The Create Trust & Tesfa

L O V I N G  L E A R N I N G

Due to commence June 2011.

Giving disadvantaged children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the broad educational support they need.

Outline

The Create Trust and Tesfa Foundation UK, are set to establish a major education initiative for acutely disadvantaged children of primary ages year 1 – 3, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This education programme will support children from acutely disadvantaged/poor backgrounds. As they progress through primary school in preparation for secondary school. It will help them move into higher education and vocational training and will promote the value of education to bring lasting sustainable change.

Need

Due to the increasing cost of living in Ethiopia, the current inflation rate is 17% up from 10% in November 2010, making basic food costs very expensive, the numbers of families living in dire financial conditions is growing, meaning the numbers of children living in acutely poor families is also increasing. Children of school going age, from very poor backgrounds in Addis Ababa (as in rural areas of Ethiopia) are disadvantaged educationally, in a number of ways:
  1. They are often forced to work to generate income for the family, in addition to, or sometimes at the cost of, attending school.
  2. Families are unable to pay the minimal costs of attending school, to buy school uniforms and stationery.
  3. Lack the family/parental support needed to encourage and help with schoolwork at home.
  4. Families do not value education, believing that work, i.e. earning a living – no matter how small, is more important than gaining an education. This is clearly short tem thinking.
  5. Families lack the education themselves to assist their children.
  6. Often children are living in extremely crowded conditions, sharing a sleeping space with the whole family.
  7. The nutritional quality of the food they eat is poor, affecting their health and ability to concentrate.

Related schemes

  1. We will look to establish links with British schools and school children to set up twinning and pen pal projects. Building extended friendships and sharing ideas and experiences, perhaps leading to volunteers from Britain helping on the project and in the Addis schools.
  2. Community drama productions; these could be used to spread the message of the importance of education for children, indeed for everyone. A simple story, written in conjunction with the children being supported, presented by a mixed cast, some actors from the Create team, plus children in their care. The production presented to families and schools, in schools perhaps. This would be a way of introducing the project and working to build awareness in the community of the importance of education, not simply for it's own sake, but as a means of changing lives for the better.
  3. Teacher training programmes could be offered to the schools from which the children come. Delivered by Graham Peebles based on the teacher training schemes previously given on Addis. They would need funding.
  4. The Create Trust is planning a project based photographic exhibition in England, working with local school children. The children on this project could participate in this photographic project, we would provide single use cameras, and cover costs of processing and printing (in Britain), prints would be sent to the children. This would also establish contacts with rural English schools and young people.
  5. We would seek to attract volunteers from Britain to work as tutors, supporting and strengthening the work of the Ethiopian them.

Summary

This is a potentially very valuably project, and could be of enormous benefit to a desperately disadvantaged and woefully neglected group of children. With barely 48% literacy amongst the adult population the coming generation must be better equipped. Ethiopia is full of children and young people, the future of the country rests firmly with them, I believe it is in safe hands, but hands that need all the support they can get. This project will offer them much needed support.