They come to the school from different parts of the country. Some have brothers and sisters. Others have lost a parent. All have been given an opportunity many Ethiopian teenagers can only dream of.

Wagari Beeka is a 12^th grade student from Humbi Karro, Ethiopia. His hobbies include listening to the radio and playing soccer. He hopes to someday be a journalist on Ethiopian television.

Chaltu Abera is a 17­-year­-old 11^th grader from Dembi Dollo. She enjoys singing and listening to music and would like to learn how to use a com­puter so she can work in manage­ment.

Kashula Adbeta, 19, is currently in11th grade. His hometown is Harroji, and he hopes to become a doctor to help people in his home region.

Through a program started by Dr. Jerman Disasa, director of special projects at Presbyterian College, these students have been given the opportunity to attend high school. Disasa said that while schooling is a foregone conclusion for most Ameri­cans, many Ethiopian children don’t have the same opportunities.

“We can not ignore the education of these kids,” Disasa said.

The program is called Mini CHAMPS, and is an offshoot of the Communities Helping, Assisting and Motivating Promising Students (CHAMPS) program that began in Laurens County in 1995. Mini CHAMPS works with Bethel Evan­gelical Secondary School (BESS) in Dembi Dollo, Ethiopia to provide ed­ucation for needy students.

For $300 a year, a donor can pro­vide a complete educational experience for one student. This includes dormi­tory fees (which include three meals a day), school fees, and other exam fees, along with a small amount of pocket money each month.

Since many students live one or two hour’s walking distance away from the school, the opportunity to live in the dormitories is critical to the education process.

“They are eager to get this and eager to use this,” Disasa said.

Disasa began what would eventu­ally become the Mini CHAMPS pro­gram at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Columbia in 1987. He and a group of volunteers sent around a collection jar to raise money for Ethiopian students and experienced surprising results.

“Before we knew it, we had$300,” Disasa said.

When he brought the program to Laurens County at First Presbyterian Church in Laurens, he saw similar results. A total of five students are cur­rently being sponsored by donors in the county.

Disasa is currently sponsoring Beeka and said BESS will provide Beeka with an education that will serve him well in the future.

“It’s a very successful school,” Disasa said.

 He said the program is as much about inspiring and motivating kids here as it is providing education to Ethiopian students.

“If poor kids from poor communi­ties can pick up and succeed with this, imagine how much more kids here can succeed,” Disasa said.

Mike and Penny Easley are spon­soring Chaltu Abera. They became aware of Mini CHAMPS through their relationship with Disasa, whom they met while their daughter was in the first CHAMPS class in 1995.

 Penny Easley said when she thought about the status of education in America versus the status in Ethiopia, the decision to donate was easy.

“We are so spoiled here and our children are spoiled,” she said. “A lit­tle bit of money can make such a dif­ference in someone’s life.”

Easley said she and her husband asked specifically to sponsor a female student because they believe the Ethiopian government tends to favor males. The Easleys began sponsoring Abera during her 10th grade year in 2006.

Unfortunately, Abera’s test scores weren’t sufficient enough to allow her to continue next semester, so she will instead attend a teacher’s train­ing program for three years at a tech­nical school.

Along with continuing to sponsor Abera at the technical school, the Easleys will begin sponsoring an­other female student at BESS in Jan­uary, a 10th grader named Toleshi.

Penny Easley said she will con­tinue to participate in the program in the future due to its benefits, both to Ethiopian students and citizens in our community.

“It teaches our children and grand­children to help others who are not as fortunate,” she said.

The Sigma Nu fraternity at PC is another sponsor, currently funding Adbeta’s education at BESS. Sigma Nu president Ben Eldridge said the fraternity’s involvement in CHAMPS—and subsequent relation­ship with Disasa—influenced his rec­ommendation to participate in Mini CHAMPS.

“Dr. Disasa has done so much for us,” he said. “It’s a gigantic improve­ment in their lives and it’s almost nothing for us.”

Sigma Nu began sponsoring Ad­beta last year during his sophomore year, after raising funds from its an­nual doughnut sale. Eldridge said the fraternity will continue sponsor­ing Adbeta through his senior year, at which point they will move on to an­other student.

“We are definitely going to con­tinue sponsoring at least one student a year,” Eldridge said. “All it takes is one fundraiser a year.”

Two other Ethiopian students sponsored by Laurens County groups have high hopes for their futures. Gurmesa Teka, a 19­-year-­old 11th grader, sponsored by the Martha Dendy Sixth Grade Center, hopes to be a doctor or lawyer. Ayane Adabe, an 18-­year-­old 11th grader, sponsored by the T and T Sunday school class at First Presbyterian Church in Laurens, hopes to work in accounting or in nursing.

Disasa said dreams like those of Teka and Adabe are achievable thanks to these donations. He said BESS students have gone on to find careers in the medical field, educa­tion, and government.

In fact, BESS holds a special spot in Disasa’s heart. In 1968, he was among the first group of students to graduate from the school. He also taught at the school for eight years. He said he is passionate about giving back to the school where he got his start and providing kids with the chance to live successful lives.

“I totally believe in the idea of connecting kids with possibilities,” he said.

posted by sadyer@presby.edu