The school in Ali Sabieh closed in February 2025 when the volunteer librarian and teacher had to leave. Since then, we have been waiting and hoping for more teachers and another opportunity to reopen. Finally, a new opportunity has presented itself, although this is back in the capital city.
While this means having to say goodbye to Ali Sabieh for the time being, we were encouraged to meet with a local association that promotes reading amongst the population. ‘Association des Lecteurs et des Ecrivains d’Ali Sabieh’ (ALEAS), which is the ‘Association of Readers and Writers of Ali Sabieh’ in English, was founded just a couple of years ago. It promotes reading through its own library which is open to adults and children alike. They also visit each area in the city and have days of reading and giving away books in the local schools. They promote local authors and a number of the Association’s employees have written and published books. It is fantastic to see local Djiboutian voices promoted like this. Representatives from MMR were able to visit their library and were greatly encouraged by their work and goals for the future. We were able to donate some books for children and young adults to their library and hope that a future partnership will be possible. The association hopes to move into the newly vacated building where EELC had been housed in Ali Sabieh.
On 23rd February, Ecole Emmanuel once again was packed onto a truck and moved across the country, back to Djibouti city. All the books have since been unpacked and put back up onto shelves. The classroom has been set up and there are just a few more steps before classes can reopen.
The plan is to reopen classes after the April elections, but initially, services will be available only to the two neighbouring districts that the school is now located in. Entrance tests will be given at the end of March to determine the potential students’ levels and allow for the course to be adjusted to match their abilities. The pilot course will run for three months until the end of June.
If all goes well, there will be future developments after the summer. Entering a new area always means going slowly and building relationships with the community, especially the community leaders. We desire to partner with the community to serve in a way that will be helpful to their specific needs and wants. We are excited for this new opportunity to teach English and look eagerly for what future developments can grow.
Kerith Trust 