The Power of Personality by Neil Jones

The Power of Personality by Neil Jones

 

How did I end up in the middle of Africa? This was not even on my radar 3 months ago. Wasn’t Ethiopia the place where they had that terrible famine when I was a kid? Surely it’s better now but why would I want to go there? The answer: personality.

The first personality I encountered was Trish Hack-Rubinstein, at a bus stop in outer San Francisco. The kind of idle conversation where somebody casually mentions that they have a Non-Profit Organization in their pocket (run largely from an iPhone). This person radiates an energy that affects everyone within speaking distance, and suddenly we are learning in leaps and bounds about Ethiopia’s history and the challenges they face.

And then a huge collection of gregarious, generous and kind-hearted personalities at a fund-raising event in New York City, and I’m hooked! I once met Mr. Munroe Ashkenase, who founded Foster Parents Plan (now Plan Canada). His favourite expression was, “I never met a man who didn’t want to help – you just had to make it easy for him.” Well these people were making it easy for me.

Just over a month later, I have navigated the customs and immigration hall of Addis Ababa airport clinging to my only clue: “Someone will be there to pick you up.” That someone was the personality that created this whole enterprise: Muday Mitiku. Constantly in motion, keeping an organization the size of a village in her head (and on her mobile phone), she is a wonder to watch. Her staff and family provide seamless support.

And finally I meet the collective personality whom I knew before only in pictures: the beautiful children who make a stranger feel like he is part of the family. The characters! The laughter! The schoolyard games! If only I spoke their language as well as they speak mine – but they will teach me, throughout the course of a week. Amharica kwanka tamari naw – I am a student of Amharic.

I am the beneficiary of the generosity of all of these personalities, these perfect hosts. That is why I do my small part to help with their challenges.

Tales From the Field by Trish Hack-Rubinstein

Tales From the Field by Trish Hack-Rubinstein

Couldn't be happier!

Couldn’t be happier!

November 21, 2014

I arrived in Addis Ababa, very early on Thursday morning and after checking in to a very beautiful and cozy guest house, headed to the school. The children are thriving! The care and love they receive at school is overwhelming and is what keeps me coming back to the school time and time again. Because of the work Muday is doing with this one school in Ethiopia the world is already a better place.

We have 10 new students this year which brings the number of children being kept off the streets to 170. Some of the students have returned after having attended kindergarten but not being able to continue their education because they were students at Fresh and Green before we started increasing grade levels. It is wonderful to see children, that had the cards stacked against them after kindergarten, with an increased sense of enthusiasm and a renewed spirit.

 

Education is a Right not a Privilege

Unfortunately, in many developing nations education is not available to all children. While compulsory and free in Ethiopia, schools are not attended by all children. Books and uniforms must be purchased and meals are not provided. Many children work at an early age by shining shoes, selling trinkets, or begging to help feed their families. In the rural areas of Ethiopia many children work as sheep herders but dream of attending school and going to the city for a better life.

Thanks to many generous donors, the children at Fresh and Green are getting a chance at that better life. And with the gift of education anything is possible. These children can truly make a difference in this world and have already made a difference in my life!

Peace-Trish




Learning Lessons In Life At Fresh and Green by Angela Chukunzira

Learning Lessons In Life At Fresh and Green by Angela Chukunzira

AngelaI was a volunteer at Fresh and Green and it ended up being a learning experience which transformed me beyond my imagination. The whole experience made me view the world from a whole new perspective.

As a volunteer, you pass on various skills to the rest of the community without expecting anything in return but at Fresh and Green I got so much contentment and love from the entire community! I learnt that volunteering is more of interaction and connecting to the community. I taught spoken English and even learnt what it takes to be a teacher!

I learnt so much about myself and got a much deeper understanding of what life is about. I also acquired virtues I did not posses before like patience and thoughtfulness. Every Monday we had devotion in the “coffee room” and various religions were represented. It made me feel whole in that in as much as I did not understand the prayers and the language, I understood that God is universal. We also connected spiritually with other workers in the school.

I acquired a child-like innocence when I was singing with the children in the KG .Those kids have a burning urge to learn!! They were so eager to learn new things and were extremely receptive. I thought they would easily forget the songs I taught them but the next time I went they sang the song over and over again. Just to emphasize on how the kids desire to stay in school. In case one may wonder how eager they are to learn, they learnt to sing a song in Swahili (a language they barely know or hear about!).

Another outstanding element of Fresh and Green is the sustainability. Muday has not only taken the children out of the streets but has also set out to ensure that their mothers are getting a means to earn a living. She also guarantees the children 3 meals in a day.

