Schools

Aderak Full Elementary School #1

The first school we started helping was the "Fikre Alem" (world love) School at Aderak in the Tigrai Region of Northern Ethiopia. Initially it was built by the community as part of the Government's initiative to extend access to primary education nationally.
This school is in an isolated neglected off-road area with no water or other services. hey had built a classroom school block in local stone - but the rooms had no flooring, furniture or even black boards. They did not have the capacity to do or afford more work.
Identified to us by the local education office, in late 2004 A-CET, through its local partners EYES, had discussions with the school and its community board and offered support. A list of needs was drawn up by them and their priorities were initially flooring, furniture plus blackboards, followed by more classrooms, an administration block with offices, stores and library plus a latrine block.
In 2005, initially with funding from the Global Issues Network (GIN), we started our support which was the flooring and provision of locally made furniture. The community undertook the flooring using locally collected sand, hand-crushed stones and water - with the cement provided by us. By involving the community we fostered their continued sense of ownership in their school and of this project. Local oversight was provided by EYES and by 2005 the original Aderak School four classroom block was fully equipped.
The effect on the community and their obvious pride in their upgraded school was incredible. Probably the most impressive change was that from a school with a little over 200 enrolled students in Grades 1 to 4 at the outset, by the time that we had finished this phase of the project, enrolled students had more than doubled!
To accomodate this increase in school numbers and grades, the community built a second classroom block. A-CET helped them put in floors, doors, windows and provided desk-sets. That this largely uneducated and illiterate farming community were willing to release more of their offspring from cattle-herding and farming on their farms to attend was very heartening. The excitement, energy and confidence developed by the completion of Phase 1 developed a real sense of "can do".
In 2006 the school was upgraded this school to a Full Elementary School with eight grades. A-CET then supported the building and basic furnishing of a library, two new classroom blocks with eight classes and latrines. It was opened on 8 Oct 2006.
This project was principally funded through Band Aid, Global Issues Network, Irish Rovers, 4i2i, Coornhert Gymnasium, Tobias Woerner and others. Thank you all.

Impact

This school has brought closer access & better long-term educational facilities to thousands of the most vulnerable rural youngsters, many of whom without this school, probably would not have had this opportinity to attend any education at all.
It has also transformed the entire village, bringing a new sense of cohesion and pride amongst the villagers who built it.

In new bright classrooms

Pupils enjoying new school