Inauguration ceremonies for the Project for the Construction of the Girma Woldegiorgis Secondary High School in Gerbo village, and for the Project for the Construction of the Dejatch Balcha Aba Nefso Secondary High School in Korke village, in Woliso Woreda, South West Shoa Zone, Oromia, were held on Sunday 30 October 2011. These projects were funded by the Japanese Grant-in-aid Scheme for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), amounting to a total of USD 212,722.

H.E. Mr. Hiroyuki KISHINO, Ambassador of Japan to Ethiopia, and Mr. Takao Ishii, Second Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, celebrated the completion of the school blocks, together with H.E. Ato Girma Woldegiorgis, the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, representatives of the Woliso Woreda, and members of the communities.

In both inauguration ceremonies, H.E. Hiroyuki KISHINO expressed congratulations when handing over the two education projects tothe communities and the Woreda, which were completed on time by the two School Committees, with support from their communities.

The residents, particularly PTA members, participated not only by offering their labor and construction materials, but also through fundraising within the communities. It is noteworthy that the communities mobilized their members to collect funds of over 1 million birr before starting their project in both the Gerbo and Korke villages. The Ambassador was sure that both communities would expand these facilities as secondary schools in the coming year, 2005 E.C. in collaboration with the local governments, according to their original plans. The Ambassador also expressed the hope that the communities would make the most use of these newly built schools to improve access to secondary education and thus enjoy great benefits. He added that it is important that the school facilities should be maintained in good condition to serve the local interests for a long time. In addition, His Excellency said he hoped that the Embassy of Japan could work together with the organizations and communities again in the future for the economic and social benefit of underprivileged people in rural areas of Ethiopia.

The GGP scheme was first introduced in 1989, and thus it has a history of 21 years to date. In Ethiopia, since 1997, around 300 projects have been implemented under this scheme in such sectors as education, water supply, health services, and other basic human needs. In 2011 JFY (April 2011 – March 2012), the Embassy of Japan is planning to award grants to 18 projects submitted by various not-for-profit organizations and local authorities throughout Ethiopia for the economic and social benefit of underprivileged people in rural areas.  One of the characteristics of GGPs is that they are directly beneficial to local residents.


BACKGROUND OF THE TWO PROJECTS

Expanding Secondary Education for 1,600 students in Gerbo and Korke villages in Woliso Woreda, West Shoa Zone, Oromia

In the Woliso Woreda, the population has been increasing dramatically in recent years and thus the number of students has increased as well. Currently, only one secondary school exists in the Woliso Woreda, whereas there are 48 primary schools and over 175,000 students.  Due to this lack of secondary schools, most students who desire to study further have to go to another town, which is over 17 to 46 km away from the Korke village and Gerbo village, respectively.  Most families, however, are small-scale farmers and cannot afford to send their children for further education due to the expense involved. In such circumstances, there is even less chance for female students to pursue higher education.In order to alleviate such problems, these projects aimed at expanding access to secondary education in rural areas for those who desire to continue to study and whose families want their children to have further education.


DETAILS OF THE TWO PROJECTS

1. The Project for the Construction of the Girma Woldegiorgis Secondary High School, South West Shoa Zone, Oromia (USD106,375.00 signed on 1 November 2010)
In this project, two blocks with eight classrooms, one administration block with six rooms and one laboratory were newly constructed and fully furnished in collaboration with the Gerbo community. One toilet block was constructed as well. These blocks are to be used for 800 G9 to G10  students in the coming year, 2005 E.C.
The project was implemented by the Soddo Agemgey Gerbo Elementary School in collaboration with the Gerbo community members.

2. The Project for the Construction of the Dejatch Balcha Aba Nefso Secondary High School, South West Shoa Zone, Oromia (USD 106,346.00 signed on 1 November 2010)
In this project, two blocks with eight classrooms, one administration block with six rooms and one laboratory were newly constructed and fully furnished in collaboration with the Gerbo community. One toilet block was constructed as well. These blocks are to be used for 800 G9 to G12 students in the coming year, 2005.E.C
The project was implemented by the Dejatch Balcha Aba Nefso Elementary School in collaboration with the Korke community members.