Six Month Report
HIGH SCORES TO COME
imagine1day recently spoke to Seffo's School Principal, Ato Weldegebriel about his hopes for the upcoming mid-term exams. He explained that all grade levels in Ethiopia are tested bi-annually to determine whether students will continue to the next grade. Previously at Seffo, children struggled to write their exams, teetering on stones and balancing paper on their laps. This year will be the first time they will be able to focus, seated at proper desks. Ato Weldegebriel expects the students' test results to improve immensely. "They love their new school, they never come late and we have no dropouts," says Ato Weldegebriel, "The students are motivated by their new sports equipment, books and furniture. No one fights over who has to carry the blackboard from the village."
Ato Weldegebriel expects the students' final examination scores to also significantly improve. "In the past, children performed the worst at the end of the year as the rains made them cold and wet which caused them to skip many classes. This year the rains will not affect us," says Ato Weldegebriel. When asked how the students have changed since the completion of the school Ato Weldegebriel replied, "The biggest changes cannot be measured by a score. The biggest change can be seen in the students' overall behaviour, their health and their hygiene. We cannot give grades for cleanliness, but if we did, they would be the highest."
student profile
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educate a child, educate a household
Over the past six months, the teachers at Seffo have been applying techniques that they learned from the Active Learning and Life Skill teacher training that you supported. The training has resulted in interactive classrooms, gender sensitivity and a hands-on approach to teaching skills that are relevant to Seffo's rural setting. Lessons at Seffo go far beyond delivering theory on a blackboard.
Teachers are working hard to build a model community on the school property that utilises simple practices and local materials to promote a healthier, cleaner environment. They have created a model home that includes mud-made shelves for clean storage of clothing and cookware, a stove that makes use of fire to boil water and to cook, as well as cylindrical mud vessel that helps to cool foods and act as a refrigerator. Also included is a clay receptacle that composts natural waste and a coup where chickens can be kept separate from living areas. The impact of this model is already being seen. Teachers are reporting that fewer children are missing school due to sickness. The children understand this too. Eight year old Ababa told imagine1day, "Protecting myself against disease and germs will mean I don't have to miss any school."
Today in the community of Seffo 205 children are happier because you chose to support the training of three teachers who have taught these students how to create a healthier life resulting in positive changes that will last a lifetime.
income generation for tomorrow
The community of Seffo is situated in Ethiopia's Northern region of Tigray. Knowledge of Tigray was brought to the attention of the West in the early eighties when the music world came together to draw international attention to the drought and famine that was ravishing the people of this region. Today, these images are what many people first associate with Ethiopia. Though there have been vast improvements as a result of international aid and increased capacity in the country, much of the population continues to rely heavily on subsistence farming and cattle rearing, an existence that continues to be compromised in times of drought.
Tigray's rainy season or 'Kiremt' generally starts in late June and ends by early September. However, in 2008 the rains came very late, were sparse and did not last through the season. Many families were only able to harvest a small percentage of what they grew and were forced to migrate to find water and food to save their livestock. As a result of the training that you supported, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at Seffo was able to mitigate some of the impact of the drought. The PTA was gifted 300 ETB or 30 dollars in 'seed money' to develop a creative plan to raise money to support the ongoing costs to maintain and improve their school. The PTA chose to use the land surrounding the school to plant wheat. Having easy access to water on site at the school allowed the PTA to irrigate the wheat crop by hand. The result was impressive. The seed funding grew tenfold into five quintiles of wheat worth over 3,000 birr. Ato Shiferaw, PTA Chairperson explained with a smile, "The PTA worked hard to save the wheat in order to have money for the school, but we also did it to be an example and show others that irrigation is worthwhile. Now they believe us."
The PTA is already putting the money to good use and has purchased tree seedlings to replace those that did not survive last year's dry season. Further plans include buying roof sheets and cement for a school administration block. With ongoing support from imagine1day, the community has committed to gather local sand and stone and to contribute their labour for the addition. In the next month imagine1day will provide additional water management training and do frequent follow-ups to keep the community motivated and mobilized.
so much more to come
The community of Seffo holds a special place in the hearts of the imagine1day team. In 2009 we will continue to build the capacity of Seffo's teachers by providing further training and development. Our work with the PTA will include the implementation of a micro-irrigation system that will allow them to plant a vegetable garden on the school grounds and develop another source of income for their school. We will continue to monitor the impact of your investment and six months from now we will share more stories about this incredible community.
Thank you for helping us help the community of Seffo Maialekti believe in a new future.
