Tesfa Foundation

Tsegereda Christmas Mural

2011-02-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

This mural was drawn and colored by the second-year kindergarteners at the Shiro Meda school, everybody pitching in and drawing a little piece of it. It was made as a thank-you for the UK donors and board who have supported them all year. The pictures are of candy canes and candles, candies and Christmas trees, all in 5 year-old style, of course. Ethiopian Christmas is January 7th and, what with the slow international post, the children's package didn't reach us until February. Sorry for the late Christmas wishes, but the gratitude at the school is heartfelt.

Ethiopia's Future Superstars

2010-10-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

Team Tesfa Teens

Addis Ababa: October 9, 2010

by Karin Lohmann

It is Wednesday morning in the Ethiopian capital city, Addis Ababa. The time is six in the morning and the sun is about to rise over the local district of Piassa.

It is cold, and the city's residents are only starting to wake up, but five girls are already dressed in shorts and T-shirts, ready to run. They look like ordinary girls, but they could be Ethiopia's future superstars.

“I will be a famous runner, not only in Ethiopia but throughout the world,” says 16-year old Berkinesh.

Berkinesh is like the four other girls selected to be part of Team Tesfa's teen program. This means that they now have a safe home, and they get training and food, three ingredients which are essential to become professional athletes.

“If I eat a lot, I run faster,” says Asnakech at 16 years of age.

This morning the girls are doing a photo shoot with the Danish photographer Soeren Malmose and myself, a Danish journalist. In about two months the pictures of the girls will be shown in an exhibition in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen.

“Look in the camera, put your chin up and smile,” Soeren is telling the girls, while two of the male athletes from Team Tesfa are trying to hold back the curious passersby.

The girls must pose like stars in a running shoe advertisement, and it can be quite a challenge to do a photo shoot in the middle of the chaos of Addis Ababa. But the girls are already professionals. Even the youngest girl, 14 year-old Fantu, seems to have forgotten the heavy personal problems many of the girls are facing as she is running in front of the camera.

We stay in Addis Ababa ten days, following the runners. We have joined the training with their coach, visited the teens' home, taking pictures and conducting interviews about their backgrounds and dreams.

Being part of Team Tesfa will change their lives.

“If I was in my village, I'd be married now. I'm 16 years old,” says Asnakech.

And that is the situation for most of the girls. They come from poor backgrounds. They have come to Addis Ababa hoping to get a better life, and they have chosen to run to reach their dreams.

“When I lived in the village, I heard about Haile Gebreselasse and I wanted to be like him,” says Meseret who has been part of the Team Tesfa program for some years.

Haile Gebreselasse is the world's best marathon runner. Runners in Ethiopia are as famous as singers and actors, and for the young girls running can be a way out of poverty and early marriage.

“I'm happy when I run, and I know that tomorrow will be a better day if I reach success,” says Asnakech.

And hopefully the photos in Piassa can help to make a better future for girls. The photos in the exhibition will be sold and the proceeds will go to Team Tesfa.

Shiro Meda 2010

2010-10-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

Cien with the children of Tsegereda

Addis Ababa: October 7, 2010

by Cien Keilty-Lucas

At the base of the esteemed Entoto mountain, the district of Shiro Meda imparts a unique sense of calm. Unlike many of Addis Ababa’s neighborhoods, the residences and businesses seem to be woven into the environment. As I walk down newly paved road, I am absorbed in my meditation of urban structures and natural landscape. Mud and thatch houses stand beside cinder-block barber shops, sharing the foothills with towering eucalyptus and native flora. But as captivating as the scenery is, something cuts through the serene surroundings.

A faint hum of joyful cheers captures my attention. The further I travel down the hill and into the neighborhood, the more pronounced and contagious the shouts become. I find myself smiling, and anxiously looking forward to sharing the joy that spills over the school walls of the Tesfa Foundation's first school.

