GOBAME!

After more than a year of planning and preparation, the Tesfa Foundation’s newest school opened this autumn. The school serves several hundred children in the northern Ethiopian farming village of Gobame (pronounced go-BAHM-ay).

Gobame students in their brand new school!

Because the school serves children in farming families, and because there are no other schools nearby, the Gobame school accepts children of all ages between 7 and 14. It operates on a variable schedule: instructors teach in double shifts, which makes allowances for harvest seasons. Teachers follow a non-formal curriculum, approved by the Ethiopian government, which focuses on three levels of literacy and numeracy.

Ten year-old Dehenenet Getu tells us how things used to be for students in the area. “We used to sit on rocks, and sit in the sun. We used to get eye sickness from learning in the sun and from the dust. We are happy.”

Dejamach Simengnew, also age ten, says, “Before this school opened I used to go to a school called Wegersa. It took me one hour to get there on foot. On my way to the school I had to cross a river called Infranze. Sometimes the river overflowed and I’d just stay at home. Every morning I had to get up early in the morning and run to the school. By the time I got there, I’d be tired.”

These are two of the lucky ones whose families insisted on education, no matter how challenging the circumstances. Most local children went without. But all that has changed now that the new Tesfa school is open.

Their clothes may be ragged, but their spirits and thirst for learning have never been stronger!

Now children are inside classrooms. They have desks and chairs. The teachers have educational materials. Parents and teachers are very encouraged by the progress.

And yet, there is a long, long way to go. The schools operate without electricity or running water. They need more books and materials. They need more toilets. Meeting these basic needs are some of the Tesfa Foundation's most pressing goals for 2009. (Visit our US or UK websites if you would like to donate financially to the new Gobame school.)

In the future, we would also like to see the community of farmers learn how to improve their agricultural practices. We hope to provide literacy education for adults. We want to see mothers learning vocational skills. We would like to see options for secondary education for the children attending Gobame.

Supporting a child means supporting a community, so our goal is more assistance in Gobame: if families can support themselves, they can support their children. To that end, the Tesfa Foundation is asking for your support - financial and otherwise.

We invite those in the community of Tesfa volunteers with relevant skills to consider devoting some time to the families in Gobame: teaching, building, or mentoring in agricultural practices. It’s a beautiful area, not far from the headwaters of the Blue Nile. The work is inspiring and life-changing (for everyone involved.) The Gobame community is welcoming and very grateful. Contact us at info@tesfa.org if you believe you have something to contribute.

The Update from England

(Clockwise from left) Nathalie Allexant-Rowland with UK Tesfa board members, Thomas Redmond and Neil Gunn presenting the winning trophy to young singers, Alexander and George Tilley from Downton Primary School, Salisbury.

Tesfa-UK board members received the VIP guest treatment at a school in Salisbury earlier this month when they were invited to present trophies to the winners of a local entertainment event, ‘Downton’s Got Talent’.

Downton Primary School staged the event to swell charity funds earmarked for the opening of a new Tesfa school in the Mercato region of Addis Ababa. Pupils of the school and their families managed to raise a whooping £400 for Tesfa!

The organiser of the event, Nathalie Allexant-Rowland has been fundraising in the UK with her husband Gareth since they were married in Africa last July. While most couples would opt for new kitchen crockery and electrical appliances on their wedding gift list, Nathalie and Gareth chose to donate all of their gift money to the Tesfa Foundation.

They have since held raffles and ‘bring-and-buy’ sales, as well as the latest talent competition at Downton Primary School where Nathalie is a teacher to children aged 5-6 years.

Nathalie, Gareth and the community of Downton have so far raised more than £3,500. Well done!

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 can be found on our web sites (Tesfa US / Tesfa UK). Thank you!

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.

SPECIAL OFFER FOR NEW CHILD SPONSORS Choose HOPE as a gift this December, and receive the first month FREE when you sign up as a new child sponsor. Tesfa means 'hope' in Ethiopia, and child sponsorships are the gift of hope – not only to children in Ethiopia, but to giving communities here. Our flagship school, Tsegereda School in Addis Ababa, is 100% entirely funded by monthly child sponsorships. Please give the gift of HOPE and help us keep children in school. What your family member or friend receives: a priceless connection with a child whose life is changed through education. And remember, all donations to the Tesfa Foundation are tax-deductible!

The Tesfa Foundation wishes everyone a very safe and happy Holiday season!

Faithful Runners

The 2008 Tesfa 5K race in Minnesota was run with great success on November 1st. 2008 marked the third year for the race, along its traditional course at Fort Snelling State Park. It was a beautiful morning in the park, though a chilly 42°F. 50 runners finished the course, and first place went to Matthew Beyer, setting an event record of 17:37.

Tesfa 5K veteran Wayne Applegate

Back for his third year in a row at the Tesfa 5K was Wayne Applegate of Coon Rapids, Minnesota. This 72 year-old race veteran is always the first to sign up, and runs the Tesfa 5K without fail. It is one of his favorites – among the 30 races or so that he runs annually. Last year, that included two half marathons.

“What attracted me the first year,” he says, “was the eyes of the school children in Africa. How could anyone say no? I have a weakness for children.” Wayne raised five daughters largely on his own, after his wife died. He says, “We’re more friends than family,” now that they’re grown. He often meets with them to play golf.

Wayne started running four years ago, when his daughters didn’t like how retirement was treating him. “You’re getting lazy,” they told him. He started running, and he fell in love with it.

Wayne is retired from three full and successful careers, at Sears Roebuck, at Land o’Lakes, and then at United Health Care. He says he’s always been fit, but now, at age 72, “I feel every bit as good as I did 20 years ago.”

Thanks for your dedication and support, Wayne. We look forward to seeing you at our next 5K race!

Wayne is not the only face that has become familiar at the Tesfa 5K. It’s a great way to have fun while enhancing the lives of schoolchildren in Ethiopia. This event makes a very real contribution to the educational opportunities of children in Tesfa schools. Thank you to everyone who participated! And many thanks to Anderson Race Management for their help managing the race!

Determined Runners

Chaltu Tafa

In Ethiopia, meanwhile, Team Tesfa has been training and racing this autumn with great success. Autumn is cross country season. In October, nine team members raced in the national cross country races.

Both men and women compete in 6, 8, and 12 kilometer cross country races, alongside hundreds of the best in Ethiopia. The races are held in the capital city of Addis Ababa, in a huge field called Jan Meda, just beneath the mountains. This is at an altitude of nearly 8,000 feet!

We send congratulations out to Chaltu Tafa who ran a time of 43:26 in the women’s 12km race, to rank 51st, and to Abdul Kadir, who ran at a time of 37:00 in the men’s race, to rank 197th out of 813. We are proud of ALL of our team members!