The Oasis Foundation
Grace Village
Ethiopia

Development Activities

Goal and Objectives

Goal:  To support rural development through schools, farming communities and training

Objectives:

• To construct or upgrade rural schools and libraries.
• To facilitate rural teachers' experience sharing and special skills training.
• To make available special classes, including basic literacy for the illiterate.
• To support through supply provision and through after-school clubs.
• To facilitate through ‘food-for-work programs’ for well digging or boreholes in areas depleted of water supplies.
• To activate good vegetable growing facilities through the use of available water supply.
• To demonstrate how to improve farming methods through use of simple technology.
• To provide leadership training workshops for community heads within the target groups.
• To facilitate and assist with business skills training with responsible agencies.
• To strengthen given communities with job-specific training to improve the services provided.

 Strategies and Implementation

There are fifty-five schools in the Woreda with only two having complete structures. Twenty eight are currently holding classes under trees in makeshift buildings, and the remaining twenty five are half built of these only seven have toilet facilities.

The plan for 2008 is to build one school in Kelakle. On average build one school building every two years according to available funds. Eventually, we would like to provide toilets as well over the next five years. If possible, more schools may be built.

A school without supplies means gaps in teaching. Together with the Bureau of Education every effort will be made to provide the requisites for the given school. In certain schools more advance technological supplies will be provided such as calculators etc.

Many teachers battle alone, and The Oasis Foundation would like to facilitate for some of the teachers standing alone to meet with other teachers to exchange ideas and work methodology.

During the rainy season The Oasis Foundation often has college-age students who come and are able to teach English as a second language to those interested. Also other appropriate classes may be offered by these students. The plans for a literacy teacher are in place to reach those unable to read of write.

After-school clubs are common in most schools, and the rural schools should be no exception to this. In order to assist the children in this, The Oasis Foundation will help the children organize themselves in to various clubs.

The plan for The Oasis Foundation is to identify areas without water year around, or areas where there is a diminished amount and not adequate for the basic needs of the community. Once these sites are chosen, a selection should be made to set priorities for the most needed. After obtaining the funds and food, we should plan with the village elders for the best way forward.

While present in the community, we will be learning best practices in vegetable growing from basic well water supplies. In some cases some simple agricultural technological advances would great increase the output.

Vulnerable and marginalized communities often have the normal governance and leadership abilities disrupted. It is of value to note those who have special leadership proficiency be further encouraged in order to create an environment in which the previous governance may be re-instated.

There are those who have natural business abilities but need a little strengthening to develop these talents further. For this reason training in business related subjects may encourage some budding business acumen within the vulnerable/marginalized communities to strengthen the groups as a whole.