As I enter the compound, half of the school's 70 kindergarten students stuff the remnants of 'snack time' into their mouths and rush toward me. I am engulfed in a sea of bright eyes and extended hands. The dozens of handshakes turn into lifting dozens of kids into the air, and finally I've become just another piece of the brightly colored playground equipment. I am covered in cookie crumbs and can barely move among the mob of children, but I am having a wonderful time.

The last hand is shaken and the last 'ciao' yelped out, and I step out of the school yard and back into Shiro Meda’s distinctive environment. The euphoric cheers and squeals fade as we climb up the hill toward the main road.

I reflect on my experience. I am truly privileged. And it is not my background or upbringing; it is that I am able to take part in this work. The collective spirit of our children resonates in me, and now, wherever I go, it pushes me to make the most of my time with the Tesfa Foundation.

Through this work, I have been exposed to some of the strongest and most inspiring individuals I have ever met, our students. And I look forward to their future, as well as my own.

Beti at the Mercato School

2010-10-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

Addis Ababa: October 6, 2010

by Menna Alemu

Beti is in her second year of kindergarten at the Mercato school in Addis Ababa. She is five years-old. She's a beautiful little girl. But in her first few months in school, she was very quiet and distracted. She was prone to fits of crying. The teachers were concerned, and so were we, the administrative staff.

Lots of children at the Mercato school come in with problems. Their clothes are tattered. Some have no lunch. Some have had no breakfast. They haven't been bathed. When they are not in school, they are left to play in the street. Their parents are laborers and have no time for them.
But Beti was an extreme case. Even among these children, she was obviously neglected. She was hungrier and more unkempt.

When we investigated, we found out she has lost both parents to AIDS. She lives with an aunt now. We had to argue with this aunt to keep Beti in school. The more we tried to reason with her, the angrier she became. She remarked that she wished Beti were dead.

We gave Beti new clothing. The teachers washed her. We made sure she was fed. Beti is now happier. She participates in class. She smiles. And given a chance, Beti demonstrates a sharp mind and an eagerness to learn. Every day is a battle to keep Beti in school, but we are committed.

When I visit the Mercato school, that's what I see: all the smiles. That is our success. Outside the school, the children's lives are miserable. But inside, for six hours, they are safe and happy.

I have worked with the Tesfa Foundation for three years this month. During my time as program director for Tesfa Tsegereda, we have opened five of Tesfa's seven funded schools. We have founded the Team Tesfa teen program. We have hosted dozens of volunteers from Europe and America. I've learned a lot.

I believe we live worthy lives as people by helping others achieve the glimpse of hope they've had that has been killed by difficult lives, helping them take steps toward their dreams that they never thought could come true. Tesfa has been an institute where I've learned endurance and perseverance. I've learned that love and caring always has big rewards, the reward of seeing others have hope. Tesfa means hope in the Amharic language, and Tesfa is about people with big hearts reaching out to the underprivileged ones who are forgotten but have big dreams.

I'm happy to be a witness to the lives Tesfa has changed. I believe many more will be able to change their destinies because of what we can provide as individuals.

Sponsor a Teen

2010-07-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

Sponsor a Teen

The teen program has always been at the core of the Team Tesfa program. This program provides safe housing and education for girls who are homeless and vulnerable. Please volunteer to sponsor one of these girls for the coming year. Get to know her; get to know the challenges she faces. Above are three of the six new girls, ages 14-16, who have moved into the Tesfa safe house this summer: Merron, Birkenesh, and Fantu.

The Need:
In Ethiopia, long-distance runners are heroes. Every year hundreds of teenage girls come to Addis Ababa from the surrounding regions to train as athletes, hoping to escape poverty through their talent. At the least, they hope for education and employment in the capital city. The majority of them have no friends or family to support them. Many of these girls will be victims of sexual violence. Many will be forced into some form of servitude and possibly prostitution in order to survive.

In Addis Ababa more than 30 per cent of girls aged 10-14 are not living with their parents. Twenty per cent of these have run away from child marriages. Twelve per cent of adolescents aged 10-14 surveyed in Addis Ababa were domestic workers.

