Completed Projects

Updated: October 7, 2008

ADSAA has completed the following two projects:

1. Construction of Toilets for the High School: The high school latrine pit is filling up, and normal toilet use has been difficult lately. As a component of its 2005 / 2006 objectives, ADSAA decided to build the toilet at a cost of about five to six thousand dollars. Thus so far the following fourteen alumni contributed 5,475 US dollars. (Eight of the ten board members and Shibabaw Wayu, Yeshi Emebet Mengestu, Daniel Gebru, Getachew Fanta, Ayalew Luleseged and Mehretu Tegegne each in the amount of 100 to 500 dollars). The initial estimate of construction was about 5,000 US dollars. Mr. Tekele Berahn Gebru, an alumnus and a board member of the association, has volunteered to travel to Azezo and execute the project without incurring any transportation, personal and labor expenses to the association. Mr. Gebru, a house builder by profession, went there in January 2006 and completed the construction within a month. Because of the rising costs of construction materials, the total expense is about 8,500 US dollars that was greater than what was initially anticipated (five to six thousand US dollars). ADSAA need to cover the remaining 3,000 US dollars in the first or second quarters of 2006. The school and the students helped in this effort, and at the end we have a seven room toilet each for girls and boys. Additional two toilets for teachers are also completed. The toilets are modern with flushing water and have a reservoir water tank (530 gallon, 2000 L capacity). Mr. Tekele Berhan Gebru’s selfless and altruistic act epitomizes all what ADSAA stands for. On behalf of the students, the alumni and the schools, the board expresses its gratitude to Mr. Tekle Berhan Gebru, all of the alumni members who contributed the funding, and the school for helping the project completed.
2. Book for Azezo Schools: “Books for Azezo Schools Project” has its history beginning on February 1, 2005. A board member of ADSAA read an article by Teresa Moore of the Ironton Tribune about a Middle school principal named Mrs. Kim Brown from Ironton, Ohio. Mrs. Brown visited Ethiopia with the advice of a nonprofit organization called “People to People”. She was touched deeply by what she saw, and wanted to help the schools in Ethiopia. Having read the article and with a hope of finding the first partner, ADSAA contacted Mrs. Kim Brown in early February 2005. Principal Kim was happy to receive ADSAA’s email and willing to partner to send books and schools supplies to Azezo Schools. She immediately started collecting the supplies with the help of the students at Ironton Middle School, families and friends. At a latter day, Principal Kim contacted Mrs. Lynda Jefferies of the International Book Project (IBP) from Kentucky who is also willing to help send books to Azezo Schools. The books were donated by IBP and the Ironton Middle School. Mrs. Kim Brown has collected about 5,000 US dollars for shipping. A total of 13,000 US dollars was needed to ship the books. The remaining funds for shipping came from IBP, and at the end a total of 37,000 books at a cost of about a million dollars were shipped to Ethiopia. These books will be shared among the Azezo schools and also among schools that are targeted by “People to People”, a non profit organization that is working on health related and educational causes in Ethiopia. At the time of writing this page (March 20 2006), the books are on the way, and will likely arrive within two to three weeks. The books are for the elementary and high school English classes, and constitute subject matters such as grammar, thesaurus, comprehension, composition, etc. This effort and achievement truly represents the partnership that ADSAA strives to build. On the behalf of the Azezo Demaza schools and students, all the alumni, the ADSAA board of directors would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to IBP and its wonderful staff Mrs. Linda Jeffery, Mrs. Kim Brown and the Ironton high school, staff at People to People, Mr. WondYeferaw Eshete of Addis Abeba for being the key contact person for the book shipments and all the people who participated in the success of this project.