Hello and welcome to the start of a new adventure blog with one mesmerising destination: Ethiopia!
Some time ago, in September 2019, the question was raised if SundayMoods would like to support in a voluntary project for February 2020. Short answer, ‘Absolutely!’
After a while, the real question back was: So…. what are we going to do?
This blog will explain you everything step by step. From the initial planning and preparation phase to the actual travel to Ethiopia.
Perhaps Ethiopia sounds just as far to you as it did for me in the beginning. So, let’s dive in and start exploring.
Please feel free to ask questions, give recommendations or think with us how to help along the way in the:
TIP! To support the project and becoming involved, please subscribe to the newsletter by leaving your e-mail address. You will stay updated to the latest news and I will be taking you virtually with me on this trip.
To combine my passions travelling and photography and also giving something back to the community is the goal of this trip. Off course it is mostly about having fun while making new friends along the way…. 
Wishing you a great time and happy reading!
Chamo Primary School
The Chamo Primary school is based in the city of Arba Minch. This city lies in the South/West of Ethiopia and has about 220.000 people living there and it is expanding fast.
So far, the school has been supported by 2 projects.
Project 1 – started around March 2019 and was to create awareness of cleaning up garbage and trash. The kids where learned about the impact of leaving waste and how to dispose of it in a correct manner instead of just dropping it to the ground.
Educational posters
Project 2 – started in May 2019 and was a tree planting project. Shade is very important to kids as the sun can be strong with damaging consequences. The project taught the importance of shade. Every kid was involved to plant their own tree and start creating its very own shadow. The kids also learned to take care, in this case to take care of the trees. As you can see a very successful project supported by teachers and parents.
The Chamo Primary school is teaching about 2.000 children on a daily basis and, like Arba Minch city, the student number is growing at a rate of about 5 percent per year. To accommodate this growth new classrooms are required urgently.
Project 3 – is of a larger scale to build new rooms. The initial idea is to build two classrooms. Together with the local architecture students and teachers from the Arba Minch university and an architect bureau from Munich this idea developed to two buildings housing four classrooms. A design competition was started for the students and the selected winning design would be realized.
One week before arrival. Photo update after the rain.
One week before arrival. Photo update after the rain.
Sunday 26th January 2020.
January/February in Ethiopia should be in the middle of the dry season which is a good climate for the project. Yesterday, however we received word of a huge amount of rain pouring down and the flooding of the construction site for the coming week. According to the locals this is unusual for the time of year and they mention climate change is playing a part here. From India there are certain winds bringing the heavy rain early this year.
The brick project is on-going however, it is going to be difficult with the amount of water. Not sure if there is going to be any delay in the building of the class rooms or in the project.
Weather forecast for the coming week:
Note to self: Please bring waterproof shoes aka wellies!
More rain today… Jan 29th
Short update: With only two days to go until arrival in Arba Minch it is going to look difficult to work on the base at all. Fingers crossed that the brick building project is still going along.
The idea of having a build and finished base to build the school itself is not very realistic.
Update: Disaster strikes East Africa
Like the amount of rain was not enough bad luck. Due to the wetness a swarm of Locust/Grasshoppers could grow into a real danger in a couple of months by eating all harvest that is carefully cultivated.
