Building a School in Debre Birhan, Ethiopia

The Community Project, Ethiopia

 K-8 Grade School in

Debre Birhan, Ethiopia

  • The EWB-USA Portland Maine Professional Chapter (EWB-PMP) was honored to support the Community Project - Ethiopia. The goal of the project was to design and construct a community center and school in the Kabele 9 region of Debre Birhan (northeast of Addis Ababa), as part of the world’s largest Habitat for Humanity community project, all under the leadership of co-founders Coleen Kaleda and Angelique Kidd-Smith.

  • EWB-PMP joined forces with three other chapters (Denver Professional, Portland Oregon Professional, and Portland State University Student chapter) as well Architects Without Borders, Kids Around the World, CultivAide, and Twande Solar. Our contribution was engineering support for school building design and construction, composting latrines, and water line installation for the handwashing stations.

  • The project will ultimately provide school buildings for over 1,000 students featuring 100+ PMP-EWB donated laptops, a community center for the adults, test gardens for vegetables, bamboo, and fruits, and a regulation size track and football (soccer) field.

The government has named the school Wagegan, the name for the first rays that appear at the break of dawn; hope and light.

  • School Construction

    From 2013 through 2017, approximately 15 members of our chapter conducted six trips to support the project. Construction of the building started in 2015. Here it is in 2018 before windows and doors were installed.

  • Handwashing Stations

    The goal of the project included bolstering public health through education and sanitation. Handwashing stations were required before schools could open. This was completed in 2018.

  • School Nearly Complete

    The first school was completed in 2019. Our chapter contributed the building design, construction oversight support, structural engineering design, geotechnical evaluation, construction block fabrication support & construction of the handwashing station.

Currently the first school building is completed, hosting more than 50 kindergarteners and 1st graders, and we are breaking ground on the second building.

  • Debre Birhan’s school with boys in their new uniforms.

  • School girl at the chalkboard of her new classroom.

  • Celebration in a Wagegan classroom.

EWP-PMP members with interpreters from one of many trips to Debre Birhan.

 

The remaining 3 classroom buildings are being built by the Debre Birhan community, based on EWB-PMP provided plans using local building materials and continuing consultation. A playground was donated from Kids Around the World, and CultivAide is supporting school vegetable gardens and apple trees. The EWB-Denver chapter started a bamboo test plot. The ultimate goal will be to provide a comprehensive community center for the Kabele 9 region of Debre Birhan, providing both education and opportunity for all and a central point for their community.

The school has been supported by the Ethiopian government and held up as a model effort under the United Nations to promote the children as well as to raise up the community through the children’s school and culture.

The remaining 3 classroom buildings are being built by the Debre Birhan community based on EWB-PMP provided plans using local building materials and continuing consultation. Angelique Kidd-Smith has led the efforts to benefit this community with the continuing support of our chapter, as well as the EWB-Denver chapter, and other chapters and organizations throughout the pandemic. Angelique continues to push forward to realize their vision of a community center/school that is a meeting place to help people of all ages connect and thrive.

ETHIOPIA PROJECT LEADS: NADIA GLUCKSBERG, JIM LANDAU
ethiopialead@ewbportlandmaine.org

To learn more about The Community Project - Ethiopia, go to https://communityproject.org/ or get involved with our chapter!