Update from Salisbury, England

- by Mark Charman
(Tesfa UK Board Member)

Wedding Gifts with a Difference

Earlier this year, a couple in Salisbury, England who were planning their wedding were so inspired by the Tesfa Early Years Schools programme, they asked for any wedding gifts to be donations for the Tesfa Foundation! Nathalie and Gareth Allexant-Rowland swapped a gift list full of pasta machines and fondue sets for donations to the Tesfa Foundation to help create a new school in Addis Ababa.

The happy couple: Nathalie and Gareth - Tesfa thanks you!

The Tesfa Foundation provides early childhood education to the poorest children in Ethiopia where there is no public pre-school provision. With the foundation's help, children there can learn basic maths, English and science and grow in confidence and ability. Nathalie said: "The aim is to raise £5000, that's the start up money for a brand new school for three to six year-olds in Mercato – a district in Addis Ababa that is particularly deprived."

The couple had a bush wedding in Zambia on August 14 with a civil ceremony by the river followed by a traditional Zambian feast. When they returned to the UK they had a blessing party on August 23. With cheques given to them by guests at the blessing, and through their webpage www.justgiving.com/allexant-rowland, they have raised more than £2,800 so far and hope to the reach their target with future, planned fundraising events.

Nathalie, 32, has worked at Downton Primary School for a year but has been teaching for ten and became involved with the Tesfa Foundation through a former colleague, Mark Charman, 31, who is a member of the UK board of the charity. Parents and pupils at Downton Primary School have held a number of fundraising events to kick start the campaign and have so far raised a further £1,000.

Nathalie said: "If we can raise the money, the premises are ready to go, they're just waiting for our money basically - that will pay a local wage to teachers and cover books, pencils and start up costs for the first year. We've already got a waiting list so we're keen to get the money to them as soon as possible."

British Teacher Training Team to visit Tesfa schools in October

UK Tesfa board member Mark Charman, Tesfa fundraiser extraordinaire Nathalie Allexant, and London Education Advisor Lyn Cooke, will be going out to Addis Ababa this month to work with the staff and pupils in the Tesfa schools. Nathalie and Mark have been working with Tesfa founder, Dana Roskey, over the course of the past year to develop plans for the opening of a new school.

Tesfa-UK Board member Mark Charman with Downton Primary School students

On a recent visit to Downton School where Nathalie is a teacher, Dana was greeted with a special performance by the pupils in Year 2, who had already been undertaking linked art-work with pupils at the Tsegereda School in Addis Ababa.

Lyn, Mark and Nathalie previously worked together at an acclaimed school in one of the most deprived estates in East London. Their teaching approach embeds the disciplines of children’s philosophy, drama, and other creative arts into learning to enhance development in children’s personal and social education skills.

The last time Nathalie and Mark teamed up to teach creatively through the arts, they led a project which gained the attention of millions of television news viewers across the globe. Their work was presented in the UK Houses of Parliament as exemplary to all schools and won their pupils a UK Humanitarian Award. It now features as a case study in a BBC radio series, text book and CD-Rom for UK schools.

Lyn Cooke has extensive teaching and leadership experience in Early Years Education. She currently works within a core team at the Local Education Authority based in the 2012 Olympic borough of Newham and is also very much looking forward to working with the teachers and pupils the Tesfa schools in Ethiopia.

Announcements

Kindergarten Child Sponsorships needed!

The Tesfa Foundation’s first and flagship school, the Tsegereda School in Addis Ababa, is funded solely by individual child sponsorships. This year, we need sponsors for all 60 children!

Want to Volunteer?

Volunteers are always needed to help us in our work to provide early childhood education in Ethiopia. If you have even a few hours per week or month, please consider helping us to organize and implement our programs. All types of work and skills are needed. Contact information is avaialable on our web sites. Thank you!

Congratulations to London Runners!

Four participants in London’s ‘Run to the Beat’ half marathon raised over £3,000 this month for the Tesfa Foundation. That’s over 13 miles for the sake of young children’s education in Ethiopia. Thank you for your training and determination! Next year, Tesfa-UK is hoping to recruit as many as 20 runners. Please watch for additional information on the Tesfa-UK website.

Team Tesfa: Helping Teenage Girls Start Over

Team Tesfa members

Whether you’re running for Tesfa or cheering on the athletes, think of the girls on Team Tesfa, who are hoping for a second chance in life. Team Tesfa is the foundation’s latest effort to support the youth in Ethiopia.

