"WHAT YOU DO NOT GET AS A CHILD, YOU CANNOT GIVE BACK LATER IN LIFE"
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The small children say hello to Gert at the School of the Sisters
The children are very happy and confident when at school. This photo says everything
From a meeting where the coming cooperation is discussed. To the left is Sister Woynitu, headmaster of the school
At this school the uniforms are blue and pink
Not all the small children wear a uniform
The kindergarten children are taught by Maria Montessoris methods. That is why they sit on small mats on the floor
The school has no rooms for eating, so the children must sit outside with their lunch
About 250 very poor children get their food from the school every day
The hens wait for the children to finish their meal. Then they pick the rests
Small children waiting on the stairs
There is room for many children in an Ethiopian classroom
The girl in the middle of the photo sends a kiss to the photografer
Also small poor girls want to have pink finery in the hair
The big white man is so funny that one must laugh
When you concentrate enough, the tounge can slip out
Now comes the serious part, now we shall learn to write
Education in the use of computers
The school could use many more computers
ELSA's koordinator in Bahir Dar Hiwot Amare tells the staff how to maintain the computers
Gert discusses the school material with sister Woynitu
Some of the poorest children in the school live in this area
Altid bliver man mødt med nysgerrighed og glæde
ELSA helps a few very poor families with food packages
Another family gets a food package
Uhmm. Chips is not an everyday snack for these boys
De to nye tukuls er nu færdige til at blive taget brug, både som undervisningssted og som spisested
The sports area are being measured with regard to drainage, alignment and for planting of fruit trees in part of the area
The little ones are having lunch break
After lunch the small ones need to sleep- There must always be time for having fun with the children
One of the girls we got to know as Tigist Zeinu - here with three friends
The girl, whose life ELSA saved after a serious burn a couple of years ago, is gratefully showing the top of her scars
Happy parents are collecting happy children from school
Gert is showing ELSA's brochure to some of the kindergarten children
Gert is presented with a large, framed photo as a thank you to ELSA for the two tukuls
All the children are incredibly sweet
New cooperation
In 2018 we started a new cooperation with another school in Bahir Dar by the name of ”Blessed Gebre Michael Catholic School”. It is run by a handful of very sweet, informal, kompetent, and joyful, catholic nuns, loved by the children, and therefore we call it "School of the Sisters".
The school is managed along the same principles as we always demand for entering a cooperation: All children are welcome, regardless of religious belief, and there must be focus on children from poor homes.
The school today has 1.140 pupils, of which 315 are at kindergarten level. Many of these children are outcast and orphans or come from extremely bad conditions. These children are also washed and fed at the school, and it is a joy to see, how secure and happy also these children are in that school.
Also, the extremely poor children get a chance to climb up in the world of education when they have finished grade 8. If they have the abilities, the sisters take care that they go on to high school, college, and maybe even university. While they study, the school fees, school uniform, books, transportation, and food are provided for, so they can reach their targets and be able to stand on their own two feet.
The school has 80 employees, hereof 31 teachers for teaching at grade 1 to 8, 10 teachers for the preschool nursery classes, and other service providing employees.
The Sisters had a number of wishes for the coming cooperation with ELSA, and we will try to raise the necessary funds to fulfil some of their most urgent needs.
This concerned, among other things, more class-rooms; pavilions that can also be used for having meals; more (and functioning) computers; elevating the playground/sportsarea, which is flooded in the rainy season and filled with stagnant, filthy water. Finally renovating the fence around the school area - it is old and so shabby that people and wild dogs easily can get to the children.
The school management made a priority list of the many wishes, and as the first thing ELSA has built two big pavilions, so-called “tukuls”. The tukuls have room for 220 small children from the kindergarten or 120 bigger students.
The tukuls were taken into use after the traditional inauguration on December 3rd, 2019. So now the children can have class outdoor - in one of these tukuls. And they can have their food here, sheltered from the sun, and sheltered from the rain in the rainy season.
The next problem we are in the middle of solving is drainage and elevation of the gymnastics and sports area, which for long periods of time is under water, because a newly constructed road outside the school has blocked the drainage of the area. The stagnant water is off course nidus for all types of insects, including flies and mosquitoes.
The area, which is clearly low-lying, will have the surface elevated, and drainage canals will be cleared and - if necessary - made deeper, so that all the water will disappear from the area. We are in ELSA very experienced with this kind of problems from previous construction work.
As a "side project" to all of this, part of the area will have traditional fruit trees planted - avocado, mango and papaya - as this will be a valuable addition to the feeding of the poorest children at the school.
Another "side project" to the alignment and improvement of the area is acquisition of new cows, so that the poorest children can have a daily cup of milk.
1. The red arrow marks the location of the education centre.
2. A former very poor neighbourhood is transforming into a new suburb around the centre.
3. From the left the kindergarten, the elementary school and the high school.
At the web site Google Earth it is easy to see how far we have come with respect to the large Abay Mado Education Centre next to The Blue Nile, outside the city of Bahir Dar.
The construction began in 2010, and in 2011 the first section - the kindergarten - was finished. Later on the sections for the elementary school - 1. to 8. grade - and the high school were built. Finally a magnificent sports field was constructed. The whole area is surrounded by a stone wall, and at the gate there is also a small tower for the guards.
The three slides on the opposite side show, how the project looks from above when you zoom in.
On the first photo the red arrow marks the location of the education center east of the river. Among the city's plans is a new southern bridge over the river Nile, in effect connecting the Abay Mado Education Centre to the university of Bahir Dar.
Closing in on the next slide you will notice that what once was a very poor neighbourhood is now transforming into a new suburb to Bahir Dar with the education centre as the pivotal point.
Closing further in on slide number 3 you will see clearly (from the left) the kindergarten, the elementary school and the high school. In the front you see the games and athletics area.
COMPLETED
SCHOOL PROJECTS
A room for practical subjects was every day at lunch time transformed into a room for eating for more than 100 pupils
Even if there is little room, there is room enough for a helping hand
In one of the new huts there is room for 120 pupils
It is good to have a lunch break
The small children from the kindergarten go to the lunch hut in a row
Now it is time to go back to the classroom
Girls from the 8. grade enjoy their lunch
It is good to have got the lunch huts, but it is still nice to sit in the shade under a tree
The Rotary Club in Odder, Denmark, has donated a larger number of new computers to the school
Playtime between two classes. It is good to see that the teachers play with the pupils
The large fig tree provides shade in the hot sun
The kindergarten has got new straw roofs and fresh paint on the walls
A local artist has painted pictures on the wall around the kindergarten
From the nearby hill there is a fine view over the school and the many new family houses which have been built near the school. When the project began, there was nothing around the building ground
During a visit at the Abay Mado project in February 2017 it was decided to build three large, open pavillions (or "tukuls") at the area in front of the school buildings.
