Ethiopia, Ethiopie, LÕEthiopie, Addis Ababa, October 2008.
Photo: Petterik Wiggers/Panos Pictures London UK
Kids are coming from all over Ethiopia to attend the Menelik School. Usually they cannot find an appropriate school at their home village, where there is for example just grade one up to four. For the continuation of the education they have to go to a city.
If they are coming from far they stay with family or friends. They do some small jobs like cleaning or shoe shine to assist the people that they are staying with.
To go to school in Addis they simply walk or take a bus. The school does not provide for transport, like a school bus.
The children have to provide their own uniform. When that is a problem usually family or friends assist.
Teachers are simply doing their work and their absence is rare. If teachers are too often absent the head master will look for replacement and the teacher may be resigned.
Food is not provided at school. There used to be a system that school children at least receive one meal a day at school, which was funded by some international NGOÕs. Unfortunately that has stopped. Now some children go to the University campus where they receive the leftovers from the university students. A teacher from Menelik School complains that it is not hygienic.
The school has a library, unfortunately itÕs been constructed for healthy people only; disabled children have no access. Wheel chairs cannot reach the library.
The school has a simple teachers room, a staff room.
There is a lab also, but materials such as chemicals are lacking. There is a small room for Arts that can host ten to twenty students, while there is no additional space for music. There is a big playground, and even a new one is under construction; grass has been planted recently.
Since there is a new building attached to the old school, toilets are available in big numbers. The old building lacks good toilets, taps are leaking and some doors cannot be closed. The old classro