3rd Annual Tesfa 5K - Sat Nov 1st, 2008 (Yes, you can still register!)

The 3rd annual Tesfa 5K is less than a week away, but there's still time if you'd like to join us - either as a participant, a fan, or race-day volunteer. Work off some of that Halloween cheer while ejoying the spectacular autumn beauty of Minnesota's Fort Snelling State Park. (Standard park vehicle admission fees apply.)

Check-in and day-of registration begins at 8:30AM. There is a 1K Kids Fun Run at 9:30AM, and the 5K starts at 10AM. Awards given in a range of age groups, and there are even awards for top male and female dog! So bring the puppy if you like. While this is a dog and kid-friendly event, we do not allow strollers, rollerblades, or bikes in the races.

Awards will be presented in the fire-heated Main Pavillion immediately following the 5K race. Enjoy some light refreshments provided by our sponsors, pick up some information on the Tesfa Foundation and chat with several of our US Board Members. Additional information available on the pre-registration form at our 5K website

Running in the Mountains of Ethiopia

- by Ladia Albertson-Junkans
(Ladia is a member of the University of Minnesota Women’s Track team, which partners with Team Tesfa, the Tesfa Foundation’s program to support teenage girl athletes in need with housing, education and counselling. She’s currently in Ethiopia, training with the team and learning about the girls’ lives.)

The word 'Tesfa' means 'hope' in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia and the language spoken by the athletes of Team Tesfa. I’m finding out just how fitting the name Tesfa is for this community of young, fit athletes.

Asqual (right) and Ladia (left) enjoying Ethiopian Coffee

My second day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia began at 5:42 a.m. Ijigu, the captain of Team Tesfa and my tour guide, arrived at my place to take me to the team practice at a place just outside the city.

Just last night, entering the city from the airport, the street had overwhelmed me with the drive-by, jump-in, and roll-out taxi system, complete with ceaseless shouting. This morning it was more like a pond not yet rippled by the wind. Even our first van-taxi ride seemed quiet compared to yesterday's havoc. But that was just the first taxi ride. There were three or four more, until an hour and a half later, Ijigu and I arrived in the mountains.

We approached a group of young men and women chatting amicably. All of them rose to greet Ijigu and I, shaking my hand and kissing my cheeks as though we were old friends. Their smiles and warmth were as familiar to me as my teammates at the University of Minnesota. I was no longer overwhelmed by the congested cacophony of Addis Ababa, but by the friendship these athletes showed me before I could even pronounce their names!

The coach, Master Birhanu, arrived and all the athletes greeted him with reverence. Everyone was smiling. The coach gave kisses on the forehead to the women and strong handshakes to the men. Immediately, Master Birhanu was leading the athletes into what felt to me like the secret garden of Ethiopian running.

The athletes placed me in their lines as though I had been practicing with them for years, and we headed into the woods. I picked up on the flicks of their fingers that indicated an imminent stump, boulder, decline, tree branch, or pace change. I loved the fluid system at work there in the forest, where there were no trails to lead the athletes. It seemed a stark contrast to the hectic streets of Addis, where roads and stop lights never guarantee orderly traffic.

Reading with Team Tesfa members at the Tsegereda School

There in the forest, it seemed that the athletes were able to shed the unpredictability of the streets like warm-up gear. They strode lightly, free of the thought that it had required a significant portion of their weekly wages simply to get to practice. Here and running was exactly where they were meant to be.

I was so consumed by these observations that I easily forgot that I was running at almost 8,000 feet above Minnesota. By the time I remembered, my legs were shaking, my lungs panicking, my eyesight brightening, and my ears deafening. I passed out.

Master Birhanu and two of the athletes quickly started shaking my legs and moving my chest. They knew exactly what was happening, and they knew exactly what to do. They did not chastise me for attempting too much too soon on a hot morning. They simply cared.

Master Biranhu and team members Amsal, Meseret, Ijigu, and Asqual took the hour-long taxi ride with me to my place in Bole. They settled me into bed and sat at my bedside until I was able to speak coherently again – roughly two and a half hours later!

I thought that I was here to train and to assist Team Tesfa in realizing their vision for the program. Thus far, I’ve been the one receiving all of the help! These young athletes have taken me places, given me gifts, cooked for me, been patient with my ignorance, empathized when I am confused, kissed my cheeks, and made my bed. Most of all, they were there when I woke up...simply to see that I was okay.

The Tesfa Foundation wishes everyone a Spooktacular Halloween!