Child sponsorship update from Harrar, Ethiopia

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Harrar, Ethiopia from Summer 2008.

It is with great pride that we forward this letter to you. We hope it has found you well and safe. As always, it is our honor to inform you about the activities of the village and show the impact of your support to the family.

The Village - Home for many Children
As in the past year, the family houses are running with full capacity and the so-called newly admitted children are no more new to the village. They are very well accustomed to life in the village and they are feeling more at home. The SOS mothers’ have worked hard to see the children to this level. Now they are giving more attention to laying a fertile academic ground for the children. The mothers’ role to the overall development of the children was publicly praised in the celebration of the SOS Mothers day this year. With the presence of SOS family, friends and invited gusts the children expressed their love and gratitude through music, poems and drama shows. What was more interesting on the day was the part where representative children from each family house gave presents to their SOS mothers. The children presented their gifts expressing their appreciation through heart warming words like, “Mother, you mean everything to me”, “Mother, I love you”, “Mother, I am here because of you”. This filled every body’s eyes with tears.

Academic Performance
In the first semester exam result, most of the school going children performed well in the exam. We have witnessed improvements in the children from the lower grade level. However, there is still work to be done on the youth living at the youth facilities for boys and girls. With the help of a Youth Affairs Officer and Youth Leaders some measures are being taken to help them direct their attention to their studies. As usual, we celebrated education day at the end of the first semester, in mid February. At the occasion, different shows were presented by the children themselves and depending on the first semester exam result, awards were given to those who scored outstanding grades and improved their previous semester results.

Child and Youth Development
In the village we have a team dealing with children and youth development. These days it is actively operating in the village. Recently, the team identified some children with health, behavior, academic, and social problems. Those who needed medical attention were given priority. Guidance and counseling was also given to eight children and youth with behavior problems. The rest are being dealt with accordingly. The team has also taken the responsibility of forming Children’s Council in the village. By the active participation of the children and mothers, the council has already started performing its duties in the village. The council is lead by a chair person and a secretary. It has four different wings and every wing has seven members. Within few months of its establishment we have observed that the council is playing a great role in developing the socially and academically.

In addition, the Child and Youth Development Team facilitated for the children to held Child and Youth forum once a month. Till now the children in the child forum have discussed on different topics like what is Success, The relation between academic competence and behavior and other related topics. Similarly, on the youth forum, the youth living in the youth facilities for boys and girls, raised issues like: Youth and their challenges and solutions, How to develop talent and skills, Money Vs Knowledge, and other issues were discussed and debates were held. Moreover, during the first semester break the team facilitated for the children to spend their vacation constructively. The children were given the opportunity to participate in football, table tennis and table soccer games. They all had an interesting time and there was a good sense of competition among the children.

Children's education in Harrar, Ethiopia

SOS School

The school has continued its collaboration with the SOS family, friends and others from the outside community. The parents’ committee being motivated by the school’s effort and with the aim of facilitating teachers to have a good working environment donated refrigerator and stove for the staff cafeteria. Furthermore, the committee has contributed for the construction of water reservoir in the school compound and it is also continuing to serve as academic advisory for the school. The school’s relation with Haramaya University is still contributing a lot in the educational performance of the children living in the village. Graduating students of the university are helping in organising a question and answer sessions by outlining questions and helping them study. With this, the children are developing competition among themselves and this is leading them to study hard for better result.

SOS Nursery School
This year, 75 of the children in the kindergarten are children who live in the village. Most of them are the newly admitted children to the village. In the Kindergarten the children are acquiring basic skill which helps for their future academic performance. The KG educators have also devoted extra time to equip the children with the necessary language competency and discipline.

We have good news on the reconstruction of the SOS Nursery School. The international office has given us the go ahead to finally erect a new nursery school. We have finalised the construction map and based on the space available, we have got the construction permit from the city municipality. We hope everything goes well and we will be able to start the reconstruction for the benefit of everybody.

In our country Ethiopia, as in the rest of the world the cost of living has shown a tremendous increment. Fuel price is steadily growing; intern life in the cities especially is getting more and more complicated. The price on food items is also getting costly and has left a considerable impact in the country. Though the government is taking some measures like deducting some taxes on food items to relive the people, the cost of living is still challenging for every one to sustain.

Hoping for the better to come we extend our gratitude for all your contributions. Having you beside us we are positive to overcome any situation that stands in the way of developing our children for a better future.

Sincerely Yours,

Tsegaye Dejene (Mr.)
Assistant Village Director, Harar

Generation Saved

In the agro-pastoral community to the southern part of Ethiopia lays the low lands of the country that extends to the mainland Somalia. People dwell by raring cattle and moving from place to place in search of grazing land and water. One afternoon Wako’s father is looking after his cattle. The sun is blazing and at a distance Wako’s mother is preparing food outside a temporarily built shelter. Wako is playing between the heard of cattle. All of a sudden, the neighboring inhabitants pick a fight and conflict arouse. Guns shout, machetes lay over people’s body; people scream and run in chaos and blood spill all over. In the middle of the fight a number of children and adults died. Wako’s father and mother were among the ones who got killed in the conflict. Wako fortunately managed to stick in the middle of the heard of cattle and survived the clash. He is left orphan and started a life with his distant relatives. He was living in fear and nightmare. He was afraid that he might not get lucky next time and survive any possible conflict. But this did not happen as he started a life with a big family at SOS Children’s Village Harar. Now he is free from his fear.

To date this sort of clash has taken a number of lives and has left many children with out parents. Since the area is conflict ridden and the inhabitants continuously fight over grazing land, everybody is always on the look out and insecure. The SOS Children’s Village Harar admitted 62 Children from the area, most of whom were victims of conflicts over land and water. Wako and the other 61 children who came to the village with him are saved and living a secured life away from the hostile situation. Wako is no more insecure. He is happy and wears a smiley face all the time. He is also a nursery school student and enjoys spending time in the nursery school with his mates. He is glad to be in the SOS Children’s Village and grateful for having an SOS mother, brothers, sisters and a village away from the nightmare of his early childhood.