First Field Report from the 2012 English Language Boot Camp.

The following email was received from Jennifer Morrison from Fantalle on July 13^th, 2012

 

 

I am sending this on behalf of the group.

 

Ethiopia is wonderful so far and we are being treated very well.  The people are so kind and getting to know them has been the best part of this experience for us.

 

The first day of the bootcamp was supposed to be for the girls, however, all of them were in Matahara or elsewhere getting their final reports for the year of school.  The girls attended on Tuesday which was great.  On Tuesday night, there was a man killed as a result of the Afar and Karrayu conflict on the border of the tribes.  As a result, the boys were not in school on Wednesday as they were helping with preparations for the burial...but they did attend Thursday.

 

So far this week we have been doing many activities, trying to get a feel for where the students are with their English.  Next week we are planning on doing rotation lessons, where each of us will teach something to all four groups (7/8, 2 groups of 9/10, 11/12). 

 

The students are truly amazing and it's wonderful how excited they are to learn.  As important as it is to teach English, the relationships we are making is what is making this experience so incredible.  We will try to send you an update next week on our activities and how things are going.

 

Anyhow, better run.  Sending you well wishes from Ethiopia!!!  By the way, Gobu, Hawas, and Desi say hello!!!

 

Jen, Rebeca, Lora and Sharon.

A DEDICATED ANSO SUPPORTER

It was over five years ago that Pamela Culligan first became involved with ANSO and she has been a dedicated supporter ever since. The first donation was not unlike many others (the way it came about was a bit unusual – but that is another story), but what has followed has set Pamela apart from all others.

Pamela is the kind of person who acknowledges the various significant dates in the lives of all her friends and family with a card.  Apparently she was spending a significant amount on Hallmark (and other) cards and she approached ANSO about making a change.  We agreed on a system whereby at the beginning of each year she sends ANSO a list of her requirements (doesn’t everybody plan their annual greeting card requirements a full year in advance?) and we send her a year’s supply of cards. Friends or acquaintances may get a chicken or a goat card, but family members or special occasions often receive more expensive cards.  Every month Pamela sends ANSO a cheque for the cards she has used and at the end of the year we send her a tax receipt.

Some months she only sends a single card, most months she uses several, but over the last five years she has not missed one single month!  Now that is what can honestly be called a dedicated donor!

Pamela, your generosity has touched more lives than you will ever know.  We thank you very much.

THIRD ANNUAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE BOOT CAMP IS UNDERWAY

ANSO’S THIRD ANNUAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE BOOT CAMP (ELBC) will be held in Fantalle, Ethiopia in July, 2012. On Thursday,  June 28^th, Rebeca Elliot, Lora Swanberg and Sharon Biggs left Grande Prairie with mounds of luggage (mostly teaching supplies) for an incredible summer adventure.  After an overnight stay in Edmonton, they  departed for Ethiopia, arriving in Addis Ababa late in the evening on June 30^th.  After a short one day “adjustment” stay in Addis, they will be spending five days doing the tourist thing in the north of Ethiopia, visiting Bahir-dar, Gondar and Lalibela and getting to know a bit about the country they are in.  Saturday, July 7^th will find them back in Addis for a day of organization and shopping for last minute, additional school supplies.  At this point, they will be joined by Jennifer Morrison from Red Deer.

On Sunday, July 8^th, the four of them will make the four hour trip to Fantalle and will get introduced to their home for the next three weeks.  In Fantalle there is a boarding school run by the Gudina Tumsa Foundation of Ethiopia.  While ANSO organizes the teachers and supplies at this end, and pays the direct financial costs of running the ELBC, the Gudina Tumsa Foundation (GTF) looks after the teachers while they are in Addis and provides transportation to the school, provides each teacher with a teaching assistant, selects the students who will attend the ELBC and looks after all the logistics required to run such a project.

Rebeca, Lora, Sharon and Jennifer, along with four teaching assistance, will involve 70 Ethiopian high school students in three weeks of total immersion English instruction.  It is guaranteed that not only will the ELBC change the lives of the 70 students fortunate enough to be selected to attend, it will also have a profound impact on the lives of the Canadian teachers who volunteer to design and instruct this course.

After completing the ELBC on Friday, July 27^th, they will take two days to travel to Awasa and see some of the southern and central part of Ethiopia before returning to Addis Ababa for two days of city sightseeing and the return trip to Canada on August 1^st (actually, Jennifer is traveling in Ethiopia for an additional three weeks, but that is a different story).

