ADDIS ABEBA (ETHIOPIA) -
Circular letter from December 2011
On the first weekend of the Advent season 2011 the traditional German Church Bazaar took place with many visitors from the various nations.
As usual all the income went to the German Church School.
Welcome in German language
After the opening speech by H.E. the German deputy ambassador Mr Biontino there was a surprise for all German speaking guests. For the first time some students of GCS gave a welcome in German language.
Starting in September and with support of the Goethe Institute and the German Foreign Ministry a group of grade six students started to learn German.
Nutrition at Kindergarten started
Another great event of the last days was the start of breakfast support at Genet Kindergarten nearby. This summer some friends had given us some money to fight any kind of malnutrition in Addis Ababa. So the children of a neighbour kindergarten are the first to profit from that donation. For many families it becomes more and more difficult to feed their own children due to the rising living costs for food and housing. We are so glad to extend our support to a neighbour organisation - the money will last at least for the rest of this academic year.
Here you see a very clever boy who put his banana into the bread and below our social worker Tenagashaw Bekele who helped to start the cooperation with Genet Kindergarten.
Here is the report of Merdassa Kassaye who is another colleague in our GCS-social workers office:
Selamawit and her family
"Regardless of the recent hunger crises in the Horn of Africa, as many say, Ethiopia is demonstrating a fast growing economy in the region. Despite the good macro-economic performance many have difficulties to cope up with life in big cities, like Addis Ababa, as a result of inflation. Hence people suffer from deep rooted latent poverty to the extent some are not getting enough food at the table the whole day. Even the challenge becomes more where parents are struggling to send two or more of their kids to school and covering all the living and school expenses at any cost.
Selamawit E. is one of the German Church School students whose family is living in this huge growth and poverty paradox. The five member of the family live from the meager income of the father and a small home based business of the mother. The parents are HIV positive. The children are aware of the health status of their parents.
The house which they live in belongs to the community, which is used to keep items for community services. Fortunately, they did not have to pay for rent for the last 9 years. But half of the room is stacked with items which the family is responsible to keep, besides since this August the house is without electricity, no light bulb and no radio. This happened because of the dispute over the community house with one of the neighbours who provided the electric line. The neighbour was nagging them, almost every day, to leave the house in order to replace someone. Until now neighbours are not willing to provide neither electricity nor water; therefore the family must fetch water from a far distance.
This has incalculable social, economical and more so, educational harm on the family. Either they have to light up a candle, that means one-third of the father's salary must be sacrificed on monthly bases, or use the mobile light, which should be charged somewhere else. In comparison with electricity this one is unaffordable. When the above options do not work they are forced to go to bed. However, the family preference is staying in the same house without electricity than going out as the house rent price is soaring in the city.
In spite of all the above challenges Selamawit, who is now in grade 7, loves to come to school. Her younger brother is in the Kindergarten. The elder sister is in grade 9 in one of the government schools. Surprisingly though the father picked a job as night guard, few months ago, he has got the courage to come to the evening class at the German Church School, in grade 5. The family believes that education is a key to success and a way out of poverty.
As a night guard, the father earns not more than 14 Euros per-month. The mother stays at home because it is obligatory that some one has to be there in any case, since the house is used to store community items, which limits the mother's mobility to go out and do alternative jobs. But she does a beading business to make their living sustainable. Selamawit describes the yesteryears situation at home like "… a prey circled by hunters, but with the help of God we pass all those days. The school has helped us a lot." The father also said "we are grateful to the school because when my daughter does not get a breakfast at home I am sure she can get it from the school. That is a huge relief for us; the contribution of the school is beyond our imagination."
The German Church School uses a holistic approach to address the need of the Selamawit's family, by giving the necessary support to the family in different ways. The Social Work Office is working in cooperation with the parents in order to build a sustainable family environment. The family is getting monthly extra support to alleviate the financial stress at home. More so, the mother is encouraged to get seed-money to expand the home based business. At the moment the school is planning to install a single bulb solar light to solve the electricity problem at home. We hope the flickering hope will shine in the family of Selamawit, to cope up with the growth and poverty paradox."
(Merdassa Kassaye)
Share experience with others
One of the principles of GCS is to share our own experience with others. Our teachers from the natural science department took part in a workshop initiated by the Siemens Trust. The workshop took place at the German Embassy School, together with two other Ethiopian Schools. On the other hand, teachers from the countryside paid a visit to GCS to get a training in integrational education which was coordinated by Ato Teshome who is working with the blind and visually impaired students.
Towards an unknown future
This end of October we gave a farewell to our former students who had successfully finished grade 12. Each student got a suitcase and some bed sheets to be well equipped when starting to one of the various universities of Ethiopia.
Most students go for engineering as the governments is directing 70 percent of all students to science and technical professions. The great question however is whether there will be job for all when they will finish their studies after some years. Many of them want to leave the country due to the unattractive salary conditions in the country itself.
The upcoming 40th GCS-anniversary
On 20 April 2012, the week end after Ethiopian Easter the GCS will celebrate its 40th birthday.Whoever wants to join our celebration is heartily invited.
Already H.E. the ambassador of Finland Mr Leo Olasvirta promised to take part in the great event.
(To the left you see him with Mr Teijo Peltola and Ato Tedla Diressie from IP Finland and Ethiopia on the international Interpedia-workshop in Adama/Ethiopia in Sept 2011.)
We are still trying hard to enlarge GCS so as to be able to transform the present shift system into a whole day school as it is also demanded by the Ministry of education.
However, our so far four years lasting application process got stuck again in an office of the local road authorities. Right now our senior teacher Ato Taye is trying to do the follow up. Hopefully we will get green light for the extension just in time for our anniversary!
Two new students in a wheel chair
Starting this academic year Mesay and Natenael are newcomers at German Church School. Both boys have been heartily welcomed by their fellow students at GCS.
It is great to see how they are being naturally integrated - and we have got a ramp for them to get easy access to their class rooms.
God becomes poor to enrich us
In his letter to Titus the Apostle Paul writes:
"For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all mankind".
The people in Ethiopia often cannot achieve for the elementary needs of their daily life. However, they air a great dignity and willingness to cope with the rising challenges of survival in a world where the poor are getting even poorer.
God himself has chosen the way of poverty to be closer to the poor. The shepherds in the fields were the first to arrive at the manger of the new born child. Some days later the three wise men loaded with their presents also arrived there in the end.
We say thank you to Christian Blind Mission, Kindernothilfe, Interpedia and to all foster parents and donors who so generously support the children from German Church School!
Thank you all for your great support for the children of the German Church School. We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year 2012
Kind regards to all of you,
Ato Teklu Tafesse, Principal and
Martin Gossens, Pastor
