Ethiopia

 The work in Ethiopia began in 2006 when at the request of Sara Cannizaro Child Minders Association (SCCMA), a local NGO in Addis Ababa, we organised and ran a three month programme of education workshops in the Ethiopian capital. This initial work established a deep commitment to the country. 

Read published essays on Ethiopia by Graham Peebles

Projects

F R I E N D S Ethiopia – July 2010 – June 2014: A social development programme implemented by local volunteers at the heart of the capital, bringing together responsible adults with vulnerable children/young people and women. The programme included Mentoring, English classes and vocational training.

Hope Enterprises   Addis Ababa. October – December 2007: Hope Enterprises is Ethiopia’s oldest native NGO. They serve a large community throughout Ethiopia. The Create Trust a teacher-training programme for all the staff, a community theatre project dealing with child abuse and a support clinic for the children at the school. 

ANFAE. Addis Ababa. October – November 2007: Association of non-formal adult education Ethiopia (ANFAE) runs schools in rural areas of Ethiopia and in Addis Ababa. We ran a Community Theatre project with over thirty children aged six to 14 years dealing once again with corporal punishment in school and at home and a Teacher Training project. Non-formal education uses a flexible curriculum, to accommodate children who are working within or outside the family home and ‘street children’. 

GOAL Ethiopia. Addis Ababa December- April 2007: Goal is an international Aid organization, with a strong presence in Ethiopia. Create ran a major creative education programme in one of GOAL’s shelters for boys. We saw tremendous development in many of the children. During our time some were happily re-united with their families. A supplementary project focusing on the child’s ability to listen, retain information and concentrate’ was organised.

CHAD-ET Addis Ababa. July – September 2007: In the city Chad-et work with ‘street children’ and commercial sex workers, they also run schools and conduct sex education projects. A three-month creative education project was organised for two groups of women, totalling around 35. All had been and some still were, working as commercial sex workers in the Merkato area of the city. The programme was of great benefit and we witnessed change in many of the women, a growing self confidence and belief was seen and many ‘wallflowers’ blossomed. A pilot teacher-training programme was initiated. For six weeks we worked with a team of twenty teachers.

HAPSCO Addis Ababa. April– July 2007: Create ran a three month creative education project for a group of thirty or so women. Specialist volunteers from Britain contributed to the programme. HAPSCO is an Ethiopian NGO, founded by an Ethiopian nurse who, when working with HIV/Aids victims, set up the organisation to offer education and general support to women and children victims of the disease. 

FSCE (Forum for Street Children Ethiopia) Addis Ababa. November 2006 – May 2007: We designed a six month programme for thirty or so under 18’s children & women in the FSCE dop in centre in Mercato. Focusing on performance art- drama, dance and singing. 

May-July 2006. FSCE-Forum for Street Children, Ethiopia works with sexually exploited and abused women. Through poverty, these women are forced to work as ‘commercial sex workers’ and are often the victims of HIV/Aids.

SCCMA (Sara Cannizaro Child Minders Association) Addis Ababa. April-July 2006: The Create Trust ran creative educational workshops for a group of up to 35 beneficiaries, children aged from 8 to 17 years. The children are all living in circumstances of acute poverty and hardship. This was a community welfare project serving the community local to SCCMA.

CIAI (Italian Centre For Children’s Aid) Addis Ababa. April-July 2006: CIAI works with ex-street children. We ran workshops for a group of up to 30 children & young adults, ranging from 7 to 21 years old. All are living without parents in sheltered accommodation provided by CIAI, having previously been ‘living on the streets’, some for many years. The project included visual art, drama and photography.