On Saturday, November 20, 2021 Deborah Foundation in collaboration with Addis Ababa Education Bureau gave its very first external training on Special Education. The training was given to a total of 180+ special need educators, itinerant teachers, and school principals from 60 schools designated for special education in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The training included the following sessions: an overview about Deborah Foundation by Mrs. Beki Abadula, introductory session on Intellectual Disability with a focus on Down Syndrome by Dr. Rediet Tesfaye, Child Safeguarding by Dr. Yohannes Gizaw, Special Needs Education and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) by our foundation’s CEO and former Registered Behavioral Technician (RBT) Ms. Menna Tafesse Garedew.
In May 2021, our Foundation team conducted site visits of 49 inclusive schools and resource centers in Addis Ababa. The list of schools was provided by Addis Ababa Education Bureau and a site visit report was provided to the bureau with areas for improvement. This past weekend’s training was part of our capacity-building efforts to help strengthen preexisting plans to support learners with special education needs in Ethiopia.
Saturday’s session ended with comments and feedback from the audience on how our foundation can work alongside educators to bring FDRE’s Special Needs/ Inclusive Education Strategy of 2012 to life. Our foundation team is honored to have been able to learn from and share knowledge with administrators and educators that have been in the field for 10+ years. In addition, we would like to express our gratitude to the sign language interpreters who translated the training for attendees who are hearing-impaired or have limited hearing. We believe this is only the beginning and look forward to strengthening our work in advocating for Inclusive Education in Ethiopia and beyond.
