector, communities and schools — we can ensure that every child in Ethiopia has a safe journey to and from school.