Grade 5s Partner with Local NGO for Learning and Community

The ICS Grade 5 community has established a new partnership aimed at making a positive impact in the community.

In December, several ICS students and Elementary School faculty members visited Brook Hills, an organization that aims to provide sustainable services such as education, health care, and economic empowerment to Ethiopian families in need.

All of the families at Brook Hills live in a waste dump nearby, and the program fosters meals and education for children, as well as work and development opportunities for adults. ICS Grade 5 students visited the school to make connections with the students, play games together, and deliver a donation of clothes, books, and toys.

“By the smile on their faces, we could see they were enjoying themselves," students Emilia, Khanya, and Rania wrote in a presentation reflecting on their visit. 'When we went there, we as Grade 5 learned that not everybody is the same, and you should be grateful for what you have.”

Grade 5 Teachers Eric Killion, Azeb Mamo, and Lin Kay said the Grade 5 community is excited to build and sustain a new partnership with a local school in the community.

“For our students specifically, our aims are to build friendships with students from another school and develop mutual respect; to support each other in different ways; to learn and play together; and to widen our students' knowledge and understanding of how some children in our community live,” they said.

Now, the ICS Grade 5 students would like to invite the community to continue to support their work at Brook Hills. You can visit the Brook Hills website to learn more about their work, sponsor education for the children of Brook Hills with a cash contribution, and donate used clothes, shoes, toys, and books.