In November 2017 the three new pavillions were inaugurated.
The pavillions each hold 120 students who can have their lunch there, under a roof and thereby protected from both sun and rain. The three pavillions are now finalised.
Before the tukuls were built most of the children sat on the ground with their food. Earlier the smallest children had lunch in the round buildings at the kindergarten, but these buildings have long been used for education.
During our visit in November 2017 a large number of computers were also delivered and installed. They represented at donation from the Rotary Club in Odder, Denmark.
A view to the school buildings and the sports area in the middle of the picture
The large school project is composed of three groups of buildings.
The third group of buildings is almost finished. When it is full it can hold 600 students.
On the inauguration day Gert Jensen is met by both children and adults
It was the red against the blue when teams from two schools met
The onlooking crowds were separated from the games by a fence
There were prices for the winning teams
Here Gert Jensen gives the prize to a team of girls
A girls takes a round with the trophy
Some of the children are brought home from school in small cabs
Every Friday afternoon the teachers meet to discuss the week - and to drink a cup of coffee
Also in Ethiopia girls skip rope in their breaks
ELSA's contact person in Bahir Dar, Hiwot, shows the girls that she also skips.
The last day in the kindergarten before the summer holiday. Next year it will be grade 1
The last day before the summer holiday. The girls have got a piece of paper with their marks
This girl proudly shows her exam paper.
The children in the kindergarten have got a big box of LEGO. An exciting new toy
June 17th was the day of inauguration of the games and athletics area at the education project Abay Mado in Bahir Dar – a very impressive and very suitable area, which will make a large number of children very happy in the years to come.
The day started with a small ceremony where all children and adults from the school stood full of expectations and greeted us, when we – together with pupils and teachers from Odder Højskole – arrived in order to participate in the different activities over the next couple of days.
The first activities were football games, where the school presented two teams. The opponents came from St. Michael School and they also presented two teams. And they really went for it – both the players and the audience, consisting of children and adults as well. After the games prizes were awarded.
Then we had a break with soft drinks and cakes to everyone who had showed up. After the break the program continued with the teachers from the two schools competing in football, basketball and volleyball.
Finally a football match was arranged between the pupils from Odder Højskole and the teachers from Abay Mado School.
It was a really good day, which in a perfect way marked the presentation of the magnificent sports area to the school.
At the start of the school year, on September 11, 2016, the number of pupils will reach 700. And another 10 teachers will be employed, bringing the total number of teachers up to 33.
Evening school teaching of adult pupils will be continued, following the success of this in 2015, where 20 women learned to read and write, and already at the end of the school year there were a number of applicants for participation in the new school year.
So all in all it has been a success with the education project in the local area.
Once more I would like to thank members and donors for the support they give us, and thank the many artists, who over the years have supported us by donating a piece of art. Without this we would not have come this far, and I hope, that everybody is proud of what we have achieved together. And I can only urge you to come down there and see for yourselves the joy and happiness, that you all have a part in.
The tower at the entrance at the school.
The sports area is being levelled, and a top dressing is being added.
The top dressing is finished, edges are having plants, and the basketball court is being laid out.
An iron net is being laid out under the basketball court.
The entrance to the half finished section 3.
From the inner part of section 3.
Ask me, ask me! From a lesson in the official language Amharic.
Chairman Gert Jensen has taken over the lesson in English.
The children have learned to fold and use a socalled nip-nap, more formally known as "folded statements".
The teachers also want to nip-nap.
The children have performed a play about a wedding.
The small childrens lunch break - in one of the rondels - after which they must take a nap.
The larger childrens lunch break is held outside the buildings.
Happy school boys.
Children on their way home after school.
Some of the children are met by parents after school, and some go home in the small threewheeled taxis.
The kindergarten has its own playground for the small children.
A beautiful set of plantings around section 2 is carefully being attended to.
The customary thank you-plate on section 2.
At home in the village
A visit at a co-operative for farmers to buy two cows- Houses by the river
Daily milk for the youngest children
The Ethiopians walk a lot
New materials on the way to the building site
Education is the future for Ethiopia
GRade 1 to 8 - and sports field
At the end of November / beginning of December 2015 another visit was made to Abey Mado in order to oversee the upstart of a larger construction work around future sports- and athletics-facilities. This has been financed by the funds generated from the last art auction held at the art museum in Aarhus in September 2015. Without the support from Danish artists realizing this great wish from the school had not been possible.
As the sports field necessarily had to be built on a slope, the area first had to be levelled out, and this meant that more than 100 large truckloads of earth had to be removed. Hereafter a football field plus a basket- and volleyball field was made. Around these fields a three meters broad running lane was made. Add to this covered spectator areas, built in granite, then you have a fantastic sports arena, which will attract many schools from the area to sports arrangements in the time to come.
Now 650 pupils
The visit was all in all very exciting. A new, professional management had been appointed, and it was clear, that both teachers and pupils were happy. E.g. in the breaks, where several of the teachers were together with the children, doing different activities.
Today the school has app. 650 pupils and 28 teachers and pedagogues, and classes up to 7th grade. 650 is around half of the planned number of pupils, distributed on up to 12th grade.
The school has acquired a bus to gather and bring a part of the pupils in the area, but many of them are also gathered and brought by the small three-wheeled taxies.
We talked with several of the parents who came to collect children. They were very happy having their children at the school, and they also knew that the pressure from parents for having their children admitted to the school was high, as it was limited how many children could be admitted per year.
In June 2016 the International College in Odder has plans for visiting the school again. Their last visit - which was here in 2015 – was a big success for them, and at the school they are looking forward to the next visit. A big sports event is being planned as an inauguration of the sports area, where other schools are to participate in a full day event with different sports.
