We hadn't originally planned to build another school. However, when we received a very generous donation for a school, we couldn't refuse. And so, a school for around 250 children was built in May Berazyo, who until then had been taught almost exclusively outdoors.
Elementary School in May Berazyo
Thanks to a very generous donation of €80,000 from a private donor in December 2019, we decided to travel to Ethiopia.
Starting in February 2020, with the outbreak of the war in November 2020, all contact with May Berazyo, its director, and/or the Woreda was lost.
This was primarily due to the fact that the area between Aksum and Shire, where May Berazyo is located, was continuously one of the main battle zones.
Therefore, we were very pleased during our first visit after the conflict in June 2023 to find that the people were well and that “our” building shell was still standing.
By June 2023, we had re-established contact with all parties involved and commissioned our construction manager to move the project forward.
At the same time, we faced a major challenge: the estimated costs could not be met.We were informed of additional costs exceeding €30,000. Sometimes, a “dedicated person” really does receive help – and so did we!
To our great delight, we were able to secure the support of the “ProCent” Foundation, whose donation of precisely this amount enabled us to continue construction.
Although fixed deadlines were met, the desired handover could not take place on schedule.On January 18, 2024, a formal handover of the school to Woreda took place – although it was not yet completely finished.
We chose this date because we wanted to hand over the school while we were present.
Therefore, the handover was intended to be a small and intimate affair – something we hadn’t planned. The school and the parents came up with many creative ways to express their gratitude.
There was a wonderful program, and even a television station was there to report on our project, which has now cost over 5,000,000 Ethiopian Birr, making it our most expensive project to date.
Our construction manager assured us that all work would be completed by the end of February at the latest, and we could then consider May Berazyo a successfully completed project.
And to look for other projects where and whom we could help.
Our initial idea was to build another school in Endayesus – but we learned that they had since secured another donor who was involved in Endayesus.So we decided to help a different school. After visiting several schools, we were made aware of the village of May Berazyo and told that 265 children there still lacked a school building.Together with the head of the responsible school authority, we traveled to this village, located about 15 km from Aksum, and visited the primary school of the same name.
We saw two “classrooms” made of tree trunks and branches;far too small for so many students.We learned that the preschool and first grades share one “classroom,” and the second and third grades share another.Lessons are held in alternating shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.The fourth grade is housed in a single room in a very basic building.Despite its simple layout, the school is very proud of this building, as it was built through the dedication of the parents!
What else can be said about this school?
There is a toilet and a well;however, this well provides only a small amount of water, and what water it does provide is dirty.
With these impressions, we decided to make a second visit together with the school board to speak with the parents.We introduced ourselves and our organization.It was a very productive conversation, and the parents immediately expressed their willingness to do a great deal to become part of this project.
And so we decided that May Berazyo would become our new project.A week later, we visited the school again for a meeting with the principal and the parents to finalize the details, and then a preliminary agreement was signed.Afterward, we went directly to the school board and the district administration to have the preliminary agreement signed by those offices as well.
We are very pleased that not only did the parents pledge their full support, but the school board and the district are also contributing very generously, through financial support and expertise.
A constructor (who is responsible for the construction and everything related to it) was quickly found – initial work began while we were still in Aksum. We believe it is a very worthwhile project for people who receive little support due to their location.And the children at this school will benefit from significantly improved learning opportunities thanks to the construction of this new building.
Incidentally, this school building, with its five classrooms and a small office, will also have a double roof, which will ensure a better indoor climate.And, like the one in Endayesus, there will also be an outdoor area.
Project Update 2022:
Our last trip to Aksum took place in February 2020. This new project also started during that trip. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic made another planned trip impossible. By mid-2020, the building shell was largely complete. On November 3, 2020, a war began between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray region. Since May Berazyo has been located in a highly contested area from the very beginning, we unfortunately have no information about the well-being of the children, parents, and teachers at this school.We also haven’t been able to find out anything about the condition of the school building from the outset.So we can only hope that everyone involved is safe and well! By mid-2020, the building shell was largely completed.Since the war in Tigray is leading to food shortages, hunger and malnutrition, we at Hawelti e.V. have decided that immediate aid takes precedence over all our projects.
Projekt-Update 01/2024:
Begonnen im Februar 2020, gab es mit Ausbruch des Krieges ab 11/2020 keinerlei Kontakt mehr nach May Berazyo, zum Direktor und/oder der Woreda.
Das lag vor allem daran, dass das Gebiet zwischen Aksum und Shire, in dem sich May Berazyo befindet, durchgehend eines der Hauptkampfgebiete war.
Und so freuten wir uns schon bei unserem ersten Besuch nach dem Konflikt im Juni 2023 sehr, dass es den Menschen gut geht und dass „unser“ Rohbau noch stand.
Schon im Juni 2023 gab es dann Kontakt zu allen Beteiligten und wir beauftragten unseren Bauleiter, das Projekt weiter voran zu bringen.
Gleichzeitig standen wir vor einer großen Herausforderung: die kalkulierten Kosten konnten nicht gehalten werden. Uns wurden Mehrkosten in Höhe von über 30.000,00 Euro benannt.
Manchmal erhält ein „Tüchtiger“ wirklich Hilfe – so auch wir!
Zu unserer großen Freude konnten wir die Stiftung „ProCent“ gewinnen, die uns mit Ihrer Spende über genau diese Summe den Weiterbau ermöglichten.
Obwohl feste Termine eingehalten wurden, konnte die gewünschte Übergabe nicht termingerecht stattfinden. Am 18.01.2024 erfolgte eine feierliche Übergabe der Schule an die Woreda – wenn auch noch nicht komplett fertig.
Diesen Termin wählten wir, weil wir die Schule während unserer Anwesenheit übergeben wollten.
Darum sollte die Übergabe „klein und gemütlich“ erfolgen – von uns nicht vorgesehen, haben sich die Schule und die Eltern sehr viel einfallen lassen, um ihre Dankbarkeit auszudrücken. Es gab ein wundervolles „Programm“ und sogar ein Fernsehsender war dabei, um von unserem Projekt zu berichten, welches nun immerhin über 5.000.000,00 äth. Birr gekostet hat und damit zu unserem bisher teuersten Projekt wurde.
Unser Bauleiter sicherte uns zu, dass alle Arbeiten bis spätestens Ende Februar abgeschlossen sind und wir dann May Berazyo auch als erfolgreich beendetes Projekt schließen können.
Project Update 02/2025:
Generally, the building was completed, as promised by our site manager in 2024.
However, there were a few defects that needed to be rectified. All the additional work, which we commissioned ourselves with the support of our trusted partner Asefaw, was also completed.This included a second roof for the entire building and a 10,000-liter water tank, which was placed on a pedestal and connected to the gutters. At May Berazyo, the floors were in the same condition upon handover as we had experienced in other projects and as is common in Ethiopia. As a result, the floors are so uneven that tables and benches wobble considerably.Therefore, we decided to have a screed poured. Since the rooms cannot be used during this time, the work will be carried out during the summer holidays. During our visit, we brought along some educational games that make learning arithmetic fun. We were also able to hand over a few books from Art of Buna. Once the work is completed this summer, we can successfully conclude this project as well.
