Students are building a school for students

Current project of Hawelti e.V.

Together with a project group from the Obermenzing Gymnasium in Munich, a school for 120 children was built in Endayesus near Aksum. What makes this project special is that the project group handled the planning and contributed the majority of the donations, while we primarily served as the local implementation partners.

A special cooperation between Hawelti e.V. and the Obermenzing Gymnasium in Munich

The March newsletter of the One World Network Bavaria e.V. announced that a Munich school was planning a project to build a school in West Africa for children who are currently being taught outdoors under trees. They were looking for an interested organization to partner with. Although we at Hawelti e.V. are active in Ethiopia, East Africa, we responded with an email because we thought the idea was fantastic. Shortly afterward, the students from the Obermenzing Gymnasium in Munich contacted us, and we had initial discussions. Just before our departure for Ethiopia, we paid a personal visit to the project group to introduce ourselves and our work.

We were already in Ethiopia when we received an email – the 10 young people had decided to collaborate with us (there were a total of 10 project proposals). The very next day we had meetings with the school board in Aksum, and a day later we visited Endayesus.

Endayesus is a small village 8 km north of Aksum. Around 120 children attend a primary school here (there is a preschool class and grades 1-4). A small room has been rented for the youngest children; however, grades 2-4 are taught outdoors under trees.

After we and the project group decided on the school in Endayesus as our project site, we held a parents’ meeting. It is very important to us not to carry out projects for the people of Ethiopia, but together with them.

With the available key data, the project team in Munich began initial preparations and planning while we were still on site. This allowed initial questions to be clarified directly. Two engineers were also recruited to carry out the work.

What is planned for the elementary school in Endayesus:

A school building

The plan is for a school building with four classrooms, each with a floor area of 4.5 x 6 meters. The ceiling height is 3 meters. The classrooms are arranged linearly next to each other.

Between the classrooms, on one side, is a seating area with cast concrete benches. This will serve as a place to rest and for small group lessons to take place outdoors. In another open space, a circular, terraced depression in the ground—similar to a very small amphitheater—will be created. This area can also be used for relaxation and small group lessons. In the center, a staff room is planned, primarily for storing teaching materials.

All parts of the building rest on a common concrete slab. Only the approximately 4.5 m diameter circle for the amphitheater is left out. All rooms have reinforced concrete ceilings. The two open areas are open to the sky.

The entire building complex will receive a second, elevated roof. The metal roof, inclined at approximately 5 degrees to the south, rests on a timber frame structure that also spans the open areas. When exposed to sunlight, the metal and the air beneath it heat up. The warm air rises along the slope and escapes on the north side, drawing in cooler ambient air. This significantly reduces the amount of heat absorbed by the concrete ceiling compared to direct sunlight. The roof overhangs the building by about one meter on all sides.

Composting Toilets

At the beginning of the project, the students in the project group thoroughly researched suitable toilets. They opted for so-called dry or composting toilets. With this type of toilet, urine and feces are separated. The feces are mixed with wood shavings and temporarily stored in containers. The contents of the four toilets are regularly emptied onto the composting area (see Figure 3) and covered with soil. The idea is to also add waste from fruits, vegetables, tea, etc. This process produces high-quality compost, which will be used to grow new plants. The urine is collected in containers to be used as fertilizer.

Compost Site

Approximately 70% of the waste in the Aksum region is organic. This can be easily converted into compost. Therefore, a compost site is planned. The resulting compost will be used to create a vegetable garden, which, ideally, will lead to school meals in the medium term.

Rainwater Cistern

Another essential feature of the school grounds is the rainwater cistern located south of the school building.

With a roof area of 260 m², this results in an annual usable rainfall volume of approximately 170 m³. 70 to 80% of this is usable.

Including food and drinking water, each of the 120 students requires about two liters per day. This results in a water consumption of approximately 50 m³ per year. An additional 10 to 20 m³ per year is used for other purposes, such as watering plants.

The plan is for an underground cistern with two chambers, each measuring 4 x 4 x 2.5 m (l x w x h). The water will be disinfected in a small basin using UV lamps.