Once again we would like to thank everybody for the support that members and donors give us, and we would also like to thank the many artists who have supported the project throughout the years by donating a piece of art. Without this we had not come this far, and we hope that everybody is proud of what we have achieved, and we can only encourage everybody to come to Ethiopia and see the joy and happiness that you all have part in.
Local village near the school
Oxen and rush boat at the banks of The Blue Nile
Drawings of building for 9th to 12th grade
Very expectant 1. grade children in temporary class rooms- Teaching in the class
ACS and ELSA in close cooperation
Do you want to see my new tooth?
Cooking in the village
The new library is surrounded by eight class rooms
Concentration
Parents and children enjoy the feast from the shadow
The bishop unveils a marble plaque with the name of the donors
Banner under the big fig tree
Toilets for boys and girls with paintings of the danish artist Steffan Herrik
One of the new buildings with class rooms
The new furniture for the school arrives
The contract on a building for 9th to 12th grade is being signed
Class rooms and room for physics education
The Danish artist Steffan Herrik has painted a "gumoso" on the wall
Crop is being purified
Grade 4 has temporarily got room in the new high school building
The women prepare the food for the inauguration
Newly built house in the village
The playthings are being transferred
A young woman by the name Kidist waits at the table
The three parts of the school project lies behind the road with the blue trees
How exciting to go to school
START UP
On May 24, 2012, we signed a new contract with the Catholic administration (ACS) in Addis Ababa. This was the beginning of the next construction phase at the education project ABAY MADO, situated in Bahir Dar.
Status
The buildings are now ready to house grades 9 to 12, around 320 students. Initially, some of the classrooms will be used by grades 1 to 4; these children are later to be moved to the elementary school buildings, once they have been finished. Later the buildings are to be the base of grades 9 to 12. From the beginning, the rooms are fully equipped with good quality furniture, manufactured locally.
On Tuesday September 30, 2014, a big celebration marked the inauguration of the new buildings. Bishop Abune Lesanu, the school management and staff, workers, parants and children participated. It was with a sense of pride that we declared the second phase of the education project completed, the first phase being the kindergarten, inaugurated in november 2011.
Throughout the day an Ethiopian film crew recorded events, later to be shown on television.
Speeches were given by Bishop Abune Lesane and ELSA's chairman, Gert Jensen, who subsequently unveiled a fine marble plaque with the names of organisations and donors; after this he handed over the keys to the school management, signifying that the building are now their responsibility.
There was a performance of traditional music and dance. During the presentation of the buildings, an ”art lesson” was given by Danish artist Steffan Herrik, resulting in a great number of pretty children's drawings.
A powerpoint-show contained pictures of the entire project from beginning to finish.
The whole event was a good way to celebrate the completion of the large construction project that ELSA has been in charge of for about five years.
The high school consists of four separate buildings, forming a unity: one building forming the back contains four classrooms and toilets for girls and boys; two wings, one containing two classrooms, lab and teachers' toilets, the other two classrooms, the staffroom and a storage room; in the middle the library and the school office..
17 teachers are employed at the kindergarten and the school. Authorities and parents alike are very eager to have more children enrolled at the school, and several children have been moved here from overcrowded schools.
Since ELSA began the education project the whole Abay Mado area has undergone a big development. Many houses and shops have been built, as a sign that people find the area worth moving to and building a future on. This, of course, makes us happy.
Board with Ethiopian text (Amharic)
Class room with desks
Class room with children
Happy parents
One of the very skilful female workers
Bishop Abune Lesanu-Christos Matheos and Gert Jensen
Gunnar K. Hansen and Birgitte Thorlacius are preparing - in the background Frede Troelsen
Also attention from the small ones
The bishop thanks Gert Jensen
But always time for a cautious smile to the camera
The children are looking forward to begin using the school building at the start of the new school year
A big day where cakes and soft drinks were handed out to the future pupils
Three of the four artists in full activity in the rotunda with the "nature"-theme
Birgitte, Mulugetta, Frede, and Gunnar
Happy orphans
We have handed out knitted sweaters in a home for orphans
It was fantastic to be able to present this beautiful school building to all invited
Gert is presented with drawings from children in the kindergarden
The children are engaged in learning English
From the kindergarten, after the inauguration
Happy girls with new school bags
Expectant children from the village in one of the two rotundas
The Danish and the Ethiopian flags fly high together above the kindergarden
The Beginning
In the spring of 2009 the planning of the kindergarden was finalized. Construction started in the early spring of 2010.
One of the most important elements in the project has been the focus on Ethiopian traditions in the use of materials, the local work force primarily consisting of women, and in the harmonious architecture, which comprises two round buildings connected with the activity rooms. The two round houses are shaped as the traditional rural houses.
In December 2010 and January 2011 three Danish artists visited the project to make the internal decoration of the kindergarden's two round buildings - the "rotundas". The painter Gunnar K. Hansen was responsible for this together with Birgitte Thorlacius and Frede Troelsen in cooperation with the Ethiopian artist Mulugetta. The result was magnificent.
The interior of the round houses is decorated with motives designed to motivate and stimulate the children: animals, plants and objects from their everyday life. The paintings were completed in close cooperation between three Danish and one Ethiopian artists.
Furthermore, we asked Gunnar K. Hansen to choose the colours for all of the buildings to fit into the surroundings.
HAND OVER IN TWO STAGES
On July 14 a festive ceremony took place in Abay Mado, where ELSA handed over the keys to the finished phase 1 - the kindergarden - to representatives from "the Archdiocesan Catholic Secretariat of Ethiopia" (ACS). The ceromony was performed by bishop Abune Lessane Christos Matheo - the very person with whom ELSA made the agreement of building and running an education centre in Abay Mado.
On November 5 we could officially inaugurate the kindergarden. We held a party for parents, children, teachers and partners. The Ethiopian national television was also present.
It was - as always - a memorable day with a lot of happy faces and many solemn promises for the future, not least for our partner in the teaching area, the catholic church. Everybody expressed admiration for the finished result.
Today (November 2013) the kindergarden has 11 teachers and about 150 students. There is a pleasant atmosphere between them, which works perfectly with the daily mix of play and training. The teaching method is the Italian Maria Montessori method.
In November 2011 we further delivered a gift of approximately 25 knitted sweaters to children in a home for orphans run by the Catholic Church. The children were very pleased with the colourful sweaters, because - contrary to what you might think - it can be cold in Ethiopia, especially in the evenings and in the mornings where a cold windis often blowing. During subsequent visits approximately 200 sweaters have been handed over to children’s homes in Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa.