The athletic team serves as a powerful medium for reaching these girls. It becomes a support structure in a dangerous and alienating environment. It’s a medium for providing vulnerable young girls with the skills and confidence to lift themselves out of poverty and become self reliant models for other women.

Building a School in Ekodaga

2010-05-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ekodaga
May 9: Construction comes to an end this week on Tesfa's seventh school in the village of Ekodaga. This will be the small farming village's first school. The Selam School, a successful partnership with the Resurrection Catholic Parish in Green Bay, Wisconsin, will be opening in the summer of 2010. It will serve 50 village children with a kindergarten education, and 150 children from the region with nonformal primary education. 'Nonformal' education is formatted to adapt to the needs of farming families and of children who arrive with varying degrees of literacy. In the long term, this project will also endeavor to provide adult education for parents, and to bring light and water to the school and community. Cien Keilty-Lucas, Minnesota contractor and Master's student in public health, spent four months supervising the construction project. He writes about his experience:

Building a School
by Cien Keilty-Lucas

A whip cracks and an afternoon wind whistles up the hill side. Twelve chiqa- (or mud-) toting donkeys lumber toward the school. The wind exhales an ominous misty breath, predicting afternoon showers. With a clattering of hooves atop a newly cement-paved classroom floor, the donkey train squeezes into one of the seven school rooms. Fellow workers usher the animals to where the mud is mixed with hay, and water. Leme and Mesfin distract one of the animals with a steady "whoooooosh" and a handful of grass. As the animal impatiently sways, the two massage nearly 80 pounds of chiqa off the donkey's mud-caked back and drop it onto a light bed of hay with a plop.

The chiqa process has been ongoing for the last month. In total, the people of Ekodaga – and of course those donkeys – have schlepped tens of thousands of pounds of mud from nearly a kilometer away to form the smooth and straight walls of the school. The entire build has taken three months of continuous labor by upwards of 35 people a day. The building of Ekodaga's first school has been a testimony to the incredible worth ethic, commitment, and determination of the people of Ekodaga. The community works, sings, and even drinks together (usually just on Sundays) from 8am to 5pm seven days a week. Together, the community reformed a rocky hillside, built a waist-high rock wall that wraps around the entire perimeter, and perched 5,000 square meters of finished school atop the carefully sculpted hilltop. The school will assist men, women and children alike achieve educational betterment for years to come, and I believe the building process itself will resonate within the Ekodaga community just as far into the future.

During my time working with the Ekodaga villagers, I have witnessed a tightening of the community, as well as a growth of dedication to the school. Before the build, the villagers relied on one another as neighbors and co-workers. Even the school project seemed just business at first. But as the build progressed, I saw an immense shift in solidarity and care among the community. When we asked for volunteers, toddlers and village elders alike volunteered and diligently worked. When one member of the community is ill, others pitch in to help purchase medical care and transportation. There is a pronounced cooperation with one another in sharing work. Everybody gets to work on the school. There is a constant dialogue about the school's importance for not only the children but all of Ekodaga. The school has not only become emblematic of the community's hard work and dedication, but the community's interest in personal growth.

Tsegereda Visit

2008-11-16T02:21:00.000-08:00

I visited Tsegereda school during my trip to Addis Ababa in early October. Here are some photographs of the latest intake of children at the school - they were very happy!

Thomas Redmond - Treasurer, Tesfa Foundation UK

Minneapolis Event

2008-07-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we held an event in downtown Minneapolis to remember Leeza five years after her passing, and to celebrate everything we’ve accomplished. It was called the Five Schools Benefit in tribute to our central achievement: five schools in five years, over 700 children served, and all for about $150,000. In this photo, we’re listening to members of the University of Minnesota Women’s Track Team talk about Team Tesfa and about the teen girls in Ethiopia. You’ll notice Sophia in the back serving coffee Ethiopian style. And the towering figure in front is Patrick McGrann, head of the Minnesota non-profit, Kitegang. Patrick has been to Shiro Meda to fly kites with our children. He spoke about the experience and about the hope that small non-profits like ours represent.

