May 2009

Welcome to our May 2009 news update

The UK summer is upon us already and our schools are in their final half-term of activity. Link Ethiopia has been extending and expanding its school links recently, with visits to Leicestershire and East Sussex providing lots of new and enthusiastic faces. But this news update focuses on our Child Sponsorship scheme, not only helping individual and needy young people in Ethiopia, but also supporting the schools where those pupils attend with basic resources that benefit numerous other young people.

Read on …. and perhaps join in with our very worthwhile scheme?

Focus on… Child Sponsorship

Have you ever considered sponsoring a child? There are thousands of children in Ethiopia who need your help.

Our sponsorship programme focuses entirely on supporting education which is the best way to support Ethiopia’s next generation.

Rising food and fuel costs are increasingly forcing families to choose between buying the necessities for everyday living or buying the books and pens they need for their children’s education. Without an education most of these children will never get the chance to change their situation. Your regular sponsorship donation will support your child with all their schooling needs as well as fund wider projects in their school providing hundreds of children with vital facilities such as clean water, classrooms, and books etc.

Read on to find out more about the scheme and get in contact with us ([email protected]) or visit our newly updated website (http://linkethiopia.org/get-involved/sponsor-a-child/) if you can help.

Sponsorship at Adama No 6 Elementary School

Adama No 6 is a primary school in one of the poorest parts of Nazret town, in southern Ethiopia. Many families here make a living selling produce in the local market.
However, the sharp rises in basic foodstuffs and fuel have hit many
families hard and it is becoming increasingly difficult to afford to
send their children to school. Without help, some children could be
forced to drop out of education to try and earn money to support their
families instead.

The school is severely under resourced and needs new classrooms for its growing number of pupils as well as desks, books and toilets.

Link Ethiopia has worked with the Adama school community to identify ten of the most vulnerable children with the hope of finding them sponsors so they may continue their education and secure themselves and their family a brighter future.

How to get involved

Sponsoring a child through Link Ethiopia is simple. It costs just £3 per week (£12 / $25 / 17€ per month) to support the education of your sponsored child and the school which they attend. On average 20% of your sponsorship money is spent on your child’s educational needs and 80% on supporting projects in their school to benefit everyone. Through sponsorship, your act of kindness will give a child a bright future.

Visit our website’s newly updated Child Sponsorship section for more information – http://linkethiopia.org/get-involved/sponsor-a-child/

Send us an email ([email protected]) and we will get things set up for you straightaway. Thank you!

News from Ethiopia

• The growing of coffee in Ethiopia has been a major element in the country’s economy for many years now, but a greater diversity of production is always being sought by its businessmen. More recently, a few years ago, the cut flower industry was introduced in the fertile soils south of Addis Ababa and this has since become of great importance for Ethiopian trade. Now it has been announced that a Malaysia-based company will set up a mushroom farming establishment in Ethiopia, growing various types of mushrooms and producing packed food and other products both for the domestic and export markets. If all goes according to plan, the company will set up the mushroom production facility around the beautiful Lake Shala, a few hours drive south of the capital.
• Meanwhile, further south lies the Omo River, which has long been the focus for hydropower generating potential. The river has been in the news recently because of a third hydropower plant that is currently being developed while, nearby, the second hydropower plant called Gilgel Gibe II is just days away from its completion. It had been delayed for over a year because of several unforeseen natural hazards. Six months ago the project was halted for a considerable time after the drilling machine got stuck in muddy terrain. This came just after striking a hot spring, a development that forced the diversion of a tunnel. But these problems have been sorted out and this new facility is due to produce a huge increase in the country’s energy production, enabling a much more constant supply of power to be delivered throughout Ethiopia.

Meet the Team: Firew Tilahun

We would like to introduce you to our most recent member of staff here at Link Ethiopia. His name is Firew Tilahun and until six months ago he was teaching in an Ethiopian school in Debre Zeit (Bishoftu), south of Addis Ababa. Now he has taken on our new and exciting project of expanding our work into areas in southern Ethiopia and he heads up the newly created Link Ethiopia office in Debre Zeit. He is our Southern Coordinator and we hugely appreciate his energy and general brilliance!

The Ethiopian Wolf

One of the most charismatic of the endemic animals of Ethiopia is the Ethiopian Wolf, also known as the Simien Fox. It is largely found in the very high areas of the country, such as the Simien Mountains in the north and the Bale National Park in the south. It is hugely endangered, with an estimate of about 500 animals in total, most of which live in Bale.

It lives in packs that share and defend an exclusive territory, but it hunts for its food in a very solitary manner. It is a carnivore and its main source of food is the likewise endemic Big-headed Mole Rat. It has also been observed eating sedge leaves, probably to aid its digestion.

The animal is a national symbol in Ethiopia, with two complete series of postage stamps portraying it in various situations. Claudio Sillero-Zubiri of Oxford University is a world expert on the Ethiopian Wolf and has done much to ensure its survival.

Coming up on UK Television

Ethiopian proverb

“ One rind is enough to tie a thousand pieces of wood ”

English proverb

“ Elbow-grease gives the best polish ”

Website link

Lonely Planet on Ethiopia – nearly as good as Link Ethiopia!
www.lonelyplanet.com/ethiopia

And of course, www.linkethiopia.org

Help us?

As always, if anyone reading this would like to offer us expertise, knowledge and help with our work or if you would like to associate yourself with one of our school projects (classrooms, water, toilets, books, etc) then please get in touch. You can donate via the following link, or by contacting us – details at the bottom of this email.

www.linkethiopia.org/donate