Overview of the whole school project
The Blue Nile to the left - glimpse of site and poor villages between the trees to the right
Map of the area. The yellow pin marks the site
The women cook at the fire
Young woman with two sceptical boys
A village at the river side
The hens are going to be sold at the market
From the big city Bahir Dar near the school project
Women and children in the village
The big waterfall of the river Nile near Bahir Dar
In the flour mill
Sign at entrance to the site
BAHIR DAR
Bahir Dar is one of Ethiopia's most important industrial centres and the country's fifth largest city with approx. 180.000 inhabitants. The city is situated very beautifully at Lake Tana, 560 km north of Addis Ababa.
Here ELSA started up a large project in 2010 regarding a new education centre, which will be expanded gradually over the next 4-5 years. The name of the project is "ABAY MADO", which means "on the other side of the Nile" (in relation to city centre) in Ethiopian (Amharic). The centre is built at a 30.000 m2 big site approximately 7 kilometres from the centre of Bahir Dar and with a short distance to "The Blue Nile".
THE EDUCATION CENTRE
The centre will be surrounded by a number of poor villages and the prime purpose of the project is to make sure that all the children from these villages receives a school education. The children normally have a transport time to/from school of 3-4 hours, and since there always is a need for the children in the daily housekeeping they often stay at home!
First phase of the project consists of a kindergarten for 160 children plus sanitary installations, and this phase will be finalised mid 2011. Phase II is a school for grade 1 to 4, phase III is for grade 5 to 8, phase IV is a high school, phase V a technical school, and phase VI is shop and youth club.
PARTNERS
In order to make sure that the centre right from the start - and in all years ahead - and is used according to plan, we have entered into a cooperation with a local NGO under the catholic church. This new cooperation-partner has a long experience with school- and health projects and all of its teachers are highly qualified.
Written agreements have been entered into by ELSA and the local NGO which ensures that the centre right from the start and in the years ahead will be used primarily for education of the poor local population, and that this will take place at no cost to them. After the different phases have been taken into use the local NGO will undertake all future costs in connection with teaching and maintenance. This means that ELSA will have no financial obligations after hand over.
It is an important part of the agreements that the centre will encompass and welcome all religious convictions, since there will be no demands made in this respect vis-a-vis the children, and no religious influence will be made during schooling.
This project represents a big step for ELSA, since it is our first project outside the capital Addis Ababa, and since it also will be of big importance to the future of hundreds of children. We hope for financial support from private individuals, from corporations and from funds in order to be able to complete this large project.
It will be possible to participate in voluntary work at the school.
Opening of the new school building
Gert Jensen and Mulu on their way to the opening
It is wonderful to go to school
The school master with 2. grade
A new sanitary building for boys and girls
2. grade in joy at the new building
Going to the party in the finest clothes
Now the party can begin
We are curious to see what happens
The children wear their finest clothes
A street circus performs
Ethiopian art as a gift for Gert Jensen
Here the Danes have built a school
Gert Jensen and Mulu at the entrance to Girar School
Girar = Akacie
In the fall of 2007 another significant school extension, this time at the Girar School, was inaugurated. It is a combined school and kindergarten with app. 450 children. The school goes up to the 4th grade.
Besides giving education to children during the day, the new building also gave school the possibility of offering grown-ups classes in the evening.
In 2009 we carried through another important project at this school: replacement of the directly healthtreathening sanitary installations. A new toilet building, including a septik tank, was erected and new washing facilities established.
Table football is very popular
The appartment for the small children
The big girls play chess
In the new kitchen
The new school building at the childrens home
The dining hall for the small children
The new school building from the front
The big girls play with the small ones
At the inauguration
Everybody are gathered on the steps to the main building
Olafur Eliasson speaks at the inauguration
Gert Jensen in the middle of the festivity
Soft drinks for everybody
Table tennis is very popular
The new toilet- and bath rooms
The sleeping rooms are nice and bright
Gert Jensen at the 800 metres long wall around the childrens home
Kechene Youth Care and Rehabilitation Centre
This is one of the largest children's homes in Addis Ababa. It was erected in 1995 as a rehabilitation centre for orphans, and it has continuously housed app. 200 children.
Over the years 1955-2005 the buildings was completely run down and became totally unfit as residence for children.
I April 2005 ELSA - in cooperation with the artist Olafur Eliasson - started a complete renovation of the institution?s buildings: main house, kitchen house, library, porter house a.o. Furthermore a 850 long and 2½ meter high granite wall was built, completely encircling the home, for the purpose of protecting the children against uninvited intruders.
This large renovation and extension project were finished and celebrated at a festive inauguration on Saturday, June 7, 2008. The buildings will be used by the Kechene children as well as children from the neighbourhood. At the same time all the remaining renovated buildings, the main kitchen, the library, the guards? house, etc., were also handed over. Thus 3½ years of construction and renovation were finished to the benefit and great joy of all the children at the home. It is with a somewhat heavy heart that we end our wonderful cooperation with the lovely children.
Koncentration in the class room
Now you all listen well
In the new school building
In an old school building
Four children at each desk in the old building
In the new building there are tables and chairs and lot of space
At the inauguration of the new building
Gert Jensen at the inauguration of the new school building
Hawaryan Petros = Peter the disciple
In October 2005 we were able to inaugurate a fully-equipped teaching building.
Of the approximately 1,200 pupils at the school, 80% are girls. Several of the children are orphans or children of chronically ill parents. The projects carried out at this school total DKK 500,000 (EUR 67,000).
In the new school building
Outside an old building
An old building from outside
A new bright classroom, freshly painted
At the inauguration of the new building
The new school building Mezegebe Birhan Primay Public School
Mezgebe Birhan = Open book
In 2003 we started a new project at another school in the capital. This project affected 300 children, several of whom were children of former soldiers. The school building, and inventory, was inaugurated on 8th November 2003.
The projects carried out at this school total DKK 550,000 (EUR 74,000).
