A Bowl for Change

A group of ICS Addis High School students set out to make a difference in their community, combining creativity and compassion, one bowl at a time. 

At ICS, the service club is part of a global initiative called Empty Bowls, which uses art to support and give back to those in need.

Throughout the year, our participating students learned ceramics and used those skills to handcraft bowls, which they sold to raise funds for their community partner TAPCCO (Tesfa Addis Children Cancer Home).

The non-profit organization supports children with cancer by assisting families with accommodation, food, transportation, and other needs during treatment and throughout the follow-up process.

This year, the Empty Bowls team invited children from TAPCCO to join them in the creative process as they glazed the bowls.

"The ICS community can visibly see what impact they have when purchasing a bowl, and it makes them feel more connected to the TAPCCO kids,” said Grade 11 student and incoming club president Mariam N.

The hours students spent at the wheel, molding and firing the bowls culminated in their final event of the year: the Soup and Bread Night. 

Community members who purchased bowls were invited to break them in over some hearty soup and warm bread, and had the chance to participate in a silent auction - a new addition to the event.

A select group of bowls designed by seniors were put on the auction block for guests to place their bids. 

The team raised 86,000 birr from the auction alone, bringing their grand total to 300,000 birr. The proceeds were used to purchase staple items for TAPPCO such as teff, tuna, milk powder, coffee, and toiletries. 

This result is a reflection of our students' hard work and a testament of their determination to serve their community.

At the end of the evening, the bowls may have been empty but the impact left by our students was anything but. 

Well done to the Empty Bowls team and congratulations on such a successful event!