A Call to All Former Maimisham Students and Friends! __________________________________

As many of you rightly know, it is a reality that our generation in Ethiopia and those of us currently residing outside Ethiopia owe our fortune and successes to the legendary Haleka Tewoldemedhin Gebru, a visionary educator, who recognized the value of education as a way of emancipating his people and the generations that followed from the grips of ignorance, protracted poverty and ill health, and many other societal problems of the times. Historical records indicate that he established the first church school (Orthodox) under one of the big trees at Mai Misham in 1928 EC (Ethiopian Calendar) for the benefit of the rural community. He enrolled family members and others from the village and encouraged the rest of the community to support his endeavor and to recognize the value education. The young students whole-heartedly believed in Haleka Tewoldemedhin’s visionary aspirations about the benefits of education and the quality of life that comes with it. His students were determined to carry on with his dream for the betterment of the people of Mai Misham, the surrounding rural communities, and beyond. Twenty years later in 1949 EC, history was made with the opening of the first modern elementary school at Mai Misham, probably the first rural school of its kind in Ethiopia at that time.

Haleka Tewoldemedhin Gebru’s dream became a reality as a result of the hard work and determinations of his sons, relatives, and other community leaders. With the opening of the school, a new era of bright future full of hope and promise started for our generation at Mai Misham and in the surrounding rural communities thanks to four farsighted children of Mai Misham that carried on with Haleka Tewoldemedhin’s dream. These were the Honorable Afenugus Hagos Tewoldemedhin, Ato Gebreab Biadglign, Fitewrari Woldegiorgis Tedla, and Ato Zafu Tewoldemedhin.

The school thrived for more than 20 years and thousands of students passed through its classrooms. Many of us started our formal education under one of the trees by the school, sitting on a pile of rocks for most of the day learning for the first time about the basic elements of education. Despite the primitiveness of facilities and the rural setting, Christ School became famous because of its learning environment and for its outstanding teachers and students. Over a span of less than a quarter of a century, Christ School alumni enrolled in many high schools through out Ethiopia and attended vocational schools and Addis Ababa University to become teachers, scientists, medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, economists, accountants, etc. In the late1970s and the1980s, many Christ School alumni left Ethiopia to escape the tyranny of the repressive government and to pursue higher education. Today, many of us have achieved our dreams and are enjoying the comfort of life thanks to the opportunities that were made available to us by our predecessors. Unfortunately, Christ School has not lived up to its reputation for lack of resources and the poor conditions of its infrastructure. Despite the presence of thousands of Christ School alumni within and outside Ethiopia, the school is struggling to keep its doors open for hundreds of rural children that are aspiring to follow our path. It is time to fulfill our promise and historical responsibility to keep the school running for the new generation of rural children. Let us return Christ School to its glory days.

Recently a committee of Christ School alumni traveled from Addis Ababa and Mekelle to Mai Misham to investigate the status of the school. Despite its transfer to the regional education system of the Government of Tigray, the school is falling apart because of utter disrepair. The committee reported that the old classrooms need serious maintenance; additional classrooms are required to accommodate the growing number of students, and to establish a library equipped with reference books and reading materials. A copy of the report about the current status of Christ School is attached to this cover letter for your information. According to the report, the committee is mobilizing Christ School alumni in Ethiopia, Friends of the school with family roots at Mai Misham and in the surrounding rural areas, and other volunteers to raise enough funds to get additional building and other necessities for the school. At the same time, the committee contacted those of us residing outside Ethiopia to be part of the national and international endeavor to rehabilitate Christ School of Mai Misham back to its glory days to serve the community as it did in the past half century.

We hope you will be part of the making of another history by rekindling the visions and aspirations of Haleka Tewoldemedhin Gebru and his successors, including the Honorable Afenugus Hagos Tewoldemedhin, Ato Gebreab Biadglign, Fitewrari Woldegiorgis Tedla, and Ato Zafu Tewoldemedhin. Please make a genuine difference in the lives of hundreds of young rural children to have a better future. All of us, who started our education at Christ School of Mai Misham, have greatly benefited from the generosity of others and it is time to do our part and our best.

If you have any questions please email us at: maimishamalumuns@yahoo.com

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