4th world. Progress report.

This progress report is based on the feed back we have from our volunteers and from the places we collaborate with. If I have missed out on something please let me know.
I am pleased to say we had positive feed back from the centres we collaborate with. Can Gaza has explained exactly the kind of help it needs so that our efforts and work are not done in vain. Zaqueo has stated that they are very pleased with the volunteers going to work there, and the supplies given to the centre. It is eye opening to know that as Mallorca  has no rivers, those most in need have no where to wash their clothes, so clothes are worn till they have to be thrown away. The clothes we provide the different centres are therefore more important than we were led to believe. It is therefore clear that we should be providing all types of clothes including underwear.
One of our members noticed that subsaharian Africans do not often go and eat in the free dining halls. Another volunteer asked if we had ever see an African begging.
We are planning to feed a number of unemployed Africans in the near future. We are developing this project with the help of an African Association based in Mallorca and it has become evident  that discretion will have to be utmost importance. Over the next few day we will publish more posts in reference to this project and how, if you want to,  you can be a part of it.
As an NGO trying to help with those in need in our island we have to learn how to observe the needs of those we intend to help and we will have to learn to listen to their call for help. We can not impose our ideas as from our privileged perspective we can quite often be totally wrong and cause hurt and harm when we wanted to do the contrary.
In reference to the things people give us for the poor, we must insist on a minimum quality standard. Donated things must be of a standard that we would accept for our own families. Nothing must have past its expiry date, and the supplies must be logical. For example once we were given a large supply of heavy winter clothing for Cuba. Cuba has a tropical climate.
Due to the recession and the unemployment the population of poor people in Mallorca is going to grow a lot this winter. We feel that our programs here will slowly become more and more important, so if you are interested or want to help please feel free to get in touch.

Mediterranea needs a place we can use as HQ/office and storage space. It should be easily accessible (we have some senior members who are very active) and be ideally in the Calvia area.

We wish to thank all those volunteers that manned the Mediterranea Stall in the Rotary Clubs Marathon in Sta.Ponsa, and those members that ran in the TUI Marathon in Plama. You are Mediterranea's oxygen!

Childrens problems.

At this moment in time and without having up-to-date information about exactly how many new, young children have started in Abugida school we find that many of them are living in situations of high risk. These children are parentless or almost parentless. we are concerned  that they could end up in a children's home or on the street.

Therefore, with the cooperation of the Edir we have drawn up a plan of action for the most desperate cases:

Hana is five years old. She lives with a neighbor who is a very fragile, old woman. Hana's mother left her with this old lady who receives a monthly pension of 10 birrs (70 cents of a euro).

Derbi G.is six years old. He lives with his adoptive mother who adores him. Despite having her own four children, a precarious financial situation and having to put up with the constant opposition of her husband, she has welcomed this little boy into her home.

Eyob is 9 years old. Eyob attended our primary school last year until he was expelled by the Kebele. His parents are dead. He lives with his grandfather who has no job or income. Eyob eats in the Abugida school.

Yitayesu is 7 years old. She has HIV. Her mother is dead and her father suffers from AIDS and is terminally ill. Yitayesu lives with her aunt who has four children of her own and no job or income.

Yetinayet is 9 years old. Just like Eyob she is not permitted to attend school but eats there. Yetinayet has HIV. Her parents are dead and she lives with her grandmother who has no job or income.

Bezawit is 8 years old. His father is dead and his mother is terminally ill with AIDS. He has a little brother and Bezawit is the head of the family.

We have decided to give 400 birrs/ month to each one of these families.

We are trying to introduce a project where local families will "adopt", acting as a substitute family for children who have nobody to care for them and these families will be given economic help from us to support the "adoption".

This concept is unknown in their society. The Edir has sterted to select suitable families who must be made to understand that these children are not "guests" but should be treated the same as all other family members and that their wellbeing will be monitored regularly and meticulously.
 Obviously, being with a family member is often the ideal solution but this is not always possible.

We are also aware that the number of children in high risk situations is increasing which means that more and more families will need economic help.

"the personification of Ethiopia's hope for a better future, their children."

By  María José  28/9/09

I must admit that when Victoria asked me to go to Ethiopia to give English lessons to the teaching staff in the Birhan school in Yeka I was a bit overwhelmed.
I actual fact I had offered to collaborate over the summer period in one of Mediterranea's projects but once I had already committed myself and was getting ready for the trip I began to feel uneasy, and(yes, scared) about certain aspects of the situation.

On one hand, I was worried about the kind of reception I would receive, particularly after the problems there had been with the dismissal of the former president of the  Edir. I was apprehensive, too, about how the others who had also been dismissed, would react to me after having lost their greatly coveted positions.

