Imagine walking several miles to school each day as a second grader. Now imagine that when you arrive, school is conducted in an open field with dirt floors and perhaps one tree offering shade in the blistering sun. You are taught by a village elder. There are no facilities, no latrines. At the end of the day, you walk the more than 6 miles back home.
This was the reality for children in Kalina, Tigray. When we learned of their need, Saint David's eighth graders in 2011 - the occasion of our school's 60th anniversary - made a commitment to helping children in Kalina by raising the funds to construct an elementary school. In celebrating our anniversary milestone, we wanted to do for others what others had done for us, by breathing life into two new programs. The first, Horizons at Saint David's (now in its 12th year) would serve children in need close to home; the other, would serve children far away. Both involve the education of children and serve the greater common good.
The Saint David's Kalina School, an elementary school serving Muslim boys and girls, officially opened in Tigray in the summer of 2014. Three of our Student Council Presidents accompanied me to Kalina for the opening. Ever since, we have remained committed to educating children in Tigrayan communities in Ethiopia. In 2018, we helped build a second school located in Al'asa. In February 2020, I and the Student Council President at the time visited just prior to the Covid shutdown.
In the ensuing years, Ethiopia has suffered from a large humanitarian crisis caused by the country's civil war, the pandemic, and a drought that has killed livestock, left 10 million people food insecure, and displaced 5.8 million people. Sadly, this confluence of crises resulted in both schools being closed to children. Al'asa was completely destroyed during the internal conflict and Kalina was utilized as a hospital and shelter for displaced villagers.
Last week, Aaron Fossi, our Save the Children partner for the project, met with seventh and eighth graders during Chapel to kick off this year's initiative. Mr. Fossi explained that because of the conditions in Ethiopia, our boys can do good on a tremendous scale. "What you are all doing collectively is important," he said. "It is going to go really far for the kids there, making a huge impact on their lives." In true Saint David's fashion, our boys are excited about this initiative and determined to follow in their predecessors' footsteps to ensure success.
Through sustained effort and commitment to Ethiopia, our boys learn to be "in it" for the long haul. They are learning that even when faced with setbacks, there is value in carrying on. The opening of both Tigrayan schools resulted from critical reflection on our school's mission, the identification of an important issue, the development of a strategic partnership with Save the Children, dedicated hard work, and perseverance.
This work very much aligns with the Spirituality pillar at the root of our school. As our current Student Council President notes in his yearbook letter to his fellow graduates: "From the moment a student steps into Saint David's... As his first day unfolds in the classroom, Saint David's begins to weave in lessons that will shape his morals, values, spirituality, and grace."
Ut viri boni sint