While serving as Peace Corps Volunteers at the Wondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources in Ethiopia, Bob and Nancy Sturtevant were approached by teachers from the local Lutheran church. The congregation had created a kindergarten at the church and were attempting to teach basic skills to children who couldn’t afford to attend the private kindergartens in the area. Government schools start with first grade, but children are expected to have some knowledge before they start school, otherwise they fall behind the other students.

Knowing the value of education the church dedicated their facility to help the community’s poorer children. However, the members themselves were poor and unable to afford learning materials or salaries for the teachers. When approached by the teachers, Bob and Nancy informed them that Peace Corps volunteers don’t have easy access to funds, but they would come visit the school and see if there was any way that they could help.

During their first visit to the school they found 150 children divided into three rooms sitting on benches borrowed from the sanctuary. There were no school supplies in any of the classrooms. A small black board was the extent of the teaching aids. The two teachers, covering three classrooms, had not been paid their meager $12.00/month salary for half a year, yet, were continuing to do their best to educate the children.

Meeting with the church elders, Bob and Nancy asked them to make a list of needs. Their wish list, was quite extensive, and covered everything from teachers’ salaries to the construction of a classroom building and the installation of a waterline onto the property.  No commitments were made, just the promise that the Peace Corps volunteers would see what kind of help might be available.

As retirees who worked with international students and scholars at Colorado State University as well as several service organizations, Bob and Nancy began to let people know about the kindergarten. The response was amazing. School supplies started arriving, money for desks, and money for the teacher’s salaries. A visiting forester from Alaska offered to do a fund raiser at her children’s school to help build a real school. This fund drive resulted in a $7,000 donation. The Peace Corps staff let Bob and Nancy know about an available grant that could be used for the construction project. The $5,000 grant combined with the Alaska donation was enough to build the school plus a 4-stall toilet building. A donation from the Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity at CSU payed for the 2 km long pipeline that brought water to the school.

By the end of their two and a half years of service in Wondo Genet, the school building  and toilet building were constructed, desks and office furniture installed, two more teachers hired, the two original teachers received additional education, a waterline installed, playground equipment built, teaching materials supplied as well as uniforms for the students. Heading back to the US, Bob and Nancy knew that the school was in good shape but would need continued support. They needed to find a way to help the school from Colorado to ensure that the children continued to get a good education.

They quickly discovered and joined the Murulle Foundation. Through this organization they have been able to continue to conduct fundraising for the school. Since returning to Fort Collins, they have helped the school build a shower house (most of the children come from homes without running water), an additional two classrooms, improve the security wall around the school, and install two flush toilets. Each year the school purchases a supply of school materials, uniforms for the students and holds a graduation ceremony for the students moving from kindergarten into 1st grade.

The school has an average of 200 students. Kindergarten has three levels: nursery, lower kindergarten, and upper kindergarten. The school has expanded to include a first grade class. There are now 5 teachers, all fully trained and there are two guards who provide 24 hour security. The average cost to run the school for a year is $15,000. Donations towards this ongoing project are greatly appreciated!