Where is the school?
Adwa Birr School is located
School life
It is located in the 16th district of Addis Ababa (which is far from being a wealthy area) in Ethiopia. There are 489 students aged approximately 6 to 16, from kindergarten to the equivalent of 8th grade (8th and 9th grades were created in 1998), and 27 teachers, 8 accountants, 2 secretaries, and 9 guards who ensure school security on a rotating basis.
The students are distributed as follows:
53 students in KG 1, 52 students in KG 2, 42 students in KG 3
58 students in CL 1, 48 students in CL 2, 43 students in CL 3
36 students in CL 4, 38 students in CL 5, 39 students in CL 6
32 students in CL 7, 48 students in CL 8
School schedule
From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Students eat on site with a lunchbox (Agelgil) prepared by their families.
There are also 51 students whose parents cannot afford to feed them, who are supported by the state for breakfast and lunch.
Volunteer teachers provide free assistance to students in difficulty after 3:30 p.m.
The Bourgeons Association provides schooling for 150 children, and the municipality (the YEKA region) also contributes to the schooling of 25 students who cannot afford the uniform.
They won’t need us anymore
Sixteen years after welcoming our first children, several dozen of them are now employed.
Among them, those we present to you now have had exceptional careers. They are completing higher education, supported by sponsorships for ages 5 to 15. We will refer to them by their first name, first year of sponsorship, studies, and employment upon graduation:
* Eshetu, Architecture and Graphic Design; works for an American construction company
* Gebre Michael, Master’s in Economics; bank teller
* Haregeshet, Diploma in Accounting; bank agent
* Surafel, Fine Arts Diploma, specialization in “Graphic Arts”; aims to become an art teacher.
* Shewangizaw, Electrical Diploma; works in the construction industry
* Tesfaye, Studied Mechanics and later specialized in Human Relations; logistician at the Ministry of Defense
Soon, we will no longer be speaking of these six as students. If these young adults, who pursued “long studies,” had the benefit of individual sponsorship, others, just as deserving, have gained their independence in other ways. They are mechanics, office workers, hairdressers… We are truly proud of them all.
Thank you to the sponsors who have supported them for many years for this wonderful success, which has made them self-reliant in their professional lives.
