December 2007-February 2008:

Initial Breaking Ground in Aleta Wondo Tsegaye spent 10 weeks in Ethiopia and had the first schoolhouse built before he departed! After gaining permits, and finding a local architect, surveyor, contractor and laborers, he went about finding materials. Part of the old Bekele Hotel was demolished and the materials recycled to build a warehouse, which also serves as a temporary community center. Lumber and cement are very scarce and expensive. He did find a beautiful bamboo nursery and selected the best bamboo for the school's sides. A fence was built around the property and 650 trees were planted to line the fence. A road was built to gain access to the property and a small footbridge. A well has been hand dug and 4 latrines are being constructed. A guardhouse was built and two guards hired. Until the children's shelter is built, the Bekele Hotel will serve as an orphanage for about 20 children. The schoolhouse has one classroom for 36 students and it will start with 1st grade in September 2008. Donna spent 3 weeks in January and interviewed children and coffee growers and set up the organizational structures to start the school and orphanage.View photographs.

November 2007:

Trip to Washington, DC Tsegaye Bekele and Donna Sillan visit the Ethiopian Embassy. They also meet with the Diaspora community to share the program.

October 23, 2007:

Community Ceremony in Aleta Wondo: An official meeting was held by the Mayor of Aleta Wondo and Community Elders and villages at the School Site, embracing Common River. Viewphotographs.

September 30, 2007:

Ethiopian Cultural Fair The ETHIOPIAN CULTURAL FAIR held at the Mill Valley Community Center was a community-wide fund-raising event to raise community awareness about the new program in Aleta Wondo. It was family entertainment at its best- a colorful, cultural and stimulating afternoon with authentic Ethiopian food, music, dance, traditional coffee ceremony, coffee learning display, arts and crafts for children, henna tattoos and face painting. There was a live program with photography and video to transport the audience to WONDO! Specific programs such as Adopt-A-Coffee Tree or Beehive were offered. Over 600 people attended the event. Seeposter,listen to KPFA radio show (we are the second to last speakers), Viewphotographs.

September 15, 2007:

Roundtable at E Café Coffee Studio Partnering with ECAFE Foundation, the coffee farmers will be provided with the expertise of Willem Boot and his team of trainers. The goal is to improve the livelihood of coffee farmers, their families and children by establishing an exemplary community model that can be replicated in other areas around Ethiopia. E Café will start a Coffee Learning Center and Tasting Lab in Aleta Wondo to train farmers in marketing and quality. Willem hosted an afternoon at this coffee lab to raise awareness about creating coffee livelihoods. Viewphotographs.

July, August, September 2007:

Fundraisers at Ambassador Mani Sigaroudi Common River's Ambassador Mani graciously hosted three private fundraisers at her beautiful home in Tiburon, CA. Viewphotographs.

September 2007:

Negusse's Speech to introduce Common River in Aleta Wondo

Respected residents of Aleta Wondo. Wishing you a Happy New Year and may the Millennium arrive in peace for Ethiopia. My name is Negusse Bekele, and I was born in this community. I was educated at the Aleta Wondo Elementary School and graduated from high school and studying from the Microlink College in computer hardware engineering. I've lived in Nairobi and Kampala for 6 years and came back to my roots to Aleta Wondo, with much willingness and hope.

First of all, I would like to thank you for being the productive sons and daughters of the beautiful and fertile Aleta Wondo. In the world, it is beyond words to express, the beauty of the green gold, or black gold, referred to by many names of Aleta Wondo's coffee growers, I am proud of you. The product of your labor is world renown. I'm happy to report that through your cooperation and knowledge you have produced the top beans. Common River is an organization that recognizes this talent and effort and wants to help build a productive and thriving environment for the world to witness, to model, to evolve.

COMMON RIVER, "Yeweze Ledje," is an innovative approach to transforming villages globally from economic hardship and poverty to self-sustaining vibrant communities. It is a holistic remedy that empowers the locals to create their environment fostering the resources that are naturally available and within reach. It is not a quick fix to a chronic problem but a course designed to systemically heal the issues that hold it down and offer sparks to ignite a village….

(Negusse is Common River's current point person in Ethiopia)

March 2007:

Initial Feasibility Study in Ethiopia Tsegaye Bekele and Donna Sillan traveled to Aleta Wondo and met with community groups to find out about their needs and priorities. They met with groups of coffee farmers, women, religious leaders, government officials, teachers, students and children. They visited other international non-governmental agencies and local development agencies. Viewphotographs for details.