Teaching in the eye of the hurricane...

"Teaching in the Eye of the Hurricane", was the title of a short speech given by Mrs. Eva Scheffer on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the GCS. Mrs. Scheffer is the wife of the Pastor who was responsible for the German-speaking congregation of Addis Abeba in the 1970's.
"Teaching in the Eye of the Hurricane" is a very impressive picture: while there is total quiet in the midst of a hurricane a devastating storm rages outside.
In a very moving way Mrs. Scheffer described the tense political and social conditions during the communistic time in Ethiopia when the school was doing it's work.
The 30th anniversary of a school may not seem to be a special occasion worthy to celebrate even if it is located in an African country. Nevertheless, for the reason mentioned above, it was!

Thus, in the reception on May 31, 2002, honorable representatives of the churches and of the German embassy took part:
Girma Chaka, president of the Central Synod of the Evangelical Church of Ethiopia, Birhane Yesus, Cardinal and Bishop of the Catholic Church of Ethiopia, Dr. Honsowitz, the German Ambassador, Dr. Pohl, Leader of the Goethe-Institue and German Cultural Attaché, Joachim Schroedel, the priest of the Catholic Church in Cairo (formerly Addis Abeba). Unfortunately, the representative of the Orthodox Church was not among the guests.
It was a pleasure to me that I was invited to give a greeting. As one of the two Europeans who had traveled to Ethiopia, especially on the occasion of the anniversary, I did convey the greetings of the church congregations in Germany and of the Rotary Club Stendal who have supported the GCS for years.
During the 3 days of celebration I had several chances to speak with students, parents, teachers and staff-members of the German-speaking congregation and GCS. All of them told me with warmth and joy how grateful they are for the support and the resulting hope for so many children who otherwise never would have the chance for a better life.

I want to share this thank you and their joy with you. May God bless all foster parents and donors from around the world. And may God bless the German-speaking congregation in Addis Abeba who started this social project and continued the work with the help of God through all the years.

The official celebration took place on Friday, 31 May, in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. A big tent was erected on the schoolyard to give protection from the sun and probable rain. Fortunately, the sun was not shining too hot and no rain fell, although the coming rainy season had sent some forerunners a few days before.

Among the long list of greetings the cheerful songs of the school choir and the teacher's choir entertained us.

The greetings of two former students of the GCS were from special interest to me. First, a blind student told us that thanks to the education at the GCS, he had gotten the chance to begin a study at the University in Addis Abeba. After that an adult man, who came down with polio when he was a young child, reported that thanks to the GCS he could study and now he is a lawyer. Now, he not only can fend for himself but also for his family. These were two impressive testimonials for the good work of the school.

In between all the greetings a student put on a little act in Amharic language.

As it is usual on such occasions, there was little time to speak with the invited guests. After a snack most people left. Some of the guests looked at the photo exhibition that showed the history of the school from the beginning until now. For that purpose a classroom was prepared. This exhibition also interested many people on the next day.
Also, in this classroom one could look at paintings that were done by students of the school who belong to an art circle. Some pictures were of impressive quality! Among them were paintings done by students who I had visited at home in 2000 (see my travel report from 2000). Three of the paintings that I liked very much I bought from the students.

On Saturday, June 1, the GCS arranged an "Open House". I was surprised that so many parents or relatives respectively came to the school.
After all the people had gathered in the tent in the school yard the students put on quite a long act on the topic of HIV/AIDS. The Ethiopian people seem to have a natural talent because the acting of the students was thrilling. It was amazing how the spectators followed the very emotional story: weeping, laughing, and clapping their hands.
To my surprise the director of the school asked me to give a greeting to the parents and he offered to do the translation. I was not prepared for such a greeting and felt quite uneasy as I am not too comfortable with giving spontaneous speeches in English. But, there was such a pleasant atmosphere that I got through the greeting easily. Thus, I did convey my greetings from Germany again and the audience applauded enthusiastically.

Finally, the people were invited to look around in the school and to observe under what conditions the children study and how the staff takes care of them. It was amazing to see how the parents showed their interest and many people walked through the rooms of the school.
The Resource rooms for the blind students seemed to be of special interest. One room is prepared for the little blind students, the other one for the advanced. The people obviously were impressed by what is done for the blind children who usually are extremely underprivileged. It was interesting to me to study their faces and to see their amazement and respect.
On that occasion I met several children that I had met before during my visits in the past years: namely Ashenafi, Desta and Belaynesh. I am always moved if I meet such children at a later again. I can see what progress they have made and what chances they had by being a student of that school.

In the school yard a table was set up and several ironwork pieces were placed on display. Students who had begun vocational training made these and they are supported by the GCS with so called "extended fostership". An extended fostership becomes possible if the foster parents decide to prolong their support (26 Euro per month) until the foster child has finished his or her vocational training or study at a university respectively.

On Sunday, June 2, the festivities came to an end with the celebration of an Ecumenical service in the Church Kreuzkirche, home of the German-speaking congregation. The service was held in English because there were people in attendance from different countries and churches.

The harmony and the community of the present evangelical, catholic and orthodox Christians were very moving!

Differences between churches and confessions seem to become secondary under such certain circumstances and one gets a faint idea how it could be if Christian churches could only decide to eliminate the self-made invincible borders.
The sermon on the so-called "Children's gospel" (Mark 10, 13-16) was held by the above-mentioned catholic priest, Joachim Schroedel. He is a man with a warm and cordial charisma. The gospel was read in three languages: English, Amharic and German. Members of the German-speaking congregation and the school choir of the GCS performed the sacred music. All gathered Christians took the communion together - what a moving moment!

And, again I was asked to say a greeting to the community in English, unprepared, as usual. Thank God I succeeded a third time.
After the service the members of the congregation met in the Community Center for a snack. After some chats it was, only too soon, time to say Good-bye.

These days have been very happy ones for me!
After years of involvement with the school it was good to celebrate the anniversary together with the staff, the teachers, parents and students, and to meet new people who are concerned with the school in a similar way.

I recognized a very important insight as to how much protection and how many blessings our Lord throughout the years gave to the school!
This is a sign that the school is worthy to receive as much support as possible. My hope is that also in the future many people will be willing to help the school and its children for a better future.