Around 1,000 children in Ethiopia will be educated at a new school dedicated to the memory of three Maltese people.

The school in Jimma Bonga includes kindergarten, primary and secondary school classrooms and was inaugurated on Monday with a ceremony led by local bishop Markos Ghebremedhin.

It was funded through donations, including a crowdfunding campaign and support from the Sigma Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Sigma Group.

Bishop Ghebremedhin inaugurates the school. Photo: Sigma Foundation/Facebook

The secondary school will bear the name of Rebecca Zammit Lupi, Jonathan Chetcuti and Karl Pace, who all died in tragic circumstances within the past few years.

The school’s junior secondary school will be dedicated to Zammit Lupi, who was just 15 when she died due to cancer two years ago.

The kindergarten will bear Pace’s name. Pace died in a boat fire at the Mġarr marina in 2020.

The school’s playgrounds are dedicated to Chetcuti, an avid volleyball player and sports enthusiast who was just 41 when he died in 2020.

Zammit Lupi’s father, Darrin, described the inauguration as “a dream come true, though a dream I wish I never had to have.

“This was a very emotional day - the happiest and the saddest, if that makes any sense. I know Becs would be thrilled, and very proud of what we achieved in her name, especially because she understood and campaigned for the right to an education,” he said.

Zammit Lupi thanked everyone who supported the project.

“Her family is now so much larger, and she’ll continue to touch countless lives. These children will keep her name alive, and because of that, Becs is forever,” he said.

Jonathan Dalli, speaking on behalf of Chetcuti, recalled how his late friend “believed that sports was the foundation for life.”

“The principles he learned from sports – dedication, determination, discipline, respect, teamwork, and above all, the importance of having fun – guided him throughout his life,” Dalli said.

Pace was represented by his cousin Jonathan Galea.

“Karl’s dream was to empower children through education. Thank you to all who’ve helped to make this dream come true today,” he said.