{"id":4312,"date":"2019-10-24T15:40:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-24T14:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childreninthecloud.org\/?p=4312"},"modified":"2021-06-24T08:55:16","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T06:55:16","slug":"massive-school-simien-ethiopia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childreninthecloud.org\/en\/ecole-massif-simien-ethiopie\/","title":{"rendered":"Sona, a school in the Simien massif (Ethiopia)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Extract from the story \"Seyssinet-Pariset\/Addis-Abeba - November 2015- July 2020 - Petites chroniques chaotiques d'engagements divers\" by Herv\u00e9 Doulat. The whole story is readable online<\/a>. Find out more about the history of our Foundation in this video article<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First steps at Sona<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The former school of Sona consists of three U-shaped buildings. Made of mud, without windows, without furniture, with a dirt floor, they threaten to collapse. But it exists and the inhabitants are very proud of it! 400 children between the ages of 6 and 14 attend the school every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Ethiopia, as in many countries such as France and Switzerland, the national education system pays for the teachers while the municipality must provide the land and buildings. In rural mountain communities like Sona, which are particularly poor, the effort is considerable, enormous. Often it is insurmountable and the vast majority of children in Simien do not go to school, purely and simply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geographically, as shown in the view from the Imet Gogo I mentioned earlier, the community of Sona is made up of a constellation of hamlets, real family centres of 3 or 4 huts. 8,000 inhabitants are said to live on the plateau of Sona, but there is no evidence to confirm the accuracy of this figure... There is therefore no town centre or village centre, no village where services, shops, church... are concentrated, strictly speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school on the promontory <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The school and the two churches are built away from the houses, more or less in the centre of the plateau, on promontories to facilitate the convergence of the pupils or the faithful. Note: the churches of Sona (Orthodox Christian) were built well before the school, the oldest building of which is barely fifteen years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"sona
Theancient school of sona - simien ethiopia <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So after a very long day of walking from Cheneck, we finally meet up with our kitchen and logistics team who have set up the bivouac in the centre of the school. The cook has organized his tools and provisions in one of the school's rooms while his assistant has already set up the tents. Indeed, with the help of mules and their muleteers, the logistic team arrives a few hours before us, at the price of a forced march and some secret shortcuts. As always, we are welcomed with a wonderful snack of tea and coffee, with biscuits and toasted cereal grains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With our feet in the air and our shirts off, we wash ourselves while eating. Melese, the headmaster of the school is there and observes us. He discusses with Daniel who ends up introducing us to him and announcing us the program of the evening, which is a little bit particular. Daniel has a strong emotional relationship with the people of Sona and helps them as much as he can. Each time he comes with a group of tourists, he takes the opportunity to immerse them for a few hours in the Ethiopian educational system and to make them aware of the difficulties of this rural community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education in Ethiopia: culture shock<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Discovering the working conditions of the students and their teachers is a shock. Fifty or sixty students crammed into a room of barely 30 or 40 square metres, sitting on the floor or on eucalyptus trunks, all working in a half-light that barely allows the blackboard to be seen. The vast majority of the students do not even have a notebook and a pen and are content to listen to their teacher. The tin roof, summarily insulated by stretched burlap, reflects a stifling heat when the sun shines. And when it rains, the noise is infernal and the cold biting...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is also striking is the determination of parents and teachers to offer their children the opportunity to study. The need for education is an evidence shared by all the inhabitants of Sona, it is the only way they have identified to improve their future and that of their children. This high awareness of the inhabitants of Sona and the efforts associated with it command respect in such a harsh social environment, where illiteracy reigns, infant mortality is very high in contrast to life expectancy, and agricultural autarky is the norm with all that it induces of social fragility and poverty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birth of the humanitarian vocation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the evening around the fire, Daniel finishes telling us his story with Sona. He suggests that we contribute to a collection, which everyone does willingly. Thanks to Daniel's collections over the years and his visits with groups of trekkers, the third building of the school was built. Daniel's effort is fantastic but unfortunately so insufficient... Eric and I are captivated by Daniel's story and his epic to build this school, stone by stone. But we are also shocked by such destitution: what a difference in treatment between these children of the Ethiopian highlands and our European children...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eric and I have discovered that we have something new in common: we are revolted by injustice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of the Foundation 2015-2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here is the video that retraces our humanitarian journey, started as narrated in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n