Chilly air has made every morning feel homely until by ten o’clock the temperature has reached its African warmth. It is the half-term break for two weeks at the school and this gives us an opportunity to help along those kids whose results were not positive. The first- and second-graders are very zealous to come to school during the break. At the same time we can work in the library with the more capable kids.
As in Estonia books must be made interesting to kids. Few years ago Joosep Tuvi brought here books in English about more rare storks and eagles, living in Estonia. These had the migratory routes and nesting areas marked with red. Nesting area is in Estonia, but during the winter they stay in Ethiopia!!! It even made me think. Despite the difficulty of the text for the first- and second-graders they were keen to listen and read. We discussed the necessity of a specialized library worker with the principal, who would be able to introduce books to kids.
While I am in the library with the kids Valter is teaching the smallest kids letters and how to write them with Lubaba who is the most brightest student from 7th grade. Due to the many different ethnic groups in Ethiopia the first few school years for the kids here are very difficult. The curriculum is only allowed to be bi-lingual. Local kids are speaking either Wolaytinga or Amharic. If the curriculum is in English and teaching takes place in Amharic the Wolaytinga speaking kid is in a situation we could not even begin to comprehend. Many parents are illiterate and so the school is the only one responsible for the education. We have had meetings with the parents to discuss the importance of cooperation between the school and the parents, so the children could be able to go over the schoolwork at home for at least an hour a day. Usually the kids are busy with chores. We must admit that there is no right or wrong but just a huge difference between cultures. A lot is expected of the children who are more successful in school. Prosperous offspring is like an insurance for the family. We have Salva for that!!!
Teachers are underpaid like in Estonia. Most of them are studying additional things through Open University to have better outlooks towards keeping up their families in the future. This makes it difficult to find stable personnel.
At the moment there are kids in the class for whom even reading is challenging. Special aid schools are not available. We have also finished visiting the families and we have a more clear overview of the economical situation of the kids. We look at the charts from one end and the other trying to find the best way to determine who should be on the lunch providing service list and who shouldn’t. It is more complicated than it seems.
Valter has been sitting for hours already with the Excel tables on his last night here. I am discussing with Annika via internet on where to draw the poverty line in these lists to make sure the kids for the lunch providing service would be selected fairly.
Valter’s remarks have made me reach for the pen again. The caption of the last column in the table is „Family Size”. Johannes’ family is in the lead – four sisters and four brothers!!!
Is four chairs and a shared cow the poverty line? Is it a family with chairs and electricity or a house of their own without any belongings? A house made out of hay, eight children and a shared cow? A child living under a guardian whose home has chairs and a table???
Standards for living are beyond our ability to analyse. Obviously 9 children in a family is not a sign of poverty. It is common that the parents are HIV positive which makes it harder for them to find a job. It is common that the parents are deceased and the custodian has tables and chairs in their home, which is already a good indicator. Our compassion doesn’t substitute for these kids the loss of their parents nor everyday meals. The least we can do is to help them to obtain an education, so these children would have a better chance to take their of their families in the future and to help Ethiopia become the country they themselves wish.
MERLE