Community Projects

We are very proud of what we have accomplished since coming together as an organization in 2015. In that short time we have upgraded the entire physical facilities of 10 primary schools and built 3 new primary and 3 high schools. We have been implementing our holistic approach in all the 16 schools, benefiting 25,805 children to date. Of the total students, 95 (41 deaf, 16 blind and 38 mentally challenged) learn in the special needs units of five of our primary schools We will be opening 3 new primary schools and a high school in 2022.

In addition to the facilities element of our projects, our holistic approach includes the following programs in each of our schools:

teacher training

The teacher training program is in place in all schools, and now incorporates principals, supervisors and education department officials. We hope that this will ensure that our model endures beyond the time that we are no longer involved with the schools. Our partner the International Community School (ICS) continues to provide excellent support in terms of providing books, learning materials, and desks, apart from sharing their experiences on best practices and many other issues to target school teachers. Bahir Dar Department of Education officials and principals have also visited some of our schools and exchanged experiences.

Teachers are now relating their teaching and learning to the real world and developing their skills through media and out-of-class teaching. Thanks to our training and ongoing support, we are observing visible changes in a growing number of teachers, especially those teaching in Prek-4 applying learner-centered approaches, planning and delivering objective-based lessons and assessing students’ progress to mastery of the learning target. Children no more sit for hours and watch their teachers. They freely move and are often on task. Our methods are also beginning to have a multiplier effect as one local district/woreda has instructed all of their schools to use the room-wide chalk paint blackboards that we have introduced. This is integral to the concept of learner-centered experiential learning that we advocate rather than the old “chalk and talk” method. Most of our schools have risen significantly in terms of regional evaluations, with two being awarded as top school in their district in terms of achievement as well as learning methods.

Greening and Gardening

Despite water shortages, high cost of diesel and technical challenges to operate pumps and the absence of an expert to lead it, the greening and gardening program is providing children with opportunities to learn the classroom curriculum in hands-on manner, learn improved farming practices and improve their knowledge of nutrition while generating income to the school. We are delighted that some are now generating income from fruits and vegetables they are growing, and students are expanding their knowledge through working in, and tending to, the gardens. Our Monitoring and Evaluation Expert is also helping to develop curricula that will incorporate the agricultural program into various class lessons. The program and students are proving to be agents of change as other schools and surrounding communities are adopting our model. As an example, one farmer living next to Sebatamit Elementary School has switched from growing qat (similar to marijuana) to fruits and vegetables.

eye health

The School Based Eye Health program is growing in size and effectiveness. Operation Eyesight (OES) along with the University of Bahir Dar medical department have been instrumental in facilitating training sessions in eye health assessment and care for Health care workers, teachers and parents alike. The project has helped each of its partner hospitals (3) i.e., those close to our schools, establish and run a vision center. Training has been given to two primary school hospital staff and procurement of equipment and supplies is going on to establish two additional vision centers in 2022. Trained teachers and final year medical students of the Bahir Dar university screened 6,965 students in our schools while Health Extension Workers (government staff) have measured visual acuities of 26,842 family members and neighbors of our students through the door-to-door program (in their homes). They have referred those identified with eye health issues to partner vision centers after giving them information on eye care. Operation Eyesight has provided thousands of pairs of glasses for distribution,

water, sanitation and hygiene

Water is brought to all schools for the purpose of sanitary and hygiene needs, as well as to irrigate gardens. We also strive to bring sanitation and hygiene training to our schools. Provision of training on making washable sanitary pads from locally available fabrics, personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, and in school support to female students, WASH club members and school leaders has been ongoing, with a Volunteers’ Girl Club recently providing training to 64 students to that end.

The feasibility study of supplying 5 of our schools, the children’s homes and nearby villagers with water through a grant (CAD 120,000) obtained from the Peter Gilgan Foundation with the support of OES has been finalized. We have selected a drilling company and digging a bore hole (up to 80 meters) will begin in two of the target communities in June.

We have also been selected by Splash International as their WASH in School partner and we are in the process of signing MoU and a grant agreement with them.

Measurement

Reading and math assessments, which prior to COVID were conducted each June in all primary schools, and resumed in September 2021. Results are providing an invaluable tool to teachers and principals, as well as to our own experts, in assessing areas where our programs have been successful and areas where improvement is warranted. Our Monitoring and Evaluation Expert is developing more subjective measures for assessment.

Other projects

The new interconnectivity and research translanguaging programs are also well underway.

Interconnectivity

The COVID experience, with schools being shut down, highlighted the disparity in access to education across demographic groups. With no power, let alone internet access, those in poorer, rural areas where we operate had no opportunity to receive any education. As a result, we have initiated a pilot program in collaboration with the Basic Internet Society to bring solar power, internet access, computer resources and informations technology training to the Abichikili Secondary School. A similar project was started in a second school, Gimjabet, in 2021, with support from the Compassionate Eye Foundation.

temari translanguaging

The Translanguaging project, which is over 1 year old now, is proving effective in terms of helping children smoothly transition from mother tongue to English medium of instruction in grade 7. Observations and reports by students and teachers involved in the project include: increased awareness of language learning resources; improved collaboration amongst peers as well as between students and teachers; increased vocabulary and a better understanding of concepts; and, boosted students' and teachers' confidence in speaking in English both in and outside the classroom. Encouraged by the promising results, the lead PI from University of London has agreed to our request to expand the pedagogical approach to the rest of our schools and have submitted a grant proposal through the University of London to the Spencer Foundation.