About Us
Building work on the new centre
New Mums for Mums Centre - construction of the second wing has commenced, fund-raising still in progress
Last update to this page: 28th July 2007.
During 2005, we succeeded in raising sufficient funds to begin the construction of our new centre as our previous premises were temporary and we were rapidly getting too big for them! In July 2006, we moved in and are currently trying to raise funds to complete the second half of the building.
We moved into the new building in July 2006 as the first wing was almost complete. Initially, we were still using two containers for training. As of July 2007, two wings are complete - the office block and the training rooms. The new centre includes office space, training rooms and a cafeteria in which we plan to sell products prepared as part of the food preparation training. We have planted a lovely garden in which we have flowers, