Access Micro-scholarship Fund Students in collaboration with CHAMPS Ethiopia organized a Cleaning campaign in Harar.
Access Micro-scholarship Fund Students took to the streets of Harar on Saturday 10th November to clean up the rubbish that people routinely dump on the roadside throughout the town. The students joined forces with the CHAMPS (Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance) Ethiopia team based at the Haramaya University Health Sciences Campus.
Equipped with rakes, brooms, shovels, wheelbarrows and rubbish bags as well as gloves and face masks, the students and their leaders cleaned up the streets and collected rubbish that was taken away by car to be disposed of properly. The efforts of the Access students were appreciated by the local community as some bystanders encouraged the students and thanked them for cleaning up.
The event was organized by representatives from CHAMPS Ethiopia and Melkamu Alemu, who runs the Access Micro-scholarship Fund project at Haramaya University. The local Jinela wereda administration also brought tools and equipment as well as offering their time and effort. Dr. Nega Assefa and Dr. Caroline Ackley from CHAMPS gave opening remarks before all the volunteers started the morning of cleaning efforts.
The Access Micro-scholarship fund sponsors 75 students from the areas surrounding Haramaya and Harar, who are academically exemplary, to receive English language tuition given by Haramaya University English instructors over a period of two years. The project is funded by the US Embassy to Ethiopia and it has now entered its second year here at Haramaya University. There has been a marked improvement in the language skills of the students and special events such as the clean-up operation are also helping to build the students’ capacity to function as better members of society, alongside their improved language skills.
