In 2022, the Trustees of Hazel’s Footprints extended our support to 9 pre-school classes in Ethiopia by funding teachers’ salaries for a further 2 years. We have been supporting this project via Open Way since 2018.
Open Way worked in collaboration with rural communities in the Sidamo region of Ethiopia to fund and run eight pre-schools in different villages. The pre-schools have been essential in helping children get a start in education. Over 1000 children from very poor families are currently receiving free pre-school education. The families of very malnourished children are also given some material support.
We were pleased to hear the news of the schools in an email from founder Nick Osborne last week. Please see below.
From Nick Osborne, Founder of Open Way (working with pre-schools in Ethiopia)
Thanks so much for your support. Please find our recent annual update attached with general information about all our work. But, also, within this email some more additional photos of the schools and education project. Your help continues to support nine of our classes which is about a third of the total number of classes in our eight schools. The schools are going strong despite major difficulties in the country. Luckily, the region where we are working, Sidamo, is relatively calm compared to other parts of the country.
As mentioned in the report, numbers are really strong again and demand high. This year we have 1,348 students enrolled and 29 classes. The schools are making a big difference in the community and are often held up as an example by the district authorities. We have been unable to visit since the pandemic because of security issues in the country, but thankfully Mulu and the team are doing an amazing job keeping everything going.
Please see some photos below that Mulu sent us. The first ones show the school repairs / fresh coats of paint last summer.
Then there are a couple from the end of the last school year celebrations.
The last one shows some children who were provided with new clothes.
On behalf of so many, thanks so much Hazel’s Footprints! We consider the schools the core of our work which makes the biggest difference for the future and maintaining this project is our number one development priority in times where the general situation is deteriorating.
We hope you enjoy seeing the photos and reading about the project work of Open Way.
With all very best wishes
Nick Osborne
