HOW WE STARTED
Together we can begin to change the world, one student at a time!
My name is Emma Nitkin, and as the occasion of my Bat Mitzvah approached in the summer of 2016, I began to think about my responsibilities as a young adult and how I could contribute to my community. I decided to launch Inspire Ethiopia, an organization to bring education to a rural Ethiopian village where schools are scarce and resources almost nonexistent. I wanted this to be my legacy project. I hope to leave behind a better world and the inspiration for others to engage in public service.
I am passionate about helping others, and I became involved in charitable causes at a young age. When I was only two, I started accompanying my family each month to Sophia House Women’s Shelter, in Rockville, MD, to provide meals for homeless women. Later, I worked with the Potomac-Bethesda Rotary Club at the Manna Food Center, in Rockville, MD, to provide non-perishable food items for low-income families in Montgomery County, as well as with the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes in their annual project of rehabilitating group homes. In addition, my father has shared his experiences doing humanitarian work in other countries with me. I have seen pictures of the places he works and the people that he serves in Liberia, Sudan, Uganda, Haiti, Myanmar, Cambodia, and many others, and through this have learned about human suffering and need. However, my perspective completely changed two summers ago when I was fortunate enough to travel with my family to my mother’s homeland, Ethiopia.
Until that time, even though I knew I was fortunate to live in an affluent area and attend the private Jewish Day School, I never experienced in any real way how privileged I actually am. Until I saw the situation there with my own eyes, I never fully understood the impact that your place of birth has on the outcome of your life.
We traveled several hours to Wadeye (pronounced: Waa deh yee), a beautiful rural village nestled in the majestic green mountains of southwest Ethiopia. Despite its outward beauty, my heart broke when I saw the living conditions within the village itself. There is no electricity, no running water, and no proper sanitation.
Despite our differences, I quickly became friends with the village children – we bonded instantly and became connected. The children are so loving and kind, even though they have no shoes and very little clothing to cover their bodies.
What impacted me the most was I learned that they do not have a proper kindergarten or primary school, despite the fact that there are approximately 1000 children in the village. The little schooling they do receive at the primary school level does not begin until at least the age of eight. So, from birth to seven years old, they do not have any exposure to reading, writing, or literature of any kind. In addition to this, the school is in a poor setting that does not have enough room, has only wooden slats for walls, no real seating areas, a mud floor, and no bathroom facilities or water available. There are no trained teachers, no library or science center, and there is a severe lack of necessary educational materials. Because it is not possible for most children to attend school, and because the schooling that is available is not of high quality, many families become discouraged, and send their children to Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, to live. However, this means they are separated from their families. In addition, they often end up being exploited as a cheap source of labor, never making it to the school they were promised.
MY MISSION
Thinking about all of this, it seemed to me that building this school is clearly the purpose for which I am meant to work at this time in my life, and something I will develop further, both here and in other villages, as I grow older. I recognize that the key to helping the children and families in this village is to build a functional primary school, which begins at the age of five, to introduce these children to reading and writing so they have the opportunity to become lifelong learners and become prepared to succeed in their future studies and in their lives. According to the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute for Literacy, children who are exposed to reading, writing, and literature at an early age do better throughout their schooling and therefore succeed more frequently in their lives. Children in this village, though, do not have the opportunity to use their God-given potential to learn, their graduation rates from primary and secondary school are very low, and they are not succeeding fully in their lives.
A primary and secondary school that provides trained teachers, suitable infrastructure including classrooms, desks and chairs, teaching materials, a science center, a library, access to water and sanitation, and a playground will help the children become more successful, and it will also change the culture in the area to ensure that education is valued and this important window of opportunity will be fully realized.
I have become deeply and personally committed to this project, and my vision for the school would be a building that accommodates 400-500 children, along with the furniture, supplies, and necessary materials needed to provide a sustainable learning environment. The Ethiopian government provides teachers with approved schools. We would partner with the government to ensure that the teachers are qualified, they receive continuing education and the resources they need to teach at a high standard. A village committee has been selected by the community to partner with us in ensuring that the project is sustainable, and it would oversee construction at the community level and verify that the teachers provided by the government are certified and have continuing education to provide an excellent education to the children. Furthermore, the village committee will partner with the Parent-Teacher Association in the village so that parents become engaged and empowered regarding their children’s education and their children’s future. In this way, the project will be directed by the community members themselves, and this will allow the children to acquire a solid educational foundation, and a love of learning.
WORKING TOGETHER
I invited my fellow “kids,” along with their parents, the Jewish community, the Ethiopian community, philanthropic organizations, and members of the Maryland, DC, and Virginia region to help launch this initiative with me. We have already acquired the land for the building and received permission from the government to build the school. The primary school construction is already completed and now we have started building the secondary school. I am confident that we can make this dream a reality. Please join me with your donation of time, money, supplies, and expertise. We are off to a wonderful beginning.
Together we can begin to change the world, one student at a time!
My name is Eliana Nitkin. In 2018, I joined my sister’s project by undertaking the construction of a library in Wadeye school as my Bat Mitzvah project. The goal is to build a fully functional, sustainable library in the rural village of Wadeye, Agena, Ethiopia. My sister’s Bat Mitzvah project consisted of building a sustainable school system in Wadeye, which presently serves over 1,000 students. To enrich the learning experience for the children and to serve the community, I have taken the next step of building a well-furnished and well-equipped modern library that includes necessary technology, books, and other resources. The library will also utilize solar power and will provide students with the opportunity to acquire a state-of-the-art education. I am passionate about building this library to develop the culture of reading and learning in this community through access to technology and reading materials.
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