In May 2025, we successfully donated books and shelves to Eyerusalem Primary School through the school support grant, marking a transformative moment in the school’s efforts to rebuild and enrich its learning environment. According to the recent status assessment, the school had been struggling with serious challenges; most notably, the shortage of curriculum-aligned reference books, a scarcity of storybooks for young learners, and a shortage of bookshelves to properly equip the children’s reading space.

To add to these difficulties, the school suffered a significant setback when a government-led road-widening project destroyed nearly 8 meters of its compound, including its existing library. Consequently, a new but smaller library was constructed at the back of the school; however, due to its limited size, it currently serves only students from grades 1 – 4. Plans are underway to extend the construction and establish an additional library on the fourth floor to accommodate students in grades 5 to 8. During the construction period, the library remained closed for one month, limiting access to reading materials. Moreover, water scarcity posed additional challenges throughout the construction phase.

In response to the urgent need for educational resources, through ER’s library support project, backed by the generous donors and a matching of ETB 40,000 from the school community the dream of a better-equipped library is starting to come true. A total of 780 books, 300 reference books aligned with the new curriculum and 480 engaging storybooks, were carefully selected and purchased. To enhance the comfort and functionality of the space for children, two floor mats and four newly crafted horizontal shelves were also donated to the school in this grant.

The arrival of the books and shelves was met with great excitement and joy. The handover event was attended by the Woreda Education Office, the school principal, teachers, sub-city local media, parent committee members, and students, all coming together to celebrate this meaningful support. Students lit up with curiosity as they explored the colorful covers and opened new pages full of knowledge and adventure. The library has once again become a vibrant hub of learning and imagination, breathing new life into the school’s academic spirit. Despite ongoing challenges, including space limitations and infrastructural issues, the financial gifts have significantly addressed the shortage of books and revitalized students’ interest in reading. The school director and librarian also expressed deep appreciation and renewed motivation, highlighting the positive impact of the support on the school community.

Next, during June, we will be working with Enat Primary School to improve their library!

This month, Board Member Ann Porter and Friends of Ethiopia Reads of Grand Forks are fundraising to help finish the renovation of the libraries for Eyerusalem Primary School and Enat Primary School.  To donate from our website, use the drop-down menu to specify “Passport to Possibilities”. See below.

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LeAnn was the President of the Kansas Reading Association when she first met Jane Kurtz, Co-Founder of Ethiopia Reads. Thus began LeAnn’s mission of collecting, storing, sorting, packing, labeling, and shipping books for Ethiopian children. The Clarks have driven across the midwest to collect children’s books for Ethiopia Reads. Books have arrived from as far away as Florida, New York, Minnesota and Wisconsin. They recruited hundreds of volunteers to help with this shipment and three other ones.

LeAnn made her first trip to Ethiopia in 2005 and returned in 2010 as a part of a group supported by the U.S. Fulbright-Hays Grant. She encouraged and brought along several Kansas-based educators who eventually formed our steadfast Book Centered Learning (BCL) Committee. To this day, LeAnn continues to devote her time to literacy in Ethiopia and, next month, she will participate in Ethiopia Reads’ Second Children’s Reading Summit in Addis Ababa, along with her colleagues on the BCL team.

Thank you, LeAnn and Stan for your incredible energy and heart for reading and children. We are grateful to the Clarks and all the volunteers and helpers who made this incredible gift of books happen!

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