The water will flow from the roof to the cistern by gravity. It will be drawn using a self-priming, pressure-controlled pump.

Power Supply

The school requires electricity to operate all its components. This includes power for the water supply pumps, charging IT equipment, and lighting. A consumption of 6 kWh per day is assumed, which is quite high. With 200 school days per year, this equates to an annual consumption of 1,300 kWh.

A combination of wind power and a photovoltaic system is planned. Since the electricity generated by wind or solar power is highly variable, it must be stored. The simplest solution is to feed surplus electricity into the public grid and draw it back as needed. This requires two meters – one for feed-in and one for consumption. Any surplus energy fed into the public grid should be compensated.

Project Update June 2018:

In addition to the parents’ meeting and the consultations with the principal and the school board, we had another meeting with the parents during our visit in May: They told us they would support us as much as they could.

So, together with the parents, we decided to provide them with materials to make bricks. This saves us a significant amount of money because we don’t have to buy the bricks ready-made. Shortly before our departure, we bought a truckload of sand, 1.5 truckloads of gravel, and 60 bags of cement.

At the end of June, we received photos showing that the parents had made 6,500 bricks from this material—enough to cover the entire school building’s walls.

Project Update November 2018:

Thanks to initial donations from the Obermenzing Gymnasium and a contribution from Hawelti e.V., we were able to begin the next phase of construction and commission the foundation slab. Here, too, the parents provided invaluable assistance, completely excavating the foundation. When we visited the construction site in mid-November with “our” tour group (approximately 20 participants), the foundation work was in full swing and was completed before the end of November. As soon as we have collected further donations, the next phase of construction will begin.

In addition to the overwhelming support, the project group and our association received several generous donations from private individuals, as well as a donation of €5,000 from Greenovative (Nuremberg).

On behalf of the families and the school, we say THANK YOU!!

Project Update April 2019:

Last December, an article about our project appeared in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung.” You can find it here in the press section.

We hadn’t anticipated such a response.

In addition to the overwhelming support, our project partner, the Obermenzing Gymnasium, received several smaller donations and two very generous ones.

Convalor Projektplaner GmbH from Cologne donated a total of €10,000.
Mr. Christopher Gebray from Munich donated an additional €20,000 as a private individual.
Creaton GmbH from Wertingen donated €5,000.
Wilo from Dortmund donated two submersible pumps for the rainwater cisterns.

This ensures the construction of the main building – on behalf of the families and the school, we say THANK YOU!!

Furthermore, on January 2, 2019, we visited the Bavarian State Chancellery. There is also the possibility of receiving funding there, which, if approved, would allow us to implement the composting toilet, a rainwater cistern, and the energy supply system.

In February/March, we revisited the project. Thanks to the overwhelming support and donations, we were pleased to see the columns erected and the walls almost completely finished using the existing stones.

Currently, the double roof on the school building is under construction.

If you would like to learn more about the project from the perspective of the Obermenzing Gymnasium, a dedicated project page has been created.

Project Update August 2019:

In June/July 2019, we from Hawelti were back in Ethiopia, including in Endayesus. Building I, the school building with four classrooms, an office, and two outdoor areas, is now almost completely finished. Only a few minor details remain, such as louvers and wire mesh on the roof to protect against wind and birds. The exterior paint is also still needed.

During our stay, we had several meetings with the school board and the principal. Another parents’ meeting was also held. And, of course, we met with engineers to prepare for the next phase of construction. This phase is scheduled to begin in September 2019 and will include a rainwater cistern and a composting toilet.

Currently, a funding application has been submitted to the Bavarian State Chancellery via the Obermenzing Gymnasium (high school).

Another important change occurred at our partner school, the Obermenzing Gymnasium: The students in the previous project group graduated this summer and are therefore no longer part of the project group.

We thank you for your commitment and for choosing us as your partner in helping the children in Endayesus achieve a better education.

We are also delighted that six students will be taking over this project group and continuing the project at the school.

As a first step, we will be visiting Endayesus together in October! This will not just be a visit, but rather a collaborative project at the school, working directly with the families there.

We look forward to our continued collaboration and will keep you updated.

