2 months after the start of the new school year, which has been full of activities at both Sona and Chirolaba, it's time to take stock of the various initiatives underway. An update on children's schooling, the sponsorship of scholarship winners for the Chirolaba secondary school and the work being carried out at the same Chirolaba school.
A smooth start to the new school year
The start of the new school year went smoothly at both Sona and Chirolaba.
A SonaIn Ethiopia, minor work had to be carried out to maintain the water catchment which had been damaged by the very heavy rains that hit Ethiopia, just like those that hit Europe. Our team monitored the work and also delivered a large stock of school supplies (notebooks, pens, textbooks, etc. - photo opposite) for the 600 or so children attending the 8 classes from level to Sona as well as the nursery class to be set up at the start of the 2023 school year.
A ChirolabaThe 40 scholarship students in Sona, accommodated by the Foundation, also received school supplies. In the accommodation, a common room for meals, evening work and the bookshop was equipped with furniture (photo opposite). The 10 new students in grade 9 at the start of the 2024 school year also received their uniforms.
Sponsorship: help us give them a bright future!
The fourth class of sponsored children at the end of their grade 8 at Sona is starting at Chirolaba this year. Unfortunately, we are still short of sponsors for these ten children. The Foundation has paid the school fees, but we're still looking for sponsors who want to change these children's lives and give them the best Christmas present imaginable!
The maximum number of 40 children (4 x 10 children for grades 9 to 12, i.e. up to the baccalauréat) has therefore been reached! This slow build-up has enabled us to gradually adapt the resources deployed to welcome them and provide them with the best possible support in their work to maximise their chances of success. From now on, this number of 40 children who are housed, fed and supported will remain stable.
Work starts at Chirolaba
As we had promised the community of Chirolaba and the teaching staff of its secondary school, we have launched the construction of a new block of 4 classrooms to improve working conditions for the 1,600 children who attend the school. Initially, this building, which also directly benefits the Sona children who attend Chirolaba, was our contribution in return for the free transfer of the land to build our dormitories and kitchens and for the supervision of our children by the school management. At the same time, a block of 4 latrine-type toilets (the same as those at Sona) were built. Here are a few photos taken last week (21 November 2024).
We hope to be able to deliver these 4 new classrooms to the enthusiastic pupils and their teachers at the beginning of 2025, probably in February or March. The work is taking place during the dry season (from mid-September to June), which means that conditions are excellent. The work was able to start on schedule thanks to our team and the company building the school, who were able to secure the supply of materials (cement, sand and scrap metal in particular) from the start of the school year, despite the difficulties of an economy suffering from political instability.
We're delighted to share this exciting news with you! All this is only possible thanks to the loyal support of our donors. We'd like to extend our warmest thanks to them, on behalf of the Foundation Board, but above all to all the members, large and small, of the Simien high plateau community!