2000 children are gathered every morning in the school yard
Nice to have fresh drinking water ind the school yard
Happy pupils in grade 1
Koncentration in the class room
Big girls from grade 7 or 8
Teaching material on the wall outside an older building
Teaching material is drawn on the walls in the classroom
Ewiket Lehibret
= Knowledge for everyone
The project group's first task was to raise money for the Ewiket Lehibret primary school. This resulted in the construction of a fully-equipped school building for 500 children, bringing the number of children attending the school up to 2000. This building was completed in 1998, and on 10th June 2000 we inaugurated the next school building, including a toilet block and drinking water. The project group has also procured a number of teaching aids.
The projects carried out at this school amount to approximately DKK 1.3 million (EUR 175,000), and the following figures clearly show the effect this has had:
Approximately 65% of the children in normal Ethiopian schools in the capital of Addis Ababa continue in further education after the 8th grade, but at Ewiket Lehibret no fewer than 98% of the children continue.
Vocational
education
Hopefully the cakes will be good
Eager students in the kitchen
Graduation ceremony 2011
Graduation ceremony 2012
ELSA has sponsored several small groups of women at the cooking school
Vocational education
In Addis Ababa we are now concentrating on giving women, many of them single mothers, a vocational education (as cook, hair dresser etc.), which enables them to support themselves and their children.
The cooking school we are cooperating with is named "Bama International Food Preparation and Catering Institute", and here we have sponsored education of several small groups of women.
Also in 2014 we had a group of women at the cooking school. During the last five years more than 40 women have been educated as cooks, paid for by ELSA, and many of them have got a job and are now able to support themselves.
Annual
reports
Giovanni is directing the work
Tigist suppresses a smile
DEAR MEMBERS AND SPONSORS
The year 2021 has been characterised by continued good cooperation with management and empoyees at ”Blessed Gebre Michael Catholic School” (or ”the sisters’ school”, as we call it in brief). It is situated in the city Bahir Dar in the northern part of Ethiopia, a few miles from where we erected the large education centre ”Abay Mado Catholic Academy” over the years 2009-18.
The sisters’ school is managed along the principles we always demand before for entering a cooperation: All children are welcome, regardless of religious beliefs, and there must be special focus on children from poor homes. This school has over 1,100 pupils, of which over 300 are at kindergarten level. A large part of these children are orphans or come from extremely poor conditions. Many of the children are washed and fed at school every day.
The school has 80 employees, of which 31 are teachers for 1st - 8th grade children, 10 are teachers for kindergarten children and the rest is staff taking care of all the practicalities at and around the school. The school is run by the catholic church, represented by competent nuns, who are loved by the children.
Out of many wishes from the school two octagonal huts, so-called “tukuls”, with space for 220 pupils in each were taken into use in fall 2019, and they are used both for teaching and for lunch breaks.
In the same year we started aligning, draining and correcting the gymnastics and sports area, which is very important to the pupils. This large was for lang periods of the year flooded, and the stagnant water has of course been hatching point for pestilent flies and disease-carrying mosquitoes.
From spring 2020 the school unfortunately has been closed for several periods of the past 1½ year because of the COVID-19 epidemic, so it has been necessary for several of the children to re-do a school year.
The good news are, that early October the work at the sports field started again – big trucks brought tons of soil into the field, and construction machinery started elevating and levelling the area.
Later traditional fruit trees will be planted in the area around the sports field. Avocado, mango, and papaya will be an important addition to the feeding of the children at the school.
Unfortunately, we have experienced in 2020/2021 – for the first time during our 27 years of work in Ethiopia – that we have not been able to travel to Ethiopia and visit our projects there because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fortunately, we are confident, that our Ethiopian partner – whom we have cooperated with for app. 20 years – is fully able to manage the projects for long periods of time without our presence.
The school’s wishing list continues to be long and we shall as always try to see, if we can raise the money for several of the most intrusive things, including an extension of a building with yet another, much needed classroom.
Throughout the years, it has been incredibly encouraging for us to see the joy, that both students and teachers have shown about the things we have been able to add, based on the donations we have received.
In the last few months, a wave of disturbance has hit parts of Ethiopia. But this is not a new phenomenon. Disturbances happen from time to time in Ethiopia, and they can be terrible. But they have always calmed down, and they will do that again. Therefore, we are not hesitating in continuing our work with building schools, because educating children and youth is the only way forward for Ethiopia, a fact we in ELSA have always believed in firmly.
Here in Denmark, we had just started contacting many of the artists that had supported us over the years, regarding yet another art auction, when COVID-19 hit us. The first 20 artists, that we contacted, committed themselves to donate works of art to an online art auction at Bruun Rasmussen, but unfortunately, we had to postpone it until further, as we did not think it was the right moment to do it.
We just received – a few weeks ago – a very kind letter from The Vatikan’s Secretary of State, who on behalf of the Pope thanks ELSA for everything we do in Ethiopia regarding the education of children. We are of course very proud of receiving such a letter.
But we shall state, as we always do: All of this can – and can only – be continued for as long as we can raise the funds for it. Therefore, we shall kindly ask you not only to renew your own membership but also to encourage friends to become members. In that respect we shall be happy to receive e-mail addresses from you and other interested persons, so that we can distribute information about our work to all interested.
And remember: You can become sponsor for (part of) a school building project, for education materials, or for education of a single adult pupil. You choose purpose, and any amount is most welcome. And should an interest emerge for visiting Ethiopia and see our common project, then we are of course also ready to support and advise.
We would like to end by thanking everybody for the interest and support, that you show our work. Many children – and adults as well – have enjoyed large benefit from that through 27 years now. As you know our work is comparable to a drop in the ocean, but where this drop falls, joy, hope, and energy grows immediately.
And without your help we could not continue to give these children a chance and a hope for their adult life. Sadly, we must realize, that this type of long-term help-to-self-help is more needed now than ever before, considering the unstable world around us.
Read much more about the projects – and see photos and video from the projects – at ELSA’s homepage: www.knowledgeforeveryone.org.
Membership fee – DKK 150 per year – and donations can be transferred to one of our accounts in Nordea Odder, Denmark, branch no 1944, swift code NDEADKKK:
EUR: account number 5036-307-813, IBAN: DK0520005036307813
DKK: account number 4373-884-486, IBAN: DK5620004373884486
USD: account number 5036-307-821, IBAN: DK8020005036307821
A possibility which is difficult for us to mention, is to donate through your will, but we – and the children – shall nonetheless be forever grateful.
