We have been quiet for a few days but not because we were relaxing and enjoying some down time around the holidays. Quite to the contrary, we were busy investigating/visiting the local school near the village. In addition to gathering intelligence so that we may brainstorm ways to assist the children of Dongora Morocho, we have also been investigating the options for bringing Endris, Shemelese and Yenu to Awassa and enrolling them in a private school.
Seeing the local school and speaking with the school director and teachers gave us much information but also left us frustrated for the people of this village. As you know from reading this blog, life in the village comes with enormous challenges and is difficult. Water and food are scarce and most families are without any money. Therefore, progress for this village and the people who reside here must come from the young generations improving their educational and economic status and communicating with government and nongovernment institutions to build an infrastructure that works for the people.
The vast majority of people in Ethiopia speak either the national language, Amharic, English or both languages. While there are many different languages/dialects spoken in the rural areas, once a person ventures into the developed areas of the country they must speak Amharic and English to thrive. In fact, the government approved curriculum which must be taught in all schools, public or private, is administered in English. The standard text books given to the schools are written in English. In order to attend a university in Ethiopia, a student must pass a lengthy standardized test which is offered after completion of the 10th grade. The university entrance exam is only offered in English.
The people of Mabret's village speak Sidamo which is a local dialect common only in this relatively small region. After traveling outside of the Sidamo Region, it is hard work to find people who are fluent in Sidamo. As a practical matter, should a young adult leave the village and seek employment in an urban area such as Awassa or Addis, finding a job would be nearly impossible because of the language and cultural barriers. (More on the cultural barriers later in this post).
One of the first things that we learned upon arriving in the village 10 days ago is that Endris, Shemelese and Yenu speak only Sidamo. Hagirso, our translator and friend, informed us that they understand little to no Amharic or English that is spoken to them. The central focus of our visit to the school was to seek answers regarding how Endris 17, Shemelese 14 and Yenu 12 lack even the most basic English and Ahmaric skills when the national curriculum is offered in English, and Amharic is a mandatory subject for all students beginning in grade 1. Of course, we also were anxious to view the school facilities in such a remote area.
The students were excited to see the arrival of visitors.
We were fortunate to have an opportunity to meet with the director and other staff at the school and we appreciate their time and the work that they are doing.
The facilities are primitive with at least one of the buildings unsafe for use.
However, the director reports that the number one obstacle is a lack of water. There is no well or tap in the immediate area of the school. As it is very hot most of the year, this requires the school day to be limited to 4 hours and they must finish by noon. In addition, most of the children lack proper nutrition.
While the staff did their best to talk with us in English, it became clear that the English skills of the staff were limited. Hagirso translated for us and reported that their Amharic skills were also lacking. As a result, the students appear to be taught mostly in Sidamo. However, the textbooks that we reviewed are all in English as they are provided by the government and, therefore, comply with the national requirements. It is hard to imagine that the books available are able to be utilized by teachers or students.
While there are many needs, one glaring necessity is basic "learn to read books". The textbooks provided in English are far too advanced to allow a child to learn letter sounds and short words. Of course, without teachers who speak English and Amharic fluently, the educational gap between children from this and other rural areas and those from urban settings will continue. While we have begun to discuss possible long term projects to assist the children of Dongora Morocho, our focus also turned to a short term goal - assisting Endris, Shemelese and Yenu in furthering their education and life experience.
Prior to our visit to the local school, we had already begun to discuss the possibility of helping the 3 kids temporarily relocate to Awassa and enrolling them in a private school. Awassa is home to several very good institutions. This move would require an apartment for the kids along with a full-time nanny to assist with cooking and other household chores. Moreover, we needed to identify a school willing to take on the huge task of trying to teach these kids both English and Amharic while also communicating the substantive material in other core subjects.
But first, we had a meeting with Mabret's Ethiopian grandmother, Kayet, and uncle, Tariku. Through Hagirso, we expressed our respect for their village and the hard work that they do to raise and support the family. We also explained that we do not want to remove the kids from the village or family but hope to empower them to assist in new ways to support the family. Before we had the first portion of the message delivered, they were expressing their gratitude toward us and their support for the idea. They were direct and thoughtful in reminding us that they do not expect or ask for anything from us except what we have already done which is to love and support Mabret. These are such inherently good and selfless people in such unimaginably difficult circumstances.
We requested permission to take Endris, Shemelese and Yenu to Awassa for a few days to visit with Roman and Mabret and see how they cope with life outside of the village. We also wanted to take the kids to one of the private schools that we had visited and identified as the best choice should we be able to pull this together. Both the kids and the family were excited by the opportunity. We had no idea how this would go. These kids have never been beyond their village. They have never used indoor plumbing or any other basic comforts including electricity. We were about to experience reality television without the cameras or crafty editing.
As if the contrast between Awassa and Dongora Morocho isn't enough, we are currently staying in a hotel rather than a hostel or lodge setting where we have spent the majority of our trip. We are happy and proud to report that they did a remarkable job. With strong support from Mabret and Roman, they adjusted swiftly and we had no major problems. Although we kept the camera away, Mabret and Roman did teach Endris and Shemelese indoor plumbing 101. Kathy and Katie assumed the same responsibilities for instructing Yenu.
Welcome to Awassa.
After purchasing a bathing suit for Yenu and grabbing Mabret's extras for the boys, we gave the swimming pool a shot. After watching Roman and Mabret cannonball into the water, Endris, Shemelese and Yenu followed them in. Katie and Dad were ready to jump in assuming a problem was coming, however, these kids went into a unique Ethiopian stroke that somehow kept them afloat.
They seemed at home with a mattress and flat screen before bed. I guess it is pretty easy to adapt to that comfort.
The hotel has an adjacent soccer field where there is a universal language.
After visiting three private schools in Awassa, we settled on the BNB Learning Centre as the best fit for the kids. The school director, Samuel Bekalo, and the elementary principle, Mr. Targesa, are supportive, understanding and seem up to the challenge. We have met with them several times and they interacted seamlessly with Endris, Shemelese and Yenu when they visited. The kids will begin classes at the start of the second semester in early February.
Currently, we have identified several apartments that will work for the kids and we are interviewing candidates for the nanny job. For now, Kathy continues her own private version of "House Hunters Awassa".
None of this could be accomplished without Hagirso's assistance which we truly appreciate. We hope to move the kids up to Awassa the week of January 12th so they can start tutoring sessions at the school and get acclimated to their new surroundings. We do not leave Ethiopia until January 16th and will stay in Awassa until the last possible moment before heading to Addis and a flight to India. When we depart, Hagirso will assume the day to day responsibilities of making certain that things run smoothly while communicating with us via email and phone.