The mothers have formed a cooperative in which they make crafts and Habesha scarves for sale. They also assist in domestic tasks in the school. How sustainable can a system be? This goes ahead to abolish the dependence syndrome that I have observed in most charitable organizations which unfortunately are not sustainable. The plans that Fresh and Green have for the future are big! With the very spirit of sustainability transforming it to a boarding school in the outskirts of Addis Ababa in the near future will enable the children remain in school. This project’s sustainability really touched my heart.

My faith in humanity was equally restored. I left home not trusting ‘strangers’ because of my own personal encounters of theft and corruption I observed in my own social system. When I met Muday and learnt how hard she worked just to see to it that the children did not sleep hungry and in the streets, I felt a gap in my heart was re-filled. This attitude of giving was spread out to my fellow volunteers and most of the Ethiopian people.

I later met Trish Hack, who valued those children as though they were her very own. In a culture that is saturated with individualism and consumerism, I am so glad that there are hearts willing to give themselves away for the sake of others. I am still grateful that humanity’s conscience is not completely lost.

Through my volunteer experience, I also made lifelong friends! My fellow volunteers with AIESEC firstly, the Addis Ababa University fraternity and I cannot forget to mention Glory Rain. She would give everything to see to it that Fresh and Green lives on. We traveled to other parts of Ethiopia together and made memories to last a lifetime.

Living by example is what Muday lived by. She lived a life of simplicity and her own children are enrolled at Fresh and Green. This goes to show she firmly believes in the system and in making a difference. The simple lives led by Fresh and Green community members constantly reminded me that a happy heart and good health are the fundamentals of life.

Though my volunteer experience is over, I continually fall in love with the community so closely knit. They say home is where the heart is, and for me, it is Fresh and Green, Addis Ababa. My heart is open and a new life continues to bloom within.

Chiropractor Helps Fresh and Green Academy Students

Dr. Christie MacDonaldI would like to thank Fresh and Green Academy for an amazing life experience in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. My husband, a school teacher and myself a Chiropractor, set out the summer of 2011 to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. While in Africa, I wanted to utilize my skills and passion for chiropractic and volunteer for those who do not have the luxury choosing chiropractic. After meeting Dr Salem Aklilu, the first chiropractor in Ethiopia, at a Parker seminar we were put in contact with Dr Greg Rubinstein of New York who has brought chiropractic to a primary school in Addis Ababa.

Our experience there was terrific. Muday, a wonderful Ethiopian woman who started Fresh and Green, came and picked us up at the airport and treated us like royalty. We stayed at a hotel and were picked up daily to head to the school to adjust the children. My first day at the school, I adjusted the kids and some of the moms. Spencer, my husband, spent some time in the classrooms teaching the kids the basic principles of chiropractic and health.

I was amazed by what Muday has done. She has 111 children at the school all of which come from families that can not afford for them to go to school. They are fed a healthy well balanced diet of 3 meals a day, they

get clothes, showers, teeth brushed and naps for the young ones. They learn English and all the core subjects, they even get music and art. All of this is done through donations, she unfortunately has to turn families away daily as she can not help anymore at this time. Muday’s vision is big, she has many plans for fresh and green and the children in that community.

A lot of the moms are involved with the school as well. Many coming from the streets were they have had to beg or prostitute themselves in order to feed their children. Muday has the moms cook the meals, do laundry, make crafts and learn how to support their families.

The children were so excited for their adjustments, lining up and looking through the window with anticipation. I loved that Dr Gregg had been at the school 3 times in the past few years and I was continuing on his work. The more the people in the community see the Chiropractor as someone that can help their body heal themselves, the healthier they will become. The children are so fortunate to be receiving

great nutrition, clothing, chiropractic and education. These children could be the ones who help Ethiopia become a better country to live in. As BJ Palmer once said, “You never know how something you may say think or do may affect the lives of millions tomorrow”.

My experience at Fresh and Green Academy will always be remembered. Many of my patients donated spare change in their pockets before I left and we ended up collecting enough to help Muday buy uniforms for the children in September. We are also sponsoring a child to continue her schooling. I would recommend for anyone to volunteer at Fresh and Green Academy, you won’t regret it.

Dr. Christie MacDonald
www.whitemudchiro.com

Dr. Christie adjusts the children
Adjusting the children helps their bodies better fight disease.

