Magic at Mojo
This morning the ONE Moms journey took us to the Mojo secondary and primary schools in Mojo, Ethiopia. Both schools operate at ~1:45 teacher/student ratio and benefit from the UK Department for International Development (DFID)'s initiatives around basic services (e.g., sanitation) and education improvement (e.g., text books, teacher development). The on-site improvements (e.g., computers, books, lower student/teacher ratios -- the secondary school used to operate at a 1:67 ratio) and quantitative results (e.g., in the past 5 years, the rate for passing university entrance exams has climbed from 60 to 89%) are remarkable and I wanted to share some audio and video.
Compared to the school systems many of us are privy to, Mojo has very little. But they're making the most of what they have. Here are two things that struck me about the magic at Mojo, via soundclip:
Visit to the Mojo Primary & Secondary Schools by ChristineKoh
I was particularly interested to see the secondary school's reading building, which houses a small, one-room library. (I am looking into information on book donations...stay tuned.)
The primary school science room was small, yet replete with tools and demos to inspire scientific inquiry.
And I love this last clip: the teacher was using music to educate her class about the five senses. What can I say, it's perfect for this former musician and scientist!
Image credit: Christine Koh
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I'm in Ethiopia at the kind invitation and expense of The ONE Campaign, a nonpartisan, advocacy organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. ONE works to convince governments (the US, as well as others) to invest in smart programs that help to eliminate poverty and preventable disease in a sustainable way. ONE never asks for your money, simply your voice.
Comments
Dancing and singing along here - just beautiful!!!!! Hello Mojo! Christine your posts make it feel like we're there! Go ONEMoms! xoxoxo Hugs and thank you for telling such wonderful stories and sharing such critical information. You are awesome.
Posted by: Cooper Munroe | October 9, 2012 2:56 PM | Reply to this comment
Christine, fantastic clips from our visit to Mojo, and I love the story of the kids surrounding you as we left. It was a moving site visit.
Posted by: Jennifer Howze | October 10, 2012 9:15 AM | Reply to this comment