Pay tuition abroad — no foreign card needed.
Wegen matches Ethiopians at home and abroad to settle international school and application fees at a fair, negotiated rate. One transfer, two wins — protected by escrow, every step.
Funds held in escrow · Paid via Wise · No spread hidden from you
One platform, two sides
A swap that helps both ends at once.
Money that needs to go abroad meets money that wants to come home. Wegen matches them so each side gets what they actually need.
Pay your school abroad in birr.
Cover tuition or application fees overseas without ever needing an international card.
- Post the fee in USD and the school's details
- Pay in ETB at a rate you agreed to
- We pay the institution and send you the receipt
Send birr home, the easy way.
Use the USD you already have abroad to get birr delivered to family in Ethiopia.
- Browse real payment requests from locals
- Bid the birr you want for your USD
- Your beneficiary at home receives the ETB
Why Wegen
Cross-border payments without the usual pain.
The hard parts — trust, rates, and proof — are handled for you, so a payment across borders feels as simple as one at home.
Escrow on every deal
Both sides fund into escrow. Nothing is released until the institution is paid and both legs are confirmed.
A rate you agree to
No imposed markup. You and your match negotiate until the exchange rate is fair for both of you.
Real receipts, real proof
We pay schools through Wise and attach proof of payment, so you always know exactly where things stand.
Fees shown upfront
The transfer fee is clear before you commit. No hidden spread, no nasty surprises after the fact.
Built for the diaspora
Designed around how Ethiopians at home and abroad actually move money — application fees, tuition, and more.
Tracked end to end
Live status and notifications at every step, from the first offer to the final settlement.
Protected by escrow
Safe for both sides, every single step.
Wegen never sends money directly between strangers. Funds are held until the deal is complete and verified — so nobody has to take a leap of faith.
- Escrow-held fundsBoth legs are funded and held before anything moves. Release only happens on confirmation.
- Regulated payment partnersPayouts run through Wise and PawaPay; cards through Stripe. Sign-in is secured with Firebase.
- Your limits stay privateConfidential pricing limits are never revealed to the other party during negotiation.
Transparent pricing
Every fee, shown upfront.
No hidden spread, no surprises. The transfer and processing fees are passed through at cost — Wegen only earns a clear service charge. You see the full breakdown before you confirm anything.
If you're abroad (funding a payment)
You fund the institution payment by card. Here's what makes up the total:
Tuition to institution
At costThe full amount the school or portal receives. We never take a cut of this.
Transfer fee
At costWhat it costs us to actually pay the institution — Wise's bank-transfer fee, or the card conversion fee when paying on a portal in another currency. Passed through at cost (and 0 when no conversion is needed).
Service charge
Our feeWegen's fee for running the secure escrow, matching, and support. This is the only margin we earn on the payment.
Payment processing
At costThe card network/processor fee for funding by card, added so the institution still receives 100% of the tuition.
If you're in Ethiopia (paying in birr)
You pay in birr — everything is shown before you confirm:
Matched ETB
You agree itThe birr you and your match agreed on. The exact figure is set when a bid is matched — nothing is hidden.
Processing fee — 1% or 2.5%
At costWhat the payment rail charges to take your birr in: 1% via mobile money (M-Pesa / telebirr), or 2.5% via card/bank (Chapa). You choose the rail. The same small fee applies if you ever withdraw from your wallet.
Transfer & processing fees passed through at cost · Wegen earns only the service charge
How Wegen works
Five steps from request to receipt.
Wegen connects a local who owes a payment abroad with an Ethiopian overseas who wants birr at home. Pick your side:
Post your payment
Add the amount in USD, the school or beneficiary details, and what it's for — tuition or an application fee.
Get offers & agree a rate
Ethiopians abroad offer the birr they'd like for your USD. Counter back and forth until the rate feels fair to both.
Pay birr into escrow
Once you agree, you pay the ETB plus a transfer fee — shown upfront, no surprises. It's held safely, not released yet.
Your school gets paid
After your partner funds their side, our team pays the institution through Wise and attaches the receipt as proof.
Done — everyone settled
Your school is paid and your partner's family receives their birr at home. You're notified at every step.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Wegen is a marketplace that lets Ethiopians pay tuition and school fees abroad without a foreign card — by matching them with members of the diaspora who want birr back home, at a rate the two sides negotiate.
No. That's the whole point. If you're in Ethiopia, you pay in birr. A diaspora partner pays the foreign institution on the other side, and we settle both legs through regulated payment partners.
Every deal runs through escrow. Funds from both sides are held and only released once the institution is paid and both legs are confirmed. Nothing is sent directly between strangers.
Wegen pays the institution through Wise once the deal is funded, and attaches the receipt as proof. The diaspora user never wires the school directly — it goes through our protected flow.
You set what you're willing to give or accept, and the other side bids. You counter back and forth until it's fair for both — no fixed markup imposed on you. Confidential limits are never shown to the other party.
You see the transfer fee upfront before you commit — no hidden spread, no surprises after the fact. The agreed rate plus that clear fee is all you pay.
Wise for international payouts to institutions, PawaPay for Ethiopian mobile money, and Stripe for card payments where applicable. Accounts and sign-in are secured with Firebase Authentication.
Your school fees, settled — without the foreign card.
Join Ethiopians at home and abroad moving money the fair way. Get the app and post your first request in minutes.