This week was an extremely busy one ! The exams finished on Monday, with the children as a whole doing very well. I still disagree with exams for everyone ( including the 3 year olds ! ) three times a year – but when it is set in the curriculum what can you do ?!!!
The biggest problem this week was the van. As it was waiting for the children ( thankfully no one was inside ) a truck decided to reverse into it ! It crumpled the whole of the front and meant that it was out of use for a few days. This means that we had additional expense since we were forced to rent out another temporary van for a few days ! – however, although the rent of an additional van was not covered by the truck driver, the repairs were covered , so that is something at least ! Driving in Ethiopia is a scary experience – something that I have never dared even attempt ! Not only are there no pavements ( which means that everyone is walking on the road ) but there are a multitude of animals wandering around – even in the very centre of towns and cities ! This is compounded by the taxis , which are blue and white minibuses. There are no set stops, thus when someone wants to get off they simply shout “ wa raj ! “ and the minibus screeches to a halt ! It is a wonder that there aren’t more accidents really with the driving conditions, so we have to be grateful that there was minimal damage and that it wasn’t our fault !
On the positive side, our latest volunteer – Josh arrived ! He was unexpected and only managed to give a couple of days notice , but is a very welcome addition to the team ! Despite the very limited time frame between his decision to come and his arrival, he managed to collect a load of educational items ranging from pencils and a very much needed pencil sharpener to baseballs and baseball bats, with which we intend to start our first sports club – that of baseball ! ( once Josh has told us all how to play it ! )
As you may have noticed, we are now in the process of updating our website !!! – it is amazing the amount of time a website takes to make, but we are plodding on ! The main aim of the renovation is to focus upon donations ! - with there now being instant access to donations with PayPal as well as through the biggive – where you can even pay with credit card !!! – so don’t forget to have a look and make a donation of £ 5 / $ 7.00 – although this is only a couple of cups of coffee in the West, this amount would pay for a whole range of new library books / much needed high quality pencils for a whole class or a new chair for a student !!!!!
Ethiopian Schools for the Poor - English Alive Academy
Registered Charity Number 1140681
www.englishaliveacademy.org
