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?