SEFFO MAIALEKTI COMMUNITY SCHOOL

project at a glance:

A brand new school for 287 children, grades 1 to 4. This investment is the catalyst for self generating growth in the four villages that comprise the community of Seffo Maialekti in Northern Ethiopia.

Minimum Investment - $10.19 (one tin roof sheet for the latrine)
Maximum Investment - $73,253.90 (fully funded project)

goal:

The Seffo Maialekti community will have the key components for quality primary education and overall improved conditions for the community and the school's enrolment will increase to 400 students per year.

objectives:

• Replacement of temporary Grade 1-2 dass shelter school with a Grade 1-4 four classroom structure with furniture, a latrine and drinking water well serving 287 school age children.
• Provision of teacher training
• Health care education, environmental and water management training programs for the community.

community background:

Seffo Maialekti is located in Northeast Ethiopia in the region of Tigray. The collection of four small villages is found under the chained plateaus, 20km from the towncenter, Adigudom. The villages are accessed by a poor condition dirt road or a 1.5 hour walk to the nearest paved road and basic health center.

Like most areas of Hintalo Wejirat woreda, the landscape is rugged, eroded and ecologically impoverished. According to the national census made in May 2007, the total population of the community is 1002 (Male 489 Female 513) with children constituting 29% of the population.

The major source of living of the community is rain fed agriculture. Wheat and the local grain Teff are the major crops and are harvested once a year following the rainy season. The farm size of most of the farmers is only ½ a hectare.

Land for farming is scarce and many families resort to farming in the hills resulting in significant land degradation and erosion. Few trees are present except for the odd Eucalyptus tree and fruit bearing cacti. Due to scarcity of farm land and marginal rains, food security is a major issue and the area has been affected by famine in the past. Lack of clean water has also resulted in a high incidence of water borne disease. Other than the temporary school and church, there are no other social services in the community.

educational need:

The Seffo Maialekti dass (open air) school was built in 2006 by the community to provide basic education for their children. It is a shelter made with locally available stone and covered with wood logs and straw on top. The dass school has two small partitions 3m² and 1.60 meters high. There are no toilets or playground and only limited water is available from a nearby hand dug well.

The dass school served 39 grade one students and 38 grade two students who attended class 4.5 hours per day Monday to Friday. The school was run by two government employed teachers earning $70/month.

The students sat on the dirt floor or on stones piled into a makeshift seat. They lacked text books and many other basic supplies while a small chalkboard serves as their only educational resource. Older students from the community in Grades 3 and 4 had to walk two hours to the nearest school often suffering from fatigue or sun stroke in the summer months. There were many children in the community who simply did not attend school due to their inability to buy an exercise book and pen or the reluctance of their parents to let them walk 2 hours each way. Another obstacle to school enrolment was the high demand for child labor, particularly the need to look after the family cattle and goats.

solution:

imagine1day replaced the temporary Grade 1-2, dass shelter school with a Grade 1-4, four classroom furnished school with toilets, clean water and sports equipment. Through increased enrolment, the school will serve 287 school age children per year. Training for the teachers is being provided to strengthen active learning, gender equality in school and a student centered approach to teaching.

The project will also benefit the environment and community as a whole. Two thousand fruit and shade trees have been planted and the community has been provided training in water and environmental management to prevent erosion and adapt to climate changes such as extended droughts. Furthermore, the community has been supplied with tools and supplies to maintain the project, care for the fruit trees and expand agriculture.

One of the key outputs of the project is providing environmental conservation and economic sustainability for the community as well as quality basic education. To improve the environment and increase the income for the community (and school), marketable fruit trees, wind break and shade providing trees will be planted in the school ground and in the nearby non-arable hills. The types and location of planting will be decided in consultation with the community and the government agriculture office.

community participation:

imagine1day feels it is essential to involve the community in the planning and implementation of all aspects of the project. This helps ensure the sustainability of the project and leaves the community with a sense of pride and achievement. Their indigenous knowledge and expertise is essential for ensuring project success. To assist the community in their participation, imagine1day will equip them with planning tools and empower them to establish goals benefiting the future growth and development of their community.

imagine1day project staff had a successful planning session with community leaders to discuss their needs. All of them responded positively telling imagine1day that the community welcomes the project as it is a valuable asset for both children and adults. The community indicated that they are strongly committed to the project and have already committed land for the school, allocated volunteer labour and reserved some of their meager finances to help transport the materials.

The village administrator, the top decision maker on community matters, together with the village representatives, responded as follows:

"The community has recognized that the children are learning in a bad condition. We have asked the woreda education office and the council to improve the situation but funds are not available. The community has discussed and decided to provide suitable land close to the church. The place is mid-point for all of the villagers and has a potential water point nearby. The place is of course a farm land; hence we have to wait until the farmers collect the harvest. We have already given substitution land for the displaced farmers therefore; we will hand over the land to the woreda in a few weeks. We have natural resources like black stone and sand. We will also maintain the road though the safety net program, hence we are ready to solve the problem of our children."

sustainability:

The project is being completed in partnership with the Regional Education Bureau and in line with the national strategic plan providing 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.