Project Update December 2019:

In October/November, we visited Endayesus again. This time, we were accompanied by four of the five new project group members, a teacher, two parents, and two additional supporters.

This group wasn’t there for sightseeing; they were eager to actively participate. And everyone did! The atmosphere was fantastic, and together we accomplished a great deal!

During the visit, workshops were held with the school children, and a shared color scheme was developed and immediately implemented.

After several discussions, it was decided to extend the building’s roof once more. This resulted in the creation of a first “sample school desk” and a blackboard for each classroom.

Shortly before our departure, school furniture was ordered for each classroom; this furniture has since arrived at the school.

Currently, we are planning the construction of a toilet and a rainwater cistern.

In this context, we are especially pleased that Convalor Projektplaner GmbH from Cologne donated an additional €5,000.00.

We are planning another trip for February to clarify the next steps on site.

Project Update April 2020:

A video about the Endayesus project is now available. You can find it, along with many other great videos, on our YouTube channel.

Click here to go directly to the video: Project Endayesus

Project Update 2022:

Our last trip to Aksum took place in February 2020. The building was largely completed, and initial plans for toilets and a rainwater cistern were underway.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic made another planned trip impossible, and on November 3, 2020, war broke out between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray region.

In mid-2021, we learned that the building was undamaged and that the furniture had been rescued. While we don’t have an update, we sincerely hope the school remains intact. However, it is currently impossible to predict when and how this project can continue, especially since the State Chancellery has reclaimed promised funding.

Because the war in Tigray is leading to food shortages, hunger, and malnutrition, we at Hawelti e.V. have decided that providing immediate aid will take precedence over all our other projects.

Project Update 06/2023:

We were finally able to travel to Aksum again in June and get an overview of this project.

What we had learned beforehand didn’t bode well.
We had to assume that the school in Endayesus had suffered extensive damage. We were all the more relieved when we saw the school with our own eyes.

After such a long time, classes are now being held again.
And yes, there is damage – however, it is far less than feared.

Several benches and tables are broken or have been stolen. The same applies to the blackboards. Many windows are broken.
In coordination with the Obermenzing Gymnasium (high school), we immediately obtained quotes for the repairs.

The goal is to restore the school to its pre-war condition.

Project Update 01/2024:

Our recent trip to Aksum naturally took us back to Endayesus. Firstly, we wanted to see the progress of the repairs we commissioned after our last visit.

We are pleased to report the following:

Repair of broken tables/benches
Construction of new tables/benches to replace those stolen during the war
Construction of new blackboards to replace those damaged during the war
Replacement of broken window panes Repair of the roof

During this trip, we learned of further damage – almost all the cables were stolen, so the entire electrical system needs to be rewired.

A wooden guardrail on the back of the roof also needs to be replaced to protect against rain and animals.
In addition, concrete benches in an open area were destroyed during the war; new ones are now being built there.

Thanks to the generous support of the Obermenzing Gymnasium (high school), a further donation will be available after all the repairs are completed.

This was used to order a 10,000-liter water tank to collect rainwater. The children will be able to wash their hands with this water, and a garden is planned that can be irrigated with it.

We discussed the use of the remaining donation with the community in Endayesus.
They recognize the urgent need to provide an energy supply in Endayesus, which currently lacks one.
At present, the children are learning by sitting in their houses with kerosene lamps. This is dangerous and smells unpleasant – so we decided (also in close consultation with the Obermenzing Gymnasium) to use the remaining donation for this purpose.

This project is now entering its final phase for Hawelti e.V.

Project Update 02/2025:

The school is almost finished, and all post-war repairs have been completed. Compared to the end of our last trip, there were no further activities. We still had a few educational games for learning arithmetic; we received these as a donation from an American company a few years ago. We handed them over to the school.

To discuss the remaining donations, we held a meeting with the school and the community.

It was decided to purchase a much-needed copier/printer for the school, along with supplies (paper, toner, and more), as well as a table for the copier/printer.

This was delivered shortly after our departure and handed over to the school.

The remaining funds will also be used promptly, in consultation with the community, for the expansion of the power grid, so that we can successfully complete this project soon.