ELSA’s next general assembly will be held on
Tuesday, March 8th, 2022, at 6:30 PM,
and it is held in Gert’s home at
Torvald Køhlsvej 59, Odder, Denmark.
With this we would like to wish all of you
a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Gert Jensen
Tlf.: +45 23 64 86 88, e-mail: gert@videnforalle.dk
- The poorest of the children are taken especially care of
- The small ones are having lunch
DEAR MEMBERS AND SPONSORS
2019 was embossed by the new cooperation we started up, namely with the ”Blessed Gebre Michael Catholic School” (or ”the nuns’ school”, in short). It is also placed in the city of Bahir Dar in the northern part of Ethiopia, where we erected the large education centre ”Abay Mado” over the years 2009-18.
In 2020 the cooperation with the nuns’ school continued. The school is managed along the principles that we always demand as prerequisites for entering a cooperation: All children are welcome, regardless of religious beliefs, and there must be special focus on children from poor homes.
This school has over 1,100 pupils, of which over 300 are at kindergarten level. A large proportion of these children are vulnerable orphans or come from extremely poor conditions, and these children are also washed and fed at school.
The school has 80 employees, of which 31 are teachers for 1st - 8th grade children, 10 are teachers for kindergarten children and the rest is staff taking care of all the practicalities at and around the school. The school is run by the catholic church, represented by a handful of extraordinarily kind, informal, competent, and moody nuns, who are loved by their pupils.
Out of a long list of important projects at this school, we choose to start with building two so-called "tukuls", which are octagonal buildings with space for up to 220 students in each. These tukuls was taken into use in the spring of 2019, both as teaching rooms and as lunching houses.
The next thing, we are working with now, is drainage, realigning and level raising of the gymnastics and sports area, which is a very important part of the school to the pupils. This large area was for long periods of the year flooded, because a new road outside the school was blocking for drainage of the area. The stagnant water has, of course, been hatching point for all kinds of pestilent flies and disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Traditional fruit trees will be planted on parts of the area so that avocado, mango, and papaya can become a valuable contribution to the feeding of the children at the school.
A "side-project” was the procurement of milk-giving cows, so that the very poorest of the children could have a cup of milk daily. Unfortunately, the school just experienced a tragedy in that all the cows – except one – suddenly have died from a disease. Therefore, ELSA shall try to raise funds for buying new cows to the school.
But the list of wishes at this school continues to be extensive, and we shall – as always – try to raise enough money to do several of the most intrusive things, among other things a building-extension with yet another, much needed classroom.
And throughout the years, it has been incredibly encouraging for us to see the joy, that both students and teachers have shown about the things we have been able to add, based on the donations we have received.
Unfortunately, we have in 2020 experienced – for the first time in our 26 years of work in Ethiopia – that we have not been able to travel to Ethiopia and visit our projects, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Admittedly, Ethiopia has only had app. 94.000 cases to this date – i.e. less than 0,1 percent of the 110 mio. population – but unfortunately this can quickly change. In addition, the travel-restrictions from Denmark to Ethiopia have been very demanding.
Fortunately, we are confident, that our Ethiopian partner – which we have co-operated with for many years at different locations in Ethiopia – can manage the projects for long periods of time without our physical presence.
We shall therefore state, as we always do: All of this can only be continued for as long as we can raise the funds for it. Therefore, we shall not only kindly ask you to renew your own membership but also to encourage friends to become members. In that respect we shall be happy to receive e-mail addresses from interested persons, so that we can distribute information about our work.
You can become sponsor for (part of) a school building project, for education materials, or for education of a single adult pupil. You choose purpose, and any amount is most welcome. And should an interest emerge for visiting Ethiopia and see our common project, then we are of course also ready to support and advise.
We would like to thank everybody for the interest and support, that you show our work. Many children – and adults as well – have enjoyed large benefit from that through 26 years now. As you know our work is comparable to a drop in the ocean, but where this drop falls, joy, hope, and energy grows immediately. And without your help we could not continue to give these children a chance and a hope for their adult life. Sadly, we must realize, that this type of long-term help-to-self-help is more needed now than ever before, considering the unstable world around us.
Read much more about the projects – and see photos and video from the projects – at ELSA’s homepage: www.knowledgeforeveryone.org.
Membership fee – DKK 150 per year – and donations can be transferred to our account in Nordea Odder, Denmark, branch no 1944, swift code NDEADKKK:
EUR: account number 5036-307-813, IBAN: DK0520005036307813
DKK: account number 4373-884-486, IBAN: DK5620004373884486
A possibility which is difficult for us to mention, is to donate through your will, but we – and the children – shall nonetheless be forever grateful.
ELSA’s next general assembly will be held on Tuesday, March 9th, 2021, at 6:30 PM, and it is held in Gert’s home at Torvald Køhlsvej 59, Odder, Denmark.
With this we would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
- Two new tukuls were taken into use in December 2019
We are always met by happy and curious children børn
The flooded sportsarea is being measured
Gert is entertaining the children in one of the new tukuls- Gert receives a picture as a thank you
Certificate of Appreciation
Dear members and sponsors
In 2018 we finished the last couple of things at the big education centre, Abay Mado, which ELSA has built up from empty field over the past 10 years. We visited the centre again in December 2019, and it remains a pleasure to see how well-functioning it all is, how happy the children are and how satisfied the teachers and management are.
This past year, 2019, has been marked by the new collaboration we started last year with another school in Bahir Dar, the "Blessed Gebre Michael Catholic School", run by nuns and following the same principles as the Abay Mado centre: All children are welcome, regardless of religious beliefs, and there is no missioning.
The school has over 1,100 pupils, of which over 300 are at kindergarten level. A large proportion of these children are vulnerable orphans or come from extremely poor conditions, and these children are also washed and fed at school.
The school has 31 teachers for 1st - 8th grade, 7 teachers for kindergarten children and 80 staff to take care of all the practicalities at and around the school.
Out of a long list of important projects at this school, we chose to start by building two so-called "tukuls", which are octagonal buildings with space for up to 220 students in each (see photo above). These tukuls can be used both as teaching rooms, which were in great demand, and as eating houses, as the children otherwise sat outdoors in all kinds of weather and ate. The buildings are now ready for use after the traditional inauguration on December 03.
