We have been accepted as a charity!!!!!!

Fantastic amazing news ! – after about three years ( if not more ) at long last we have been accepted as a charity ! we have now been approved and all we need to do is wait for our charity commission number and then we will start applying for grants as well as setting up collection boxes. The school itself is not a charity, since it is abroad, instead we have Ethiopian schools for the poor – English Alive Academy as the charity, whose purpose it is to coordinate grants, volunteers and fundraising for us ! We really are hoping that being legalised will give us much more credibility and therefore be more inclined to donate.

As a result, the website is under total renovation and is expected to be fully formed by the end of next week – so keep your eye on it !There will be sections on “ kids doing for kids “, the dream room, volunteer information and simple and easy ways that you can help the school without spending a penny !!

We are now about to launch our sponsorship campaign to get all teachers and 50 children sponsored by 1^st August 2011 ! – which will enable even more poor children the opportunity to get the education that they deserve ! – so keep your ears open as to how you can be involved !

We are now coming to the very hot season in Nazareth ! – this is a time when the breeze which normally takes the edge off the heat dies down a little, making it stifling at times ! Many of the schools in Nazareth change their opening and closing times – starting at 7 am and finishing at 2 pm so that they have a few hours of coolness in the morning. However, with so many children coming from outlying villages, it would almost be impossible to get everyone to school on time so we plan on taking the fan from the house and borrowing another so that we can put them in the hottest classrooms and rotate them around when necessary !!

It is now the fasting season in Ethiopia for the Ethiopian Orthodox religion. Traditionally there are 250 days of fasting in the Orthodox calendar. Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days. The most serious fasting time is this eight-week period prior to Easter.

Fasting requires that no meat, meat products, eggs or dairy products are consumed – essentially a vegan diet – though it is permissible to consume alcohol. In addition, during the period of Lent, no food is taken until after church services in the afternoon. This means that all of the meat shops are closed, meaning that whatever religion you are , you are fasting from meat whether you like it or not !!

Fasting biscuits are sold at this time – I am not sure what they are made of and taste pretty awful, but I suppose when you are having a vegan diet, then a bit of sweetness is required !!