PARK AND SPORTS GROUND IN AKAKI, ETHIOPIA

We can’t resist sharing with you the rough draft of the recreational park which is a result of the creative genius of Marc. Not only has he designed a park but he has also come up with the idea of a theme park connected to Ethiopian stories and legends. He has even taken careful consideration to ensure that the different features of the park include elements of Christianity as well as Islam! We never imagined being able to do something like this!!

As he says the swings could be horses crossing the desert, the "zigurat" is a set of slides and ladders to climb which will be built on the slope...

There will be wind chimes to represent the birds and add a gong or some tree trunks to make……… even more noise. Just let your imagination fly.

The castle is a children’s playhouse which will be adapted slightly to make it look more like a castle...

I haven’t yet worked out the Ark of the Covenant completely but it could be something that spins or rolls ....

The maze, the crossing of the desert, crocodile seesaws, climbing nets, different levels (mounds of earth), tree trunks for balancing, car tyres in zigzags etc. There will also be some invention based on wheels (shifting sands). Everything you would find in a standard playground but using local history and colours and easy to maintain.

We are honoured to have you helping us, Marc!!

A MAP FOR THE BLIND CHILDREN IN THE SEBETA

Javier, who works in the Palma branch of the  ONCE, has made these 3D maps of the Sebeta school for the blind children. The buildings are all marked and the children can  read more about them in the sheet in Braille that will accompany the maps, this way they will have no problems finding their way around. 
The school is on the same plot of land as a large teaching center. The Sebeta is on the right hand side of the map, there we can identify the Messi room's building, the administration area, the dorms, the water tank tower, the gym, the clinic etc, etc, places that our teams have helped to restore and/or implement.

Paste this : 8.90987,38.621637 in to Google Maps.

THE MELONS

I can remember the first generation of melons (the two year olds) at Abugida, 3 years ago already. They looked so small and indefensive…they hardly moved.
But they soon started to look more grown up next to the 1 one year old babies.

We now have our third generation of melons, just as “full on” and demanding as ever! Their carers are called Mulu and Kedija and they are really loving and dedicated.
There are 28 boys and girls.
They keep a daily record of what happens each day, they have everything under control.
The melons are able to feed themselves perfectly and they help to clear up the cups and plates.
The melons have now got new toys, including a paddling pool filled with balls which was a great hit with the children and they didn’t even want to get out of it to go and play!

MEETING WITH THE FATHERS AND MOTHERS

Each time we go to Ethiopia we have a meeting with the mothers and fathers at Abugida (and with the grandparents and foster families of the children who no longer have parents). It’s a very positive experience for both sides to exchange views and it helps everybody to get to know each other.

As you know Abugida is a liberal school which accepts children and families of all religions: orthodox, muslims and evangelists.
This religious freedom is absolutely fundamental for us.

Religion is very important in Ethiopia and there is hardly any agnosticism. However, in many cases religion is strongly linked to the help people receive, in other words people who convert to evangelism will receive help, as is the case in many private schools run by religious institutions (of any religion).
The main religions are orthodox and islam but the number of evangelists is steadily growing.

We have posted some lovely photos of the meeting.

THE SPONSORED CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Each time we travel to Ethiopia we also meet up in Abugida with the families who have been sponsored. Because if you sponsor a child you also sponsor its family.
Sponsoring does not mean supporting a family and then the family falls by the wayside.

The sponsorship enables them to live much better because these are families that were previously living in conditions of extreme poverty and they can now rely on a fixed amount of money each month and from there onwards the men and women, with the exception of those who are sick, work in whatever way they can to increase their income.
Even the sick people work if their circumstances allow them to. Many of the men and women are much stronger than they were before because they are now able to eat a much better diet.
For example we have a mother with a chronic illness who thanks to our sponsorship scheme has been able to set up a small market stall selling cereals and she is really happy.
Fortunately the sponsorship programme works really well.

We have sponsor fathers and mothers who are there from the beginning, giving constant support and commitment and there are others who sign up afterwards. Only very few people have withdrawn their sponsorship and luckily we have always been able to cover this and take over the sponsorship within a very short space of time thanks to the reserve funds we put aside for such situations.
In these times of recession we know that 24 euros is a considerable amount of money for many people and we are therefore extremely grateful for their help.
Many families have been given hope (53 at the present time) and the sponsorships have even prevented families from splitting up due to poverty and children have been saved from going to the orphanage or fending for themselves on the streets.
Many thanks to all the sponsor mothers and fathers.

AT THE BIRU TESFA SCHOOL

At Biru Tesfa school in Akaki we are continuing to provide breakfasts of break and milk for the 190 infants who attend the school.
Biru Tesfa is a state school situated in the town of Akaki and the children come from very poor backgrounds.
We are also going to repair the children’s playground which is currently located in two in unsuitable areas and once it has been repaired we will relocate the whole playground to the front of the school.
Remember that this school was in a very bad state and we had to repair the foundations, deep cracks in the walls, we installed new windows and new sanitary fittings and drainage pipes.

We will continue with the breakfasts throughout the summer.

Photos: children at Biru Tesfa, staff employed by Mediterránea.