Birara Foundation, Ethiopia
The summer of 2018, I took part in an internship that I stumbled upon while pouring over Facebook. I saw a shared post regarding the Birara Foundation, a recently founded NGO by a Mount Holyoke alumna who is also originally from Ethiopia. Birara focuses on creating the right environment and resources for young people who have full capabilities to work hard and escape their low economic conditions that have denied them even their basic necessities. Interns at Birara work to make connections with training institutions in fields ranging from food production to chauffeuring.
Birara doesn’t have an office of its own, or numerous volunteers helping out, at least not yet. So, it felt tasking at times to be the one organizing intern meetings when I was an intern myself. After each meeting, we created a to-do list that included updating website content, making promotional videos, and reaching out to possible donors for this summer, as the actual training is planned to start around November.
My first project at Birara was talking to a representative from the Mary Joy Foundation named Sintayehu (Mary Joy is an NGO that works to improve the livelihoods of orphan and vulnerable children, destitute old people, youth, and people living with HIV/AIDS.) I had a fruitful discussion with him because he agreed to give us access to the files of some teenagers that we will be helping in learning employable skills. The day I got to meet these kids was quite special because I could see in their eyes the challenges they have gone through but also a little bit of optimism for what was to come. After a few weeks of doing research, I created a list of organizations that Birara could form partnerships with. I found numerous beauty skill training centers, furniture-making companies, and hotel training institutions where the kids could build essential skills. The next step was emailing and calling each training facility to ask whether or not they were able to take on the teenagers we are sponsoring. Some folks didn’t respond in a positive manner, but there were a few organizations that were delighted to even reduce the enrollment fees. And thus, we had a shortlist to work with.
My interest in helping youth achieve their dreams also led me to participate in the One Pack for One Child’s event as a representative of Birara. This NGO does not accept any monetary gifts, rather it welcomes at least one backpack with 12 exercise books, pens, pencils, erasers and sharpeners (which are two each). I was able to donate 10 packs via a fundraising event in which four teams had a friendly futsal match against each other for a trophy, while the goal being everyone who enters to watch the game brings packs for children. It was a delightful day since I got to watch my favorite game while profiting those in need.
Until Birara got the funds from donors through our online platforms to support our cause, I was spending my time working at CTP Ethiopia, an NGO founded by Ethiopian Columbia University students that aims to assist hundreds of students every year in the complex application process and SAT preparation. The venue this year was at my alma mater, Cathedral High School, and that made the experience close to heart. Three times a week, for three hours, 150 students from grades 9 to 12, and some in their gap year, came together to embark on an exciting journey towards their childhood dreams. As the number of students has doubled from the previous year’s program, we as a team decided that there should be three classes in which the students will be grouped based on their first diagnostic exam scores which was taken on the first session. They were grouped as Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
My responsibilities at CTP included teaching the advanced class something we call “demystification,” which is clarifying every detail about college search, the Common App, essays, recommendations, the financial aid process, and so on. Choosing not to inundate them with lots of information, the CTP New York team had prepared a comprehensive workbook that the students can refer to whenever they needed explanations about almost anything related to the process. During class and outside, I answered every question I received to the best of my knowledge. I was also a proctor for the three full SAT exams that they took, which was quite fun because I have always been the one taking exams, not proctoring them. Looking at the kids’ faces at work was motivating and it brought back my own memories when I was seated there as a CTP student two years ago. This year, it has been agreed upon to pay for one SAT fee for the top five students, which was to be determined based on test scores, class participation, and essays. And I think this gave the students an incentive to work harder and we did see an upward trend in their results after each test.
During the last three weeks, the demystification classes held on Fridays were held in forms of mentor groups, where one CTP mentor would be leading a group of 8 to 12 students in reading their personal statements aloud and then commenting on them as a team. I was glad to see everyone wanting the best for each other and actually providing great tips to improve the drafts. It reminded me of the collaborative learning environment at Williams. Coming from a variety of colleges including Columbia, Kenyon, Penn, Lehigh, WUSTL, and Williams, the members of CTP have interesting backgrounds and hobbies and so it was a remarkable experience to mentor with them while networking and building friendships. Among the friends I made there, the head of CTP, Rediet, was very inspiring whenever she gave speeches about her personal statement which talked about feminism. I also admired her diligence when she converted the graded tests into total scores using a rubric. I can only be hopeful that we will get to visit each other as most of us learn in the same region.
Birara and CTP might have different immediate goals, but I like to think they both function for the good of students who are willing to discover themselves. As Ethiopia is known to the world for the famine and poverty that were so widespread in the 1980s, its future lies on the bright young kids that have filled the nation. Giving them the opportunities to excel, either through technical training or through scholarships is the key to nationwide success stories. And I am happy to have been a part of this motion.
Interning at Birara and CTP has helped me become more confident in giving speeches and approaching new people. I used to be intimidated by class presentations and was shy outside of class, and I believe this experience has helped me be more assertive. Besides, I am now disposed to join clubs on campus that involve being on stage. I am an undecided science major, but I am leaning towards working in academia as a high school teacher and later hope to found an NGO that works in providing the resources for underprivileged students to gain scholarships in renowned institutions around the world—all because of my summer experience.
If it weren’t for the help of the Williams Alumni Network, I wouldn’t have had the chance to go back home to do something I am passionate about. I would especially like to thank The Class of 1972 for allowing me to have a meaningful summer internship. I would also like to say I am grateful that the ’68 Center for Career Exploration paved the way for ASIP to be a reality for me.