Ethiopian Fair poster. September 30th, 2007
Link to Movie of an event, coming soon.
© 2007 Common River
Design by JeremyD
and Green Temple Design
May 23-25, 2008:
The Meridian Health Foundation sponsored Common River's participation in a 2 day training in Full Circle Learning. It is a model of education in which all learning springs from the application of value-based concepts. The lesson plans teach students to apply these values in their personal lives, their community lives and their future careers. The integration of their academic and arts projects and conflict resolution practices always culminates in community service. The result is an orientation that fosters ethical and altruistic leaders even during the formative pre-adolescent years. The Full-Circle Learning model is adaptable for in-school, summer school, and after-school programs. It can be adapted for students ages 2 - 16. The developers of the non-profit program have supplied many communities with materials, at schools and community development projects in at least ten countries. The curriculum is aligned with the Positive Deviance Approach and will be applied to Common River's educational intervention. It is a supplement to the government curriculum of public school. The teachers of the new school will be trained in the methodology, as well as the teachers in the public Primary School. An after-school program will be designed using this curriculum. It greatly enhances the educational content that Common River offers to create lasting change among the community of Aleta Wondo.
March 8, 2008:
Chasing Maya Benefit Concert Chasing Maya is a band that is currently made up of six young musicians. They are: Chase age 11 (bass), Lotus age 10 (drums), Ryan age 10 (guitar), Helen age 11 (vocals), Reed age 9 (keyboards) and Zach age 10 (guitar) and their musical director is Derek Kudrow. As a band, Chasing Maya wants to help the children in Africa. They have chosen Common River as their first project to fund the school. They are dynamic, compassionate and are true kid for the greater good. Check out their website at: www.kidsforgreatergood.com. Their first benefit concert at Edna Mcquire School raised $2,000. Their big next big event is March 8th at the Tam Valley Community Center. Check out their poster, and article in the Mill Valley Herald.
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. Check out the web album.
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. Link to Web Album.
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. See Poster, listen to KPFA radio show (we are the second to last speakers), View Picassa web album
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. See web album.
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. See web album.
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. Visit the web album for details.