Friends of Fresh and Green Academy Board Members and International Foodie Volunteer, Enjoy a Week in Addis Ababa at Fresh and Green Academy

Friends of Fresh and Green Academy Board Members and International Foodie Volunteer, Enjoy a Week in Addis Ababa at Fresh and Green Academy

Friends of Fresh and Green Academy board members Trish Hack-Rubinstein, Gregg Rubinstein, Lyuba Halkyn, and International Foodie and Writer, Elyse Pasquale spent the week of April 24, 2011 with the amazing children at Fresh and Green Academy.  The group arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia the evening before Easter, an important holiday for the Ethiopian Orthodox population.  Orthodox ceremonies and festivities took place throughout the night and into the day of Easter.

At the start of the school week the board consulted with Ms. Muday Mitiku, director of Fresh and Green Academy, about the immediate needs of the school and its students.  Construction of a new bathroom facility, which includes a separate boys and girls restroom, was a top priority and approved.  The former bathroom facility was substandard and dilapidated.   New facility construction began immediately after board approval.  A team of eight to ten donkeys brought supplies to the school mounted on their backs lead by their herder.  “It was such an unusual sight for us, as Westerners, to see how a construction project is actually implemented in a developing nation in a local community of a capital city,” stated Lyuba Halkyn.  The new bathroom facility was complete by the end of the week.

Throughout the week, Dr. Gregg Rubinstein, Chiropractor, spent time with the children, their mothers, Fresh and Green Academy staff, and other locals who heard of his expertise.  He performed Chiropractic Adjustments in addition to explaining aspects of overall health and wellness.

The children at Fresh and Green Academy continue to develop and demonstrate that they love to learn and flourish in their school environment.  They enjoy playing games with the volunteers and are always eager to show off their written assignments and their verbal knowledge of educational and creative material.  The visiting group joined in and participated in Ethiopian children’s games and taught the children some common games played in the U.S.  By the end of the week the children of Fresh and Green Academy requested Western games, such as the Hokey Pokey and Follow the Leader, during times of free play.

The second and third graders attend a music class several times a week, in which a very talented music instructor teaches them how to play keyboards in addition to a more technical aspect of music theory.   The music teacher assists the children to demonstrate their knowledge of the material presented, and inspires their musical creativity.

The visiting volunteers took pictures of each child with a Polaroid sticker camera and made cards for each of them to take home.  The children were excited to be able to have a photo of themselves, as school photos and cameras are a luxury.

At the end of the week, when it was time to return to New York, the group regretted saying goodbye to the children.  “It is always difficult for us, as volunteers, to explain to the kids that we have been here all week and now must return to our own realities.  On the flip side, knowing that I will return and visit the kids sometime later this year, makes parting a little bit easier.  The children’s growth and development, thanks to an excellent educational facility and three nutritious meals provided daily by the school, aids in their overall well being,” shares Lyuba Halkyn of her experiences at Fresh and Green Academy.

A Generation of Fatherless Children

A Generation of Fatherless Children

In 2005, Ethiopia had 4,414,000 orphans, the second-highest number in Africa. You could easily double if not triple that number to determine the number of Ethiopian children being raised without a father or a significant male member of their household.Among our 90 students, the number with an adult male living permanently in the household could be counted on one hand. For both the boys and the girls, it is a tragedy born of the AIDS epidemic and a patriarchal society. I say this without judgment, only stating the facts that I have witnessed and researched.

This picture was taken by Francesco, who along with Todd, comprised the two male volunteers on the April trip to the Academy. Both of them are young single men in their 20s, but they seem to me to be “old souls,” natural-born fathers, the kind who will be “hands-on” dads. Watching them interact with the kids was a delight for me, but for the children themselves, their presence must have been something altogether different.

Only time will tell how this generation of Ethiopian children will fare without fathers or father-figures. My hope is that, for the kids at the Academy at least, they will benefit from the example set by Anteneh, Muday’s husband, and their friend Hilu. Both are teachers at the local high school, and both of them spend a lot of time with the kids. Certainly the men who volunteer with Friends of Fresh and Green (including Trish’s husband, Gregg) provide wonderful examples of how a man can be both strong and nurturing at the same time.

Muday speaks highly of a local man, a pilot for Ethiopian Airlines, who regularly stops by and takes some of the boys home to play with his own children. There are trekkers who stop by the Academy often (it is a Geo-Cache site http://www.geocaching.com). All in all, Fresh and Green Academy students have more exposure to positive, male role models than many of their peers.

On this Father’s Day eve, I want to recognize all the men who are working and have worked so hard to make a difference in the lives of the children. There are many of you, including my own dad (and Trish’s dad) who taught us the value of “giving back.” And I want to acknowledge all the male sponsors, who are providing support “behind the scenes” as it were. Although the children may not know you by name, you are making a difference in their lives nonetheless.

Kathleen Murphy Vilicich, Vice President