Bridge Report
YOUR SCHOOL, NEW BEGINNINGS
imagine1day recently met with a group of Atsemba's community leaders, parents and students. As the sun set over a mountain backdrop and distant dark clouds teased us with the possibility of rain, we discussed how the community's awareness of education has shifted.
Tabia (local government) leader Ato Hagos Mehari credits among other things the success of a few local villagers who have obtained university degrees. "Some of our brothers and sisters who received an education came back and educated our community" he says, "Formerly we were a very backwards people, but now there is 100% community acceptance that education is the necessary link to a positive future for our children. The government in our region of Tigray is also strongly pushing for education for all, and we are responding."
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Tabia administrator Ato Redae Hagos adds that "an uneducated person is like an animal while an educated person is improving their livelihood all around: by supplementing their income with other sources besides agriculture. They earn a salary instead of relying on land which can no longer give."
Ato Redae has a 15-year old daughter in grade two at Atsemba's temporary open air school, and a six year old daughter who will start grade one in the new school that you have invested in. When asked how the community views girls' education he confidently replied that Atsemba girls are encouraged to learn, not drop out when they mature to marry or become house servants. Often girls stay home from school when they are menstruating, but not Ato Redae's maturing daughter. "Even though there are no private latrines, she still comes to school. She wouldn't miss a day," he says proudly.
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speaking of latrines
Currently 50% of Atsemba's 550 households have pit latrines in their homes, up from 30% when imagine1day first visited last year to begin our participatory planning with the community. As part of the government's current rural health plan, 10 health attendants are responsible for educating 50 households each year about sanitary practices and the use and construction of latrines at the household level. According to the residents who came out to talk with us, the other 50% have been reluctant to join the toilet trend simply because of the age-old culture of going outdoors. But the early adopters have hope. "The biggest increase has happened in the last year. The rest of the community will adapt when they see that latrines have become the norm," says resident Berhe Kahsay.
We asked Ato Berhe how your investment of an eight-stall latrine on the school grounds with private facilities for boys and girls will affect students."They will spend more time in class learning," he said, "Currently they go outdoors far away from the school, each in their own direction for privacy. It's very time consuming. We also believe more girls will join our school if their families know that they will have a safe, private place to use the toilet". A separate latrine for boys and girls is one of the most important factors in keeping girls in school, particularly when they begin puberty and menstruation.
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water access
imagine1day is currently working with the Atsemba community, and hydro geologists from the government water bureau and private enterprise to establish the most suitable source of water for the new school. Nearby access to clean water will mean a world of difference in the health and hygiene of the students, who will have clean water to drink and wash their hands with after using the latrine. Removing the burden on children to carry water long distances every morning before school will mean more energy to focus on their studies.
going green
Having water at the school will not only nurture growing students, but plant life as well. Atsemba residents recently planted 500 fruit and 1,500 shade trees with imagine1day. They were not only excited to beautify the future site of their school grounds, but also to plant the seeds for papaya and guava yields that will generate income to sustain and develop the school and its programs for years to come.
Close proximity to water will also open the door to other income generation schemes that are being planned. Grain and vegetable harvesting using drip irrigation, for example, will allow for more than the one harvest per year during the short, unreliable rainy season that rural Ethiopians are dependent on.
a dream school
Tabia Administrator Ato Hagos Mehari has a lucid vision for the school your investment will build:
"It will be a big transformation from our dass open air school to beautiful, spacious classrooms full of books and materials. It will be very green, surrounded with the trees we just planted, and we'll have very ambitious and successful students...When we visit Adi-Ajero (a school built by imagine1day) we can't believe it-will our school really be like this? Our children will not look for fragmented land to farm. They will get an education and create a job or be employed. They will feed themselves, and if possible they will feed others."
And what do Atsemba Community Primary School's future students envision for their new place of learning?
Grade three Atsemba student, 11 year-old Asli Kedae lists off the things inside her school: stones to sit on, a blackboard, chalk and a flag pole. Not having books to read or even a notebook, her wish list for the new school is quite brief: a building, a roof, desks, chairs, a blackboard and chalk. After a pause, suddenly her imagination expands."It will be decorated with paints and writings by the teachers." When we suggest that it might be students who decorate it with paints, she shyly replies that she and her classmates don't know how to paint. When we ask her if they would like to learn, she brightens up and says "Yes, we must. We will paint Animals!"
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Thank you for the hope and smiles you have brought to the Atsemba Community. We will speak with you again in January 2010, when together we break new ground in beautiful Atsemba.
