CLASSROOMS PROJECT - 2019/20

We visited Anjiba, a school located in a town named Amba Giorgis in the northern highlands of Gonder, in July of 2019 right after the completion of our Mosebo project per our regular procedure. It was one of three schools we visited in the area to see and compare the needs of the kids and the community itself. Using our process of elimination, based on our criteria of need, accessibility, and the willingness of the community to accept our help, Anjiba became our choice to build our next four classrooms.

We went back for another visit at the end of October of 2019 to inform Principal Solomon and a small group of the community of our decision. We also wanted to outline exactly what they should expect out of us and what we expect of them during our 8-10 months long project. After a lenthgy meeting, Principal Solomon vowed that the community, including teachers and adult students, would provide the water necessary for our construction, a value of 50,000 birr ($1563). If the schools water well would dry up, which always does during construction, they would bring water from a nearby river. He also promised the local board of education would provide roofing for one of the four classrooms, a value of 18,000 birr ($563).

Anjiba, established in the year 2000 (E.C) has a total of 961 students. Until now, it only had five classrooms that are considered adequate and habitable, and one of them is being used for office space and a library.

Despite local ethnic conflicts and roads constantly being closed for one reason or another, we started construction in January of 2020. Solomon and his staff kept their word and provided the water they promised to make sure our construction never experienced a delay. And then COVID hit the world in late March and April. Because we did not know what devastation it would cause for our employees and the community of Anjiba, we asked everyone to take a two week break. At the end of the break, we recommended to Solomon that we complete the project without their assistance. We wanted less people on site to lessen exposure. He agreed and we paid the labor cost for the remainder of water we needed from the nearby river since the well had dried up by that point.

After many other small and big hurdles, such as cement being a scarce commodity and not being able to find any in the entire region, we completed the construction of four classrooms. It will serve four hundred students per day, two hundred per shift. We handed over the keys to Principal Solomon in September of 2020, just in time for the new school year.