Ethiopia - Supporting Montessori Training
With a population of more than 80 million people, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in sub- Saharan Africa.
It is also one of the poorest countries in the world. UNICEF notes that only 5% of total government expenditure is allocated to education.
Due to this shortfall in spending, the level of pre-school education can be very poor and its distribution uneven throughout the country.
The Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul have been delivering training courses through their institute for Montessori teachers in Soddo, located in the southwest of the country, since 1975. The institute has produced more than 1,200 Montessori graduates in that time. Called the Bruh-Tesfa kindergarten Teachers Training Institute, it is the only institute of its kind in the country.
Its successful graduates are presented with a special educational pack, which includes tools and equipment necessary for opening of their own kindergarten.
These educational materials for pre-school children help to encourage many important aspects of their development. In order to ensure that the educational packs are available for all graduates, the materials are produced in a workshop located within the Institute.
In 2009 Misean Cara provided funding to the
Daughters of Charity to construct a new workshop
to replace the existing one, which was deemed
unsafe and in poor condition. The new workshop
will produce materials that will be manufactured
and produced by trained technicians. It will
also accommodate a range of storage areas and a
students’ workshop, where all trainees can work
on finishing and painting the manufactured
materials for packs.