September 9, 2014
Greetings to you again from Ethiopia! The month of August found us busy meeting with the children, their mothers and the widows. Our main discussion point at this time was the upcoming school year. We continue to educate them on the importance of their children obtaining a quality education. You see, adult literacy in Ethiopia is only at 39%. If you couple that with a net primary school attendance/enrollment of only 30%, you can see a cycle that continues. Though primary schooling in Ethiopia is free, for the average Ethiopian living below one dollar a day, it is difficult to pay the required school expenses like uniforms, exercise books and school maintenance costs. Additionally, families may be reluctant to send their children to school, since they depend on their children’s labor for survival. Many families do not understand the value of sending their children to school. It is our aim to change that perspective in the understanding of those who we work with.
In addition to the regular meetings with our beneficiaries, we have purchased school materials for the children, uniforms, shoes, school bags and other necessary items related to their education.
August also found our board members meeting and working closely on complying with the Ethiopian law concerning non-profit organizations. A financial audit has been scheduled and a number of visits to the government office have been made. We are also planning on performing an organizational audit in September coupled with an intense training for our staff.
We continue to praise God for your prayers and support. Thank you for your kindness to the underprivileged community of Ethiopia.
God bless you all,
The Ethiopian NGO Staff