Br. Ghebreyesus Habte Visits from Ethiopia

September 19, 2019

On Sept. 16, Brother Ghebreyesus Habte, FSC, visited CDH. Br. Habte is a Visitor for the Lwanga District of Africa, which includes Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. 

As a Visitor, he travels throughout the district to support Lasallian initiatives. He also travels to the United States regularly to build connections with Lasallian schools and support the twinning program, a Lasallian initiative that encourages financially able districts to aid those most in need.

During his visit to CDH, Brother Habte spoke to sophomore Religion classes, a Spectrum class, and met with the leaders of the Twinning Club. He shared photos of our Twinned school, Bisrate Gabriel, of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, and explained the importance of the program.

The school serves more than 2,000 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Additionally, Bisrate Gabriel runs an evening school for adults seeking to achieve high school diplomas, which currently enrolls more than 800 students. Despite adding more classrooms, the demand is high every year and the school cannot accept all interested students. 

The high cost of education in these countries presents a major challenge for most students, many of whom are poor and some without families. Therefore, the schools subsidize much of the cost. Schools use twinning donations for tuition assistance, maintenance, and expansion of school facilities.  Donations also cover books and class materials, and other essential school expenses. To limit additional costs, students are responsible for many chores on campus, including cleaning buildings and maintaining grounds, growing food, and preparing, serving, and cleaning up after meals.

While the benefits for African students are many, twinning also gives North American students an opportunity to learn about other cultures, customs, and viewpoints. It helps to build character and respect as well as develop responsibility. The partnership connects Lasallian students on two continents, in solidarity as brothers and sisters, to share challenges, accomplishments, stories, and experiences.

“The twinning program at CDH has given me an incredible opportunity to give back to other people my age and the adults in the Lawanga district of Ethiopia," said Ethan Thompson '20, a member of the Twinning Committee. "As the child of an immigrant, I understand how important it is to provide aid to those with fewer resources in order for them to advance and achieve their own goals. It was inspiring to see our committee start very small and grow into a school-wide goal to raise money for Bisrate Gabriel School in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. I hope other schools will join in this mission in order to give back to different communities.”