ATSEMBA COMMUNITY SCHOOL

the project at a glance:

The Atsemba Community School is the door to change for the entire community. A fully furnished, first cycle primary school with quality instruction in grades one through four, and clean private latrines will transform the lives of Atsemba's 3,200 inhabitants.

Minimum Investment - $12.77 (one latrine roof sheet)
Maximum Investment - $99,978.99 (full community school)

goal:

Build a school that becomes the heart of learning and improves the overall livelihood of the entire community.

objectives:

• Replace temporary Grade 1-3, open air 'dass' school with a Grade 1-4, four classroom school equipped with furniture, textbooks, sports materials and science teaching aids.
• Build an eight stall latrine with private facilities for boys and girls.
• Provide teacher training in science, active learning and life skills.
• Mobilize and train the Parent Teacher Association.
• Plant 2,000 fruit and shade trees and provide tools and ecology training.

community background:

Home to almost 3,200 inhabitants, this hard working village is determined to provide direct access to quality education for their children. The access road to Atsemba is 45 kilometers from the nearest town centre of Adigudom in Ethiopia's Tigray Region. From the main highway in the Hintalo Wejirat district, we followed a 10 kilometer bumpy mountain road downhill and then walked up a six kilometer steep mountain footpath to be greeted by the Atsemba community leaders. Despite Atsemba's remote location and geographical challenges both the community and imagine1day declared a commitment to overcome the challenges that school construction here presents.

When imagine1day first visited and assessed the community, villagers were already busy clearing and widening a road that would be the future delivery route for school construction materials. It is no small task with the rocky landscape and steep inclines. Once complete however, this road will also mean the children of Atsemba will have a school directly in their community. Building at the bottom of the mountain was an option, but to prevent their children from the grueling hike each day, the parents and community at large chose unbelievably hard road work in exchange for the long term security and comfort for generations of their children.

The landscape surrounding Atsemba is very similar to that of the dry and rocky terrain where the community is fashioning a road. The average family of seven in Atsemba owns a hectare of land for farming. The land however is eroded and ecologically impoverished and the annual rain fed harvest of sorghum, barely, teff, wheat and maize often falls short of meeting each family's food needs. Cactus are the only abundant tree in the area and do provide prickly pear fruit to supplement local diets. Other than farming, the community relies on livestock rearing and some minor honey production. The community's water access is a hand dug well approximately 300 meters from the school as well as a river which supplies irrigation to crops.

community involvement:

imagine1day works closely with local governments to determine communities that have immediate education needs as well as a strong commitment to the process. By meaningfully involving the community in the planning and implementation of all aspects of the project, we build pride and ownership that directly impacts the long term sustainability of the school. In addition we gain valuable local knowledge and expertise that contributes to successful implementation.

The community has already made significant improvements to the mountainous access road and will be working with zonal administrators to ensure its safety for imagine1day delivery trucks. Atsemba has no other social services other than its dass school and no access to health care. This road will serve as a larger link to health care, market access and food security for the community.

The current dass school at Atsemba was built by the community three years ago. Like many of the open air schools in Tigray, this structure of branches and rocks fall sadly short of being either conducive to learning or instilling the importance of education to the population. The roof is caving and poorly protects the students from the hot Tigrigna sun. Inside, stones double as seats and a simple blackboard is the only educational tool that distinguishes this structure as a school. Atsemba's three government employed teachers make a noble attempt to instruct 44 grade one students, 40 grade two students and 46 grade three students but admit that learning in such an inhospitable environment is difficult.

the solution:

With your investment imagine1day will replace Atsemba's temporary Grade 1-3 dass school with a fully furnished, four room stone and concrete school and an eight stall latrine to accommodate 400 Grade 1-4 students. The school you support will improve the health, environmental sustainability and long term economic viability of an entire community through the provision of books, teacher training, sports equipment, tree seedlings, agriculture tools and more. The school day will be split into two sessions to ensure a classroom size of no more than 50 children. In addition, the government has already committed additional teachers for the new school.

The project will benefit the environment and community as a whole. They will plant 2,000 fruit and shade seedlings and will be provided training in micro-irrigation and water and environmental management to prevent land erosion and adapt to climate changes such as extended droughts. Furthermore, the community will be supplied with tools and supplies to maintain the project. Basic health care education workshops will be provided for the entire community focusing on disease prevention in areas that currently threaten the population.

sustainability:

The project is being completed in partnership with the Tigray Regional Education Bureau and in line with the Ethiopia National Strategic Plan for Education for All. The completed school will be administered under the formal school system and facilitated by qualified government employed teachers. A three year comprehensive monitoring and evaluation program is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Education to ensure the sustainability of the project. Continuous technical assistance and follow-ups will be provided by the imagine1day regional project office to bring about long lasting and meaningful environmental and social impacts.

partnerships:

Lundin for Africa has generously funded certain agricultural training and tools for this project.