The next problem we are going to solve, if we can find funding for it, is drainage and alignment of the gym and sports field, which has been under water for long periods of time because a newly constructed road outside the school has blocked the drainage from the square (such as now - see photo at top right). The stagnant water is, of course, the hatching point for all kinds of insects, including flies and mosquitoes.
The field, which is clearly low-lying, will have the level raised, and drainage channels will be cleaned up and, if necessary, made deeper, so that all water will disappear from the field. In ELSA we have a lot of experience with this kind of problems from previous projects.
As a "side project" to this, parts of the area will be planted with traditional fruit trees - avocado, mango, and papaya - as it will provide a significant contribution to the feeding of the poorest children in the school.
Another "side project" for the field is the acquisition of new dairy cows, so that the very poorest of the children can again get a cup of milk daily. The school has cows and has previously been self-sufficient with milk, but these cows are far too old now.
All this work around setting up the gym and sports field, planting fruit trees and procuring cows cannot be started until we have the necessary funds for it.
But the list of wishes is long in terms of upgrading this school, and as always, we will try to see if we can raise the money to do some of the most intrusive things.
Throughout the years, it has been incredibly positive for us to see the joy that both students and teachers have shown about the things we have been able to add, based on the donations we have received.
We shall therefore state, as we always do: All of this can only be continued for as long, as we can raise the funds for it. Therefore, we shall not only kindly ask you to renew your own membership but also to encourage friends to become members. In that respect we shall be happy to receive e-mail addresses from interested persons, so that we can distribute information about our work.
You can become sponsor for part of a school building, for education materials, or for education of a single adult pupil; any amount is most welcome. And should an interest for visiting Ethiopia and see our common project emerge, then we are of course also ready to support and advise.
We would like to thank everybody for the interest and support, that you show our work. Many children and adults as well have enjoyed large benefit from that through 25 years now. As you know our work is comparable to a drop in the ocean, but where this drop falls, joy, hope and energy grows immediately. Without your help we could not continue to give these children a chance and a hope for their adult life. Sadly, we must realize, that this type of long-term help-to-self-help is more needed now than ever before, considering the unstable world around us.
Read much more about the projects – and see photos and video from the projects – at ELSA’s homepage: www.knowledgeforeveryone.org.
Membership fee – DKK 150 per year – and donations can be transferred to our account in Nordea Odder, Denmark, branch no 1944, swift code NDEADKKK:
EUR: account number 5036-307-813, IBAN: DK0520005036307813
DKK: account number 4373-884-486, IBAN: DK5620004373884486
A possibility which is difficult for us to mention, is to donate through your will, but we – and the children – shall nonetheless be forever grateful.
ELSA’s next general assembly will be held on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020, at 6:30 PM, and it is held in Gert’s home (see below).
With this we would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
ELSA buys new school books donated by Rotary in Odder
It is not easy to choose among the many books
Gert and ELSA's koordinator in Ethiopia Hiwot Amare go through the new books
The new computers are unpacked. Also the computers are donated by Rotary
The new computers are stacked
The indian technician makes the computers ready
The sportsground is often used during the breaks
The new books are ready for the students
The children are lined up to go to the lunch huts
Each lunch hut has room for 220 pupils
The last home work before the lesson?
DEAR MEMBERS AND SPONSORS
The past year has been characterized by completion at the Abay Mado education centre in Bahir Dar. Regarding buildings a few small things have been attended to, and apart from that we have bought more PCs and more education material for the centre. We have of course a continuous collaboration with the centre, and it is a constant joy to see, how happy both children and employees are, and how attractive the centre is for parents.
The number of students is now at 848 – going up – and ELSA’s principles about minimum 50% girls and minimum 25% without pay are still enforced. We thank all donors for having supported this fantastic success, ELSA’s biggest over the years, and at the same time ELSA’s first project, where we started from an empty field.
But ELSA never rests: We have started a cooperation with another school in Bahir Dar by the name ”Blessed Gebre Michael Catholic School”. It is run by nuns and by the same principles as the Abay Mado centre: All children are welcome, regardless of religious belief, and Christianity is not imposed.
The school today has 1.140 pupils, of which 315 are at kindergarten level. Many of these children are outcast and orphans or come from extremely bad conditions. These children are also washed and fed at the school, and it is a joy to see, how secure and happy also these children are in that school.
But as everywhere else in Ethiopia there is a large need for taking in a lot more children, and we are in the middle of prioritising several possible projects with the head of this school. We hope for continuing support from our donors also to this work.
We shall therefore state, as we always do: All of this can only be continued, as long as we can raise the funds for it. Therefore, we shall not only kindly ask you to renew your own membership but also to encourage friends to become members. In that respect we shall be happy to receive e-mail addresses from interested persons, so that we can distribute information about our work.
You can become sponsor for part of a school building, for education materials, or for education of a single adult pupil; any amount is most welcome. This can be illustrated by the fact, that we this year also has sponsored the education of one person as a medical doctor. And should an interest for visiting Ethiopia and see our common project emerge, then we are of course also ready to support and advise.
We would like to thank everybody for the interest and support, that you show our work. Many children and adults as well have enjoyed large benefit from that through almost 24 years now. As you know our work is comparable to a drop in the ocean, but where this drop falls, joy, hope and energy grows immediately. Without your help we could not continue to give these children a chance and a hope for their adult life. Sadly, we must realize, that this type of long-term help-to-self-help is bigger than ever before, considering the unstable world around us.
Read more about – and see photos and film from – the project at ELSA’s homepage, www.knowledgeforeveryone.org.
Membership fee and donations can be transferred to our account in Nordea Odder, Denmark, and
Branch number 1944, swift code NDEADKKK:
EUR: account number 5036-307-813, IBAN: DK0520005036307813
DKK: account number 4373-884-486, IBAN: DK5620004373884486
The date for the general assembly is Tuesday, March 5th, 2018 at 6:30 PM, and it is held in Gert’s home, Rosensgade 28, 8300 Odder.
