Interlakes International School

Interlakes International School
Bishoftu (DebreZeyit), Oromiya, Ethiopia
December 2012
Background:
When the GFCT first arrived in Ethiopia, we visited a flower factory farm near the city then
known as Debre Zeyit, meaning "Mount of Olives", named by Haile Selassie during his years of
exile in Jerusalem. Having a spiritual importance to the local Orimiyan regional peoples, the
city's name has since reverted to the local name of Bishoftu, which is also the name of one of
the surrounding crater lakes. The city is reached within an hour's drive along the main road
from Addis Ababa before the long day's journey to Djibouti port on the Indian Ocean.
Some Dutch families have chosen this city as a nexus for their many good deeds in the
country. One of those deeds was the creation of a kindergarten called the visionary name of
Interlakes International School. Then located in one earthen-colored building, they had the
great dream to operate a high-quality school school for both the local population and for the
children of the incoming foreign factory managers of this rapidly-industrializing corridor.
Without a good local school, it would be difficult to keep foreign families in the area. The
kindergarten was growing, and out of available space.
First project in Ethiopia:
The Gelfand Family Charitable Trust ("GFCT") met with the Dutch NGO Stichting World-Wide
Employment ("WWE") to consider constructing a second classroom building on the IIS campus.
Building a school in Ethiopia (and Africa, for that matter,) was a new concept for us. We prefer
to take a cautious small step, then enlarge the project if all goes well with the first step.
The original building in the background, the second building's foundation work has started
In six months, IIS was enjoying its second building on campus. Success! We really could help
build and furnish a beautiful school in Ethiopia, at a reasonable cost ( ~250 USD per square meter):
IIS expands with more and more buildings:
We next agreed to expand the school up to grade 4. More classrooms were thus constructed.
Then we built a Science Center. The Science Center contains science lab room, a computer
room, and a library room and reading area.
celebrating the opening of the Science Center
Inside the Science Center:
The school population has grown to 250 students.
We realized that a school of this size needs an ample water supply. Near the back of the
school grounds, we drilled down 140 meters to find a reliable aquifer, installed a pump, and
erected a water tower for constant pressure. Everything checked out fine, and the school now
has excellent water availability. The water project was so successful that we are able to
supply the nearby villagers with their household needs, too.