On the other hand, knowing that I was the only "Faranchí"(foreigner), I realized, that in actual fact, this could have its advantages as well as disadvantages.

Next problem, I am not a qualified English teacher. Would they realize that after the first lesson?

Next potential big problem, I'm currently wading through all the paperwork that will permit me to adopt an Ethiopian child. How was I going to react emotionally when I found myself face to face with the 180 pupils in Birhan school.

But, as soon as my feet touched the center, all of my fears and all of my apprehension just vanished. I met Zerihun at the door and he introduced me to the staff, helped me draw up a timetable and organize my classes.
The staff, every single one of them, from the head-teacher to the cleaner welcomed me with open arms. All of them were fantastic, the teachers, the girls in the kitchen, the ground staff and last but not least, the children. Everyone made me feel at home.

It's up and into work early at Birhan school. I don't know at what time the first set of children arrive but at 8.15am when I started, the teachers had already been at the door for a while waiting to welcome the "early birds". At 9.00am, the children are served a bread roll with milk. Two weeks before the "Asunción"(religious festival), the older children have to "fast" in preparation for this religious event, therefore they have tea instead of milk.

After breakfast, the children would start their lessons and I would have a coffee and a chat with the kitchen staff. I would then settle down to prepare my afternoon lesson plans to be ready to teach the staff in the afternoons, once all of the children had gone home.

After playtime and then a one hour lesson, it was time to give out lunch which usually consisted of vegetable soup with lentils, or pasta or "injera"(local bread-pizza type affair), lots of "injera". (Ethiopians, all love it)
I got the impression that I was being constantly watched by the teachers expecting me to trip over spectacularly with a tray full of food as I helped give out lunch!.........and I don't blame them. I feared exactly the same thing!
Fortunately for all, I turned out to be a perfect waitress. Plates, food and utensils, landed on no-ones lap and reached the hungry children safely without any disasters!

Throughout the year the routine after lunch is; a short rest period, more lessons and a snack before returning home.

However, in the month of August, the children are picked up by their parents straight after lunch. August is the month of heavy rainfall in this part of the world. It is safer to shorten the school day to avoid problems for the parents in times of unpredictable storms.
It might sound strange to the reader but during the month of August I witnessed that when it rained heavily or there was a dangerous storm it more often than not started at the time when the children would normally finish school.

When the parents or guardians of the little children would come to pick them up, I noticed that the teachers would only hand the child over when the aforementioned produced an identity card. When I returned home and explained this to my friends with children they were surprised and felt that this system should be used in all Spanish nurseries and schools.

The Birhan school in Yeka lacks all sorts of even basic materials that we take for granted; the classrooms are dark and cold, especially during the wet season when it's damp The sky is overcast and there is only electricity every other day. In spite of this I have to emphasize that none of these conditions affect the tiptop cleanliness of the installations nor the positive atmosphere in the air which shines like a bright light. The school is very well maintained and organized considering that the classrooms are used as a dining room, that the pupils desks also serve as tables at breakfast and lunchtime. The staff treat the children impeccably. They care deeply about each child's welfare and that they are being nourished properly. The teachers are loving and affectionate. It is a delight to see that the children are so happy.

I would like to thank Mediterranea for giving me the opportunity to participate in their Ethiopian project. As a human being I have learnt a lot and feel that I have gained more than I have given. I would also like to thank, although they will undoubtedly never have the opportunity to read this message, all of the new friends I made in Ethiopia. Without their support and friendship my experience could have been very different.

I thank all of the school staff, from the Head-teacher to the cleaners, all of the teachers, the girls in the kitchen and the caretakers for making me feel welcome, for making me feel at home.
I also send thanks to, as Zerihun calls them, the personification of Ethiopia's hope for a better future, their children. I thank these children for their demonstrations of affection, their hugs and their kisses. They will never know, that a woman like me who wants so much to adopt an Ethiopian child has learnt so much from them and that this knowledge, when the adoption goes through will make a difference, one of many that help change the world.

I thank my English students for their patience and understanding.
I send thanks to Eto Ambachew for finding students who were interested in English lessons.

Thank you Zerihun for just being there and especially for helping me on my first nerve-wracking day.

Lastly, I would like to thank Getachew and Ayele. Although they are not directly involved in the Mediterranea organization, the former, my good friend Getachew, took charge of my journey to Ethiopia and organized all the logistics of my stay and the latter, Ayele, who made sure that I got to and from school on a daily basis.
I am grateful to them and to so many others. I will keep them locked safely deep in my heart for ever. I look forward to seeing them all again some time in the future.