With the Mena Daycare there are many things that it needs support with, however after talking to Zebenay we have a list of priorities and certain aspects of the daycare that could use your help, along with the amount of funding we would need to reach these goals.
Main priorities:
Two Trained workers – Zebenay currently has five workers, yet they are not trained. Several of the workers she has had in the past have left because of the salary she gives them, but she couldn’t change that because she does not have the money for it. Every trained worker she has talked to has walked away due to the amount of money she offers. The amount of money she needs for one trained worker each month is 10,000 Ethiopian Birr (170 Euros, or 180 US dollars).
Building blocks and school supplies – Considering the amount of children supplies like building blocks, stuffed animals, pens and pencils, and notebooks would help them develop their motor skills. Zebenay and her team can also continue doing what they love and teach the kids the basics to reading, writing, and drawing before they head off to kindergarten. The amount of money for new supplies would be 5,866 birr (100 Euros, or 110 US dollars).
Be able to provide the children with at least one meal each day – At the start of the daycare Zebenay was able to give the kids a meal every now and then, now she does not have the funds to even give them one meal. Due to this she has been asking the children’s parents to bring food for their child at the daycare. (Small amounts such as 5 Euros per month can already make a huge impact for a few of the kids.)
A bigger space – the building that Zebenay has for the daycare now has a smaller outdoor space than the first one. She was able to have a swing set and a trampoline outside for the kids. This is not even a possibility anymore so she has had to but those things aside. Not just that but there are around 200 kids that are coming to the daycare, Zebenay has to say no to many of them because she does not have the space for the other kids, resulting in her limiting the amount of kids at the daycare to 130-140. Zebenay has said over and over again if she could take those other children in as well she would, she wants them to be safe and spend time playing and learning with other kids. If she had the finances she would not hesitate to find a better place for her daycare.
More comfortable sleeping areas for the kids – As mentioned there are over 130 children that come to the daycare daily, and there is barely space for all of them. For the most part Zebenay spends time teaching them to read, write, and draw, she also lets them sleep throughout the day. In this photo you see how they sleep, which is on rugs for the most part. In every room they have the kids sleep like this after lunch times. It’s not comfortable, and it is cold. Funding for mattresses and blankets would be a game changer. Amount of funding needed for bedding and mattresses 8,800 birr (150 Euros, or 160 US dollars).
There are many more points that can be named, these are just a few of the focus points. To make a donation now or if you have questions go to our Contact us page. Even the smallest of donations can make the biggest difference.