Sound interesting?   Know of someone who might be interested in getting involved in ANSO’s Fourth Annual ELBC?  Why not get in touch with us and find out about the possibilities for 2013?

THIRD ANNUAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE BOOT CAMP

ANSO’s third annual English Language Boot Camp (ELBC) is taking shape.  This year there will be four teachers traveling to Ethiopia to conduct the ELBC (total immersion English instruction) to 70 high school students from the Karayu tribe between July 8^th and 28^th.  The teachers are Rebeca Elliot, Lara Swanberg and Sharon Biggs all from the Grande Prairie area and Jennifer Morrison from Red Deer.  As usual, the teachers will be paying their own airfare and volunteering their time while ANSO will be covering the expenses associated with the ELBC and the cost of room and board for all participants.

In support of this year’s camp, the ELCB alumni (the teachers that have previously taken part in an ELBC) organized the ANSO Balderdash Auction & Barnyard Buffet which was held at BJ’s Q Club & Sports Lounge on June 1^st.  The event attracted about 100 participants, featured a buffet dinner, a variety of fun auctions, a goat raffle, a piñata and a lot of good fellowship.  It raised almost $6,000 to help off-set the costs of this year’s ELCB, so it was a definite financial success.  There is a good chance something similar may happen again next year.

The teachers traveling to Ethiopia this year were very involved with the buffet & auction, have been actively preparing lesson plans and are collecting the various teaching aids they will be taking with them.  From Ethiopia we hear that student selection is taking place, support staff has been selected and the planning process is well underway.  This has all the markings of another very successful ELCB.

If this sounds like something you would like to do, consider volunteering for ANSO’s fourth annual ELBC in 2013!

FW: Unique Way of Raising Funds for ANSO

 

In late 2005, when ANSO was just starting up, we somehow got connected with Ian Sewall who at the time was with the Peace Academy of Virtual Education (PAVE).  Ian liked what ANSO was doing, so he organized a fundraiser on ANSO’s behalf.

Ian has a lot of four legged friends, so it was not surprising that his fundraiser was a Sleigh Ride involving everyone associated with PAVE – staff, students and parents.  Participants were asked to bring a gift – it could be something either filling (food) or fun – and during the evening these gifts were auctioned off with the proceeds going to ANSO.  The participants enjoyed it so much that this has become an annual occurrence with PAVE ever since.  Ian is no longer with PAVE, but Joan Coy has stepped in and is continuing the tradition on his behalf.

This is truly a win-win-win situation.  The people that take part have a great evening, ANSO gets a sizable donation and the people of Ethiopia are the final benefactors.  Thank you Ian (and Joan) for establishing and now continuing this great tradition.

ANSO's Third Annual English Language Boot Camp

Are you a teacher or an individual looking for an enriching volunteer experience teaching English in Ethiopia for three weeks this summer?

On March 8^th, ANSO attended the Mighty Peace Teachers Convention in Grande Prairie to talk about volunteer teaching opportunities this summer in a remote Ethiopian community.  Three teachers who have been to Ethiopia on ANSO’s behalf shared their experiences. The turnout was amazing! The seats were filled and people were even sitting on the floor!

Is this experience for you? Read below……

About ANSO’s English Language Boot Camp 2012

·         ANSO’s third annual English Language Boot Camp.

·         The location is a rural school that was established by the Gudina Tumsa Foundation in 1992 at Fantalle, which is about four hours drive east of Addis Ababa just off the main highway to Djibouti.

·         The students attending the English Language Boot Camp are of high school age and are members of the Karayu tribe.

·         The person(s) undertaking this adventure pay their own return airfare to Addis Ababa (between $3,000 and $3,500).  Once in Ethiopia, transportation to and from Fantalle and room (complete with a shower that may work) and board at the school will be provided by the Gudina Tumsa Foundation.

·         There would be the opportunity for tourist type exploration of Ethiopia at either end of the teaching commitment at your own cost.

·         ANSO has been supporting students at this school for the last six years.

If you would like more information, go to our “contact us” page and get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you!

               

BLOG SITE UP AND RUNNING AGAIN!

 Unfortunately the ANSO blog has been out of commission for some time.  Now that we have it back up and running again, we plan to bring you up to date news on ANSO initiatives and activities on a timely bases.