Dana

Anthony's Fundraiser

2008-06-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

Last night, 8 year-old Anthony held another fundraiser at his house. He cooked again, this time preparing mash daal and kadai aloo with rice for his guests. (!) It was a beautiful evening in Minneapolis, and we sat in the backyard as we ate. Anthony came around with his home-made donation box after dinner, collecting for the Shiro Meda school, where his pen-pal Ermias attends school. I’m really impressed with Anthony’s commitment -- and with his cooking.

Dana

2008-05-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

On May 17, Art Aid International hosted its second annual wine tasting and art auction fundraiser for Tesfa schools in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Stephanie Timmerman, (featured above with kids in Shiro Meda in February) is a Grand Rapids artist and the founder of Art Aid. She’s been twice to Ethiopia to work with the children in our schools. Her specialty: art lessons in which the children create beautiful paintings, large and small. Some of this art was up for auction in order to keep school programs alive and well. Stephanie has a real talent with the kids, and she’s very devoted to their well-being. Soon, we’ll have a gallery of children’s art up on-line. Watch for it.

2008-05-02T14:05:00.001-07:00

So what’s Team Tesfa? Team Tesfa is a team for young track and cross country runners who want to compete among the pros in Addis Ababa. It’s also a vehicle for the foundation to reach out to teenage girls who need a helping hand. These are girls who are separated from their parents or orphaned, who have no support unless they work in bars or as house servants, who often have to give up their education, who are vulnerable to sexual violence. We provide them with housing, education, stipends, and community. In back are (left to right) Meseret, Worke, and Askwal. Up front are (left to right) the team captain, Ijigu, and the team coach, Mr. Berhanu. Coach Berhanu is an old Navy man who competed and coached in a dozen sports. He stands about six and a half feet, and his hand completely envelopes yours in a crushing grip. He’s a very kind man, and he offered his services as a volunteer for months, until we could find the funds to pay him.

2008-04-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

I’m back in Minnesota, checking in with everyone who has supported the work in Ethiopia. One of my favorite visits is with the Women’s Track team at the University of Minnesota. Coach Wilson and the women are very enthusiastic about supporting the teenage girls on Team Tesfa. They are writing letters to Ethiopia and brainstorming ways to raise money. I’m hoping they will be able to make a trip to meet the girls. Meanwhile, they invite me to a practice at the Field House. This is me with team captain, Julie Schwengler, national level competitor in the 800 meters.

Dana

2008-04-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it’s difficult to justify what we do to skeptics. Why don’t we do more? they ask. And I don’t know what to say. We do our best with limited resources. That makes for hard decisions.

It is hard to judge what the value of Teddy’s smile is when he received his dinosaur. Was the impact greater in the donor who felt warm and fuzzy for days afterwards rather than in Teddy’s life? What should our priorities be? How do we measure the difference education makes in these children’s lives, in their families?

We have enrolled three bright professors from Mankato State University into Tesfa’s educational advisory committee. Lilly, Linda and Steve are ready to solve multi-grade, trilingual education in rural settings for low-income students. We will have some answers in a couple of years after they visit Ethiopia and train our teachers.

We may be able to provide cost effectiveness calculations of early childhood education for low income Ethiopian children in the future. It’s a step. After all, limited resources should be used wisely. For now, providing education to those who don’t have it keeps us going.

Roxana, Minnesota

The Opening of Debra Zeit

2007-09-28T06:05:00.001-07:00

It’s magic time again. We take a dead shell of a building, and within weeks we make it a school. And nothing breathes more life and vitality than a functioning school.

It’s an amazing transformation – especially in the short week or two it takes in Ethiopia, when all is going well.

This is the school in Debre Zeit, due to open in the first week of October. Malaku is our magician, the man who oversees the work on our facilities. He’s the one who made the Mojo school ready for business last year.

You’ll notice how beautiful our yard is. Sadly, this will have to be trimmed back from its wild beauty. We’ll try to keep the morning glories.

Back to Ethiopia

2007-09-28T05:03:00.000-07:00

Kindergarteners getting some guidance from Haregwa, their teacher. Look at those big smiles!

Simenyesh in first grade practices her cursive writing.

8/14: I’m back in Ethiopia, and I visit the Tsegereda School in Shiro Meda right away. This is the best part of any trip, the best part of my work. It gives me hope. The kids are so bright-eyed and cheerful.

Visiting the school in summer is strange. It’s rainy season, so it’s cold and gloomy. Everyone is in layers. Kids and teachers gather together for warmth.

Summer school is half-day. The first-graders are preparing for second grade. Today they’re studying their multiplication tables and cursive writing in our alphabet. The kindergarteners are working on simple words that begin with various letters in their own alphabet. As usual, my entrance after an absence sparks chaos. ‘Kuch balu, kuch balu,’ I have to say. ‘Sit down!’ Everyone wants a hug. The teachers are so patient with the kids, and with me.

Dana

Visit to Siembra School, Minneapolis, USA

2007-08-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Dana’s visit provided an opportunity to learn more about Ethiopian culture and traditions as well as strengthened the partnership between Siembra and Tsegereda. Latinos and Ethiopians shared art, stories and of course coffee. Listening to Dana women’s eyes filled with tears. The challenges these children and their families face are daunting and familiar. Latino women know how hard it is to accommodate your family in a one-room house. How it feels to have a child sick and not being able to afford a doctor or medicine. How frustrating it is not sending your child to school because you cannot pay the registration fee, get a uniform or spare the time to deal with the system. Yet, watery eyes were mixed with smiles. Dana shared photos of the children and staff. Tsegereda children are smiling. Their spirit is strong and there is hope. We know these children will be the first in their families to graduate from high school and college. We know when these children start working their first salary will go towards helping their younger brothers and sisters make it through school. They will help aunts, uncles, cousins and nieces. Latino women have done it for and with their families. The empathy in the room was palpable; their desire to support these children tangible. - By Roxana Linares

US Tesfa Events

2007-07-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Click to get a large version. Thanks!

Visiting a Sister School

2007-06-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

We went to Widcombe Infant School in Bath today. Widcombe is one of the sister schools to our school Tsegereda in Shiro Meda. I delivered pen-pal letters from the Ethiopian children. We were lucky to get a half-hour with the kids at the end of the school day. Fifty children crowded into the classroom, and these are not shy souls. It was very fun. “Did you just come from Ethiopia?” “How long did it take?” How long do you think?, I asked them. “Ten hours.” “A hundred hours.” “A thousand hours.” We practiced a guest’s entrance Ethiopian-style. They stood up as I came in. I said, “Indamin nachu, lijjoch?” (How are you, children?) And they replied with some version of the proper response: “Dehna, igzabiher yemusgin!” They thought all this hilarious.

I took a few of their names and showed them what it looked like in Amharic script. I wanted to demonstrate how many names in Ethiopia mean something, but didn’t get very far. I asked them, “Who remembers their pen-pal’s name?” Many hands went up. “Um, it starts with an S.” “Mine starts with an R.” All rightie. But they remembered very well how old their pen-pals were and bits about the school. They found mud walls an irresistable concept. “Do they fall down?” one girl asked. No, not yet, though they do wobble a bit.

-- Dana Roskey

Tesfa Foundation Introduction

2007-06-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

We are a very, very small organisation who provides early childhood education to some children in Ethiopia, who otherwise would not get a chance to go to school and get a strong foundation for their studies. You can see our website for the UK here and the website for the US group here. You can also listen to a podcast interview about us at Fusionview to hear more about us.

We want to have a blog to show how we are working in a myriad of small ways to bring this all together. I think it will give us some distance and perspective about our work as well.

Most of all, we hope for some feedback. Or to find some other people out there with experience. Or for you to spread the word of our existence. We want you to know that there are real people putting real projects together, and our struggles to make it happen.

If you have worked, volunteered or raised funds for the Tesfa Foundation - send me (the editor) a photo and a paragraph, and I will post it. The email for this blog is tesfa.uk@googlemail.com.

igzabiher yistillin

-- P. Colborne