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New Generations, Old Challenges: Questioning Grassroots Development in the Horn of Africa
JOURNAL OF YOUTH RESEARCHES
I always walk barefoot on every dangerous surface. I am frequently tortured by
stones all over my way. Sometimes we carry woods and other building materials.
These challenges have affected our learning achievements. As we lose three to four
hours by walking on daily basis (HOARCM30, 24/04/11).
In fact, costs and challenge of the journeys get much worth when students have to decide
to register to Gunchire or Mikke for their secondary education. HOARCM29 (24/04/11),
a student at Mike Senior Secondary School also shares a grievance which he claims
common to all friends.
A trip to Gunchire costs ten to fifteen birr while Mikke costs only three to four birr.
So, we preferred to go to Mike, without considering the quality of education. On a
weekly basis, we need to travel minimum of two hours carrying our food. We usu-
ally leave to school on Sundays, and we come back home on Fridays. Neighboring
the school, we rented a room for which we pay 70 birr per month, while even that
amount of money becoming unaffordable.
Moreover, the primary schools under consideration have no fences and guards to protect
students’ physical security. So commonly, cattle and residents come to damage school
properties such as grass and trees in addition to frequent harms on classroom properties.
“In my observation the prominent problems are absence of any school fence, library and
water service in the school” (HOARCM16, 23/04/11). Highly discouraged by facilities,
most teachers do not leave the school mainly for the sake of the community’. “The single
female teacher that we have in Dobba primary school stays only for she likes the commu-
nity” (HOARCM31, 23/04/11).
According to residents and institutional officials, the cause of all these problems is lack of
permanent financial support and continuous follow up by the government. HOARCM31
(23/04/11) informs, “The school has no any internal means of capital. All works and ser-
vices are funded by annual contributions from the neighboring community”. And, de-
spite all these difficulties, selected students from Dobba Primary School stood first out
of 73 schools that show up for a district wide question-answer competition (HOARCM31,
23/04/11). As the closest possible body to the grassroots, the local government has the
responsibility to address severe infrastructural affairs (Odo, 2014). The paradox is that
concerned government bodies expect the community to cover all the required finance
to run the schools even with such a failed standard. The community continues to urge
assistance from any possible source, underlining its incapability.
Impediments to Health and Sanitation
The Ethiopian government claimed to have made impressive developments in health sec-
tor and expects to achieve the MDGs in health care. The government has initiated Health
Post (HPs) projects, commonly called Tena Kella, throughout the rural neighborhoods
as part of the famous Health Extension Program. Health posts are the most peripheral