We would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The Danish ambassador Mette Thygesen arrives at the school project with the Danish flag on the car
Gert Jensen bids welcome to the Danish ambassador Mette Thygesen
The children receive the ambassador partly with joy, partly with shyness
The ambassador visits the kindergarten with Gert Jensen and bishop Abune Lesano
In the kindergarten the children sit on the floor. The education is inspired from the Italian teacher Maria Montessori
Bishop Abune Lesano follows the ambassador at the tour around the school
The ambassador took many pictures, here of children who paint the Danish flag
Merry Danes and Ethiopians. In the middle chairman Gert Jensen and ambassador Mette Thygesen. To the right bishop Abune Lesano
The Danish artist Gunnar K. Hansen explains the ambassador about his teaching in painting and art understanding
One of the new big huts. 120 children at a time can eat here
Now it is time for lunch in the new "tukul"
It is saturday and inauguration day for the new huts. That requires food for many people
The lamb meat for the party is cooked in the open
It is time to learn how to stand and walk in a row
And of course there is dance at the party
One of the fine school buildings- In this week there was an examination
All the children are eager to answer
A nice little break in a long school day
A view over the school area from the watch tower at the entrance
Bishop Abune Lesano and chairman Gert Jensen
DEAR MEMBERS AND SPONSORS
In the year that is almost over now we have seen many different activities in Bahir Dar. In March 14 stationary PCs were delivered and installed at the school, plus other important teaching materials. During the same visit it was decided to build 3 so called “tukuls”, which are large, round covered sitting areas, in this case about 120 m2 each. They had been finalised up to our visit here in November, and are used as both classrooms and “lunch rooms”.
During our stay here in November we also had a visit by the Danish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mette Thygesen, and that turned out to be a very good experience for everybody. The Ambassador visited most of the classes and expressed big positive surprise over the enthusiasm with the pupils as well as the teachers.
As at previous occasions we here in November had a Danish artist, namely Gunnar K. Hansen, with us to Abay Mado, where he taught at the school in drawing and in understanding art.
This year the number of pupils at the school has reached 875, with 240 children in the kindergarten and 635 distributed on 1st to 8th grade. There is a very high pressure from parents in the whole eastern part of Bahir Dar to have their children enrolled in exactly this school. Therefore, the number of pupils will increase, up to app. 1.500 pupils, at the speed in which funds can be raised for further construction of school buildings.
We shall therefore state, as we always do: All of this can only be continued, as long as we can raise the funds for it. Therefore, we shall not only kindly ask you to renew your own membership but also to encourage friends to become members. In that respect we shall be happy to receive e-mail addresses from interested persons, so that we can distribute information about our work.
You can become sponsor for part of a school building, for education materials, or for education of a single adult pupil; any amount is most welcome. This can be illustrated by the fact, that we this year also has sponsored the education of one person as a medical doctor. And should an interest for visiting Ethiopia and see our common project emerge, then we are of course also ready to support and advise.
We would like to thank everybody for the interest and support, that you show our work. Many children and adults as well have enjoyed large benefit from that through almost 24 years now. As you know our work is comparable to a drop in the ocean, but where this drop falls, joy, hope and energy grows immediately. Without your help we could not continue to give these children a chance and a hope for their adult life. Sadly, we have to realize, that this type of long term help to self-help is bigger than ever, considering the unstable world around us.
Read more about – and see photos and film from -the project at ELSA’s homepage, www.knowledgeforeveryone.org.
Membership fee and donations can be transferred to our account in Nordea, Denmark, branch no 1944, swift code NDEADKKK:
EUR: account number 5036-307-813, IBAN: DK0520005036307813
DKK: account number 4373-884-486, IBAN: DK5620004373884486
The date for the general assembly is Wednesday, March 7th, 2018 at 6:30 PM, and it is held in Gert’s home Rosensgade 48, 8300 Odder.
- On the inauguration day Gert Jensen is met by both children and adults
DEAR MEMBERS AND SPONSORS
THE YEAR that is almost passed has been full of events. We have had an art auction with local artists from Odder; we have again had a large addition of pupils to the education centre in Bahir Dar – the number of pupils is now 724, with 41 teachers and administrative personnel allocated to 6 kindergarten classes with 236 pupils plus 14 classes from grade 1 to 8 with 488 pupils in total.
ADULT EVENING CLASSES has been a success which shall be continued. 20 women have learned to read and write. The pupils are almost all single mothers who have had short or no schooling, which are without employment, no social network and have no work experience, so we hope they can get chance to a better life.
As previous we shall continue to offer higher education to individuals. In the New Year we shall see one person finish her medical studies – her dream is to start a medical practice.
IN JUNE, we held an inauguration of the large sports and gymnastics area. The inauguration was with a number of sports activities where we had invited other schools from the area.
AT HOME, we have had a big challenge raising funds for education materials, which there is a big need for, as well as for further development of the project by erecting a multi-purpose building, which can be the centre for club-life and education: HIV-AIDS club, clubs for culture, music, art, sport and entertaining. This will be a big boost for the school and for the whole local area.
ODDER FOLK HIGH SCHOOL again this year travelled with a group of pupils to the school project in Ethiopia in June. 18 pupils and 2 teachers took part i daily life at the school and in the kindergarten, with huge benefit both for themselves and for the school.
WE SHALL therefore end in the same way as we always do: All of this can only be carried forward as long as we can raise the funds for it. Therefore, we shall not only ask you to renew your membership but also encourage friends to become members. In that connection, we shall be happy to receive e-mail addresses from interested persons, so that we can distribute information about our work.
YOU CAN become sponsor for part of a school building, for education materials, or for education of a single adult pupil – any amount is very welcome. Should an interest in visiting Ethiopia and see our common project emerge, then we shall be of service with any kind of assistance.
WE WOULD like to thank everybody for the interest and the support, you demonstrate in our work. A lot of children as well as adults have benefited from that through almost 23 years. As you know: Our work in Ethiopia is comparable to a drop in the ocean, but trust me: Where this drop lands, joy, hope, and energy sprout immediately. Without your help, we could not continue giving these children a chance and a hope for their adult life. Unfortunately, we realise, that the need for this type of long-term help to self-help is larger than ever, considering the unstable world around us.
Read more about – and see photos from – the projects at this homepage.
Membership fees and monetary gifts can be sent directly to any of our three accounts at Nordea Bank Denmark, branch no 1944, swift code NDEADKKK:
EUR: account number 5036-307-813, IBAN: DK0520005036307813
DKK: account number 4373-884-486, IBAN: DK5620004373884486
USD: account number 5036-307-821, IBAN: DK8020005036307821
The date of the general assembly is Wednesday, March 1 2017, 6:30 PM, in Gert Jensens home at Rosensgade 48, 8300 Odder.