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Rotary Report 2015-2016

The East Colorado Springs Rotary Fund of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation

Grant of $9,000 designated to further the goals of keeping Ethiopian girls in school.

Activity/Financial

Use and Effectiveness Report

sheno north-shoa ethiopia

Sheno, North Shoa, Ethiopia

Submitted June 13, 2016

Dear Pikes Peak Community Foundation,

With deep gratitude we are submitting the activity and financial utilization report for school year 15/16 for the grant designated to further the goals of keeping Ethiopian girls in school coming from funds contributed by the East Colorado Springs Rotary Fund.

The East Colorado Springs Rotary Fund of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation has helped thirty needy school high school and preparatory school girls in Sheno, Ethiopia remain in school for one more year thus reducing the chances of obstetric fistula, child labor, early marriage, other evils that can happen to young undereducated girls, and general poverty. The girls were selected for neediness by a committee consisting of the Finance and Economic Development Bureau, The Women’s and Children’s Affairs Bureau, The Educational Bureau, three school directors, two teachers, and two female students. The girls are students at one high school and one preparatory school. This grant enabled Trampled Rose to begin work in an area that has repeatedly requested assistance. The original needs assessment was conducted in three languages over two three day workshops with more than 100 community members.

 

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In partnership with Trampled Rose and the community, all thirty girls received help for their housing, food, health care, menstrual care, school supplies, and uniforms enabling the girls to focus on their studies. On file in the office of Trampled Rose are original papers with the names and signatures of all thirty girls. Our support documents include original legal receipts, distribution reports, and an annual audited report accepted and approved by the Ethiopian Societies and Charities Agency.

Sheno is an unusual place because it is the intersection of two main groups of people in Ethiopia, the Amharas and the Oromos. The Amharas believe themselves to be descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba thus entitling them to the blessings of the throne of David. They speak the main language of Ethiopia, Amharic. The second group is the Oromos, the largest group of Ethiopia located mostly in the central and southwest part of the country. They speak Oromifa.

Many people in this area can switch between the two languages in the same conversation but many others, although they live next door to each other, cannot understand each other. The school has both Amharic and Oromo students. Classes may be taught in Amharic, Oromifa, or English which makes learning Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics difficult.

Ethiopians, male and female, love to dance. Their unique dance consists of juddering the shoulders up and down, back and forth, without moving the hips or legs.

Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity plays a big role in most of the people’s lives, although Muslims also live in the village in harmony with the Christians. Ethiopia was the second country, after Armenia, to adopt Christianity as the state religion. Churches are circular or octagonal and made of three parts: the inner, mostly holy center of the circle, where the priests chant for hours and have an elevated seat in the center. Women and men worship standing up in separate parts of the circle surrounding the center. Outside worshipers may approach the church with covered heads and bow with their foreheads touching the stone walls. On special saints’ days the villagers wear white scarves and attend church services. Worshipers come and go. During special holidays (Christ’s Baptism, Easter, Finding of the True Cross, Christmas) the people stand for hours.

C/S Rotararian Donna Dell’Olio     East C/S Rotarian Rebekah Kiser

Christianity
Christianity
Dancing
Dancing
Injera
Injera

Trampled Rose has made three monitoring and evaluation trips to Sheno. The difference between girls at the start of the Trampled Rose program and the end of a year is heartwarming. They seem to stand taller, have more confidence, seem healthier, and laugh more easily. They have a better understanding that it is not just money helping them stay in school but actual people who care about them and want them to succeed. trampled-rose-portrait Thank you for supporting them.

We even have one girl who has moved to the position of the number one student in the entire school. The school directors expect all supported girls to graduate to the next level including all the seniors who are now able to continue in the government sponsored universities. Your help has changed their lives forever.

rotary-becky East C/S Rotarian Rebekah Kiser

 

 

 

 

Financial: One hundred percent of $9,000 deposited to Trampled Rose, Inc. (501(c)3 #202089736) from The East Colorado Springs Rotary Fund of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation used for this project and facilitated by Trampled Rose, Ethiopia (License #0729) was utilized for program cost.

Note: In addition to the girls sponsored by The East Colorado Springs Rotary Fund of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, East Colorado Springs Rotary Club sponsored five more girls, Rampart Range Rotary Club sponsored two girls, and Colorado Springs Rotary Club sponsored eleven girls for a total of forty-eight girls rescued by the Rotary generosity and love of our own city.

Rotary clubs and friends in Vancouver Island, Canada contributed towards the building of toilet facilities and wash area for girls. The official government figure was 4510 girls helped in Muki Turi, Ethiopia.

Strengths: The girls are so driven for success. This chance to finish school is something that was unimaginable for them. Although these girls are very high risk, not one has dropped out of school to date. Teachers and school directors tell us that the improvement for girls in every subject has been strong. Thank you! All they needed was a chance.

Ethiopia has experienced a drought this last year and the school administrators told us that the Trampled Rose girls are actually in a much better psychological situation than their peers because of the stability of their help.

Possible improvement: We are still experiencing difficulties with communication. The area where your project is located is rural so telephones and the internet often don’t work. Things have been improving lately but our best means of communication has been actual field visits.

powerful-girl While interviewing the girls during the monitoring, we heard stories again and again of hope. They told us of their prior life when they were working as servants for others and had no control over their own education, stories of hunger and desperation.  Now they tell us of dignity and quick improvement in class rank. We heard again and again how their lives have been changed. How they now have enough time to study. How they now feel safe. They kept mentioning how grateful they are that their families no longer have to worry Thank you for your belief in these precious ones. The girls confirmed that your help has not only changed their lives but freed their loved ones to put their energy into development instead of worry. The whole community has been positively affected. The statement we heard again and again was “now I feel equal”.

Sustainability: Although one more year of school is very important towards changing the future, Trampled Rose was able to locate sponsors for all 50 girls in the village of Sheno enabling the girls to continue their schooling next year. These sponsors come from Switzerland, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Spain, and USA. All original records are on file in the Trampled Rose office in Addis Ababa and we would LOVE to have you come for a visit……

Submitted with lots of love.

Yours in Rotary,

Rebekah Kiser

Founder/Country Director

Trampled Rose, Inc.

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