12 Mar 2013 (2) ELCB Karaya students, Metahara
12 Mar 2013 (3) some young men from the Metahara hostel
12 Mar 2013 (4) Group picture, Dandi Gudina Student Hostel
12 Mar 2013 (5) Chris (ANSO) and Lensa (GTF) at the Dandi Gudina Student Hostel; plaque in background acknowledging construction participants
12 Mar 2013 (6)Chris and Galle Hawas, Dhebit Village, near MBDG compound
12 Mar 2013 (7) Bruce and Chris hamming it up in Galle Hawas' yard, Dhebit Village, near MBDG compound
12 Mar 2013 (8) young women in their hostel yard by the MBDG site
12 Mar 2013 (9) youth hiding a package of cookies near GTF compound N of Metahera by the MBDG compound
12 Mar 2013 (10) Sunset by the MBDG compound
12 March 2013 – Lensa Gudina of the Gudina Tumsa Foundarion (GTF) met us for breakfast at The Safari Lodge. We then travelled to Metahara and met up with 10 of the 70 Karaya students who had attended the 2012 English Language Boot Camp (ELCB) put on annually by ANSO and the Gudina Tumsa Foundation. The ELCB is a three-week English Immersion course designed to help students improve their English skills so they can pass the national exams (written in English) that every student must write at the end of grade ten and again to gain university entrance. Since the inception of the ELCB three years ago, 14 Canadians volunteers (mostly teachers) have provided assistance to 250 Karayu students. Chris passed out yearbooks to the students present which were well received. Lensa (GTF) acted as interpreter where necessary and there was much discussion with the students (some of it entirely in English) and they were very enthusiastic in their support for the ELCB initiative. There is already much anticipation for the upcoming 2013 session.
We next visited the Dandi Gudina Student Hostel (10 girls and 40 boys) set up after the rising water of Lake Metahara flooded their original hostel. Funding for this project was provided by ANSO and the Community Initiatives Program of the Government of Alberta. Construction was carried out by GTF and volunteers from the Karayu community.
Our next stop was the Mana Barumsaa Daandii Guddinaa (MBDG) compound (8.95534 N 39.83821 E) in the Fantelle district which is where the English Language Boot Camp is held every year. We also visited several successful recipients of micro finance loans (again, Lensa acting as guide and interpreter) including Galle Hawas who started out raising chickens and selling eggs eight years ago. With successful marketing and good management, she then bought goats, and later added donkeys and finally cattle. In the process she has been able to finance 2 of her daughters in university. A short walk later we toured the female hostel (built by the Rotary Club of Westlock, Alberta) beside the MBDG compound and visited the students staying there.
No comments:
Post a Comment