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Changing lives in Feres Mai, Ethiopia
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The death of Medhine, (above) a nine-year-old from Feres Mai Adwa, Tigray, Ethiopia, gave Lidia the inspiration to build the school. Before the school was built, the students would walk three hours to gather under a large shade tree for lessons. Feres Mai (pop. 70,000) is one of the poorest villages in the Tigray region.
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Thank you for your interest in Lidia's School. Lidia Schaefer is a manicurist at Fusion Day Spa (formerly Today's Look Hair Designs) in Washington, D.C. Lidia was born in Feres Mai, Ethiopia, and came to the United States in 1979.
Lidia was working as a manicurist in 1994 when she learned that Medhine, a nine-year-old girl from her village, had been killed by hyenas. The animals attacked her after Medhine fell asleep under a tree, she had stopped to rest during her daily, three-hour walk home to Feres Mai from school.
Medhine's death spurred Lidia to begin a 10-year-journey to build her home village a school. Since then, she's collected her customer's tips, saved her salary and sold her belongings to raise money for wood, bricks and labor. Lidia told her manicure and pedicure customers about her idea, and over the years many of her salon co-workers and customers have donated money to help make Lidia's School a reality.
The eight-building school complex, named "Lidia Secondary School" was dedicated in early 2006. It's had an immediate impact on the villagers by creating jobs and helping the village grow. But the students could still use more desks, chairs and books. The Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C., has worked with Lidia to waive the taxes on donated books and it is her goal to keep developing the school.
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Since 1994, Lidia has raised $258,000 for the eight-building school complex (finished, above). Work began in 2001, and many of the villagers moved closer to town to construct the buildings, creating more jobs for the area.
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Photo credit: Rick McKay, Cox News Service
Lidia can be reached at Fusion Day Spa six days a week at 202-223-8182, or at nights at (301)-336-7171. You can reach Lidia by email at lidiaschaefer@yahoo.com.
Any donations are greatly appreciated, and a tax receipt will be sent to you.
Donations can be sent to:
Ethiopian Gospel Missionaries Association, Inc.
For: Feres Mai Children's School Project
PO Box 65370
Washington, DC, 20035
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