Viva – Romaine Fekade Selassie

Dear Friends and Supporters,

From our Visitors, Interns and Volunteers page, this time it is Romaine:

Hello, my name is Romaine Fekade Selassie and I am a graduating senior studying International Development and minoring

in Global Poverty and Practice at the University of California, Berkeley. This past summer, I had the honor and the privilege of working at the Fregenet Kidan Lehitsanat School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as part of the practice component of my minor. My time at FKL School was a truly blessed and memorable one, and I can easily say that it was one of the most wonderful and educative experiences of my life.

I learned about The Fregenet Foundation and FKL School from my father, who has known about the Foundation for a little while now and very much believes in its work. After reading more about the Foundation\’s mission and also about all that it has accomplished through its annual LA Marathon fundraiser and in the founding of FKL School, I was excited about the idea of working there.

I remember arriving at FKL School on my first day and being greeted by a sea of little smiling faces, all so friendly and wanting to shake my hand. The everyday enthusiasm and bubbly personalities of the children was truly inspiring; they were a joy to work with. I received an equally warm welcome by the faculty and staff, who so kindly made an effort to ensure that my time at FKL School was enjoyable and comfortable. The kindness and gracious hospitality of everyone at the school was one I believe that few people have experienced before, and a deeply cherished part of my experience.

During my five weeks at FKL School, I was working with fellow volunteer Katrina Morse, a graduate student who came to FKL to help out with the School library. Our work at the School included helping to organize FKL School\’s fundraiser and also the first-ever FKL School graduation. Both of these proved to be truly rewarding and educational experiences. I learned a lot about the history of FKL School and about its efforts to keep expanding its services for both the students and the surrounding community. I also got to see the fundraising efforts of a small non-profit as it worked hard to ensure that it is able to continue to serve its students, faculty, staff and surrounding community as best as possible.

Our other tasks included teaching fourth and fifth grade summer school Math and English. This was perhaps the highlight of my experience at FKL.

I was able to spend time with the students, both inside and outside of the classroom, and got be good friends with many of them. The most enjoyable part of teaching was the reversal of roles that I experiencedñwhile I was teaching the students English, they were helping me to improve my Amharic. It was a very humbling experience.

Overall I had an amazing time working at the Fregenet Kidan Lehitsanat School. Everyone at the School is incredibly dedicated to their work of educating those children who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to go to school. It is a truly inspiring environment to work in. And just as I have enjoyed my time at FKL School, I know that future volunteers will have an equally wonderful and memorable experience. If possible, I would love to maintain my affiliation with The Fregenet Foundation and FKL School and return to offer my services in the future.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at The Fregenet Foundation and at FKL School for having me and accepting me into their community. It was truly a pleasure and an honor to know you all. Thank you and best wishes to everyone at the Foundation and at FKL School.