18 Month Report
A YEAR AND A HALF LATER AND GOING STRONG
It's only been 18 months since Seffo Maialekti Grade 1-4 Primary School was completed. We'd like to show you firsthand the many positive changes that has happened since you've helped build this incredible school.
The first term report cards are in and imagine1day is very proud of our Seffo students. Their average term scores are below.
*In the Tigray regional school system, Amharic, Ethiopia's national language, is not offered until third grade.
SPORTS INSPIRE NEW DREAMS
At 12 years old, and proudly wearing a headband in bright Ethiopian colors, fourth grade student Birktawit Haftu stands out among her classmates as she delivers yet another flawless volleyball serve. While most students aspire to be teachers and doctors, Birktawit hopes to take her passion further. "I used to want to be a teacher; I didn't know there were a lot of other options out there for me. Then I discovered volleyball and with practice I've really improved in the last year. Now I want to be a professional volleyball player."
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imagine1day asked some of Birktawit's schoolmates to describe how important sports equipment is:
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FAST FACTS ON THE IMPACT OF QUALITY EDUCATION AT SEFFO
AN UPDATE ON LIYAH LUEL; THE FIRST LADY OF IMAGINE1DAY
The leader of the Sport & Music club is none other than "the first lady of imagine1day," as the talented 10 year-old grade four student Liyah Luel is known to our regional staff. While her parents worry that being a school club leader will affect her grades, Leah has moved from 5th to 4th place in her academic standing and she owes part of this achievement to sports. "If we play sports, we will be successful. Sport for success!" she announces.
We have watched Liyah in amazement as she transformed from the camera-shy girl teetering on a stone in the dass school, to a confident, articulate powerhouse of a presence in her new school. It is easy to tell a non-student from a student in Ethiopia by their confidence level, and Liyah is a testament to the power of educating girls, who are often very shy and self-conscious. But don't take our word for it: "To educate a girl is to educate a community," says Liyah, "and if you educate the community they will educate girls."
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EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY, ONE HOME AT A TIME
As if heeding young Liyah's call, Mrs. Werefech Gebreyesus, a dedicated community member who has two sons at Seffo, one in grade 2 and the other in grade 4, has taken it upon herself to ensure that not only girls, but all children in her village are attending school. Last week she visited the 12 households that she suspected had children that were kept from learning. We were happy to learn that her assumption was wrong in about nine of those homes, and that Mrs. Gebreyesus was able to convince two families to register their children as of the next school year. In one home, two children who were previously learning were pulled from grade one and two to care for livestock. In another, the family could not afford a notebook and pen for their daughter, but want her to learn. In the last household, the family had chosen to send their two children to learn in the religious education system, as its lenient attendance requirements and evening schedule allowed for their children's help on the farm during the day.
Mrs. Gebreyesus has two older children: a 12-year old daughter in 6th grade and a 17 year-old son in 7th grade. When asked why her son began school so late, she says, "Previously, I thought that having him keep cattle was more important to our survival than getting an education. Then I came to realize that education is in fact the way to eradicate poverty."
For the imagine1day team, building, supporting and following Seffo Maialekti Community Primary School has been a remarkable experience. We are amazed, touched and inspired by the incredible positive effects your contribution has had on the children in such a short period of time. As they have been learning and growing, so too have we in bringing this symbol of hope and change to life with you.
On behalf of the extraordinary students of Seffo Maialekti, their families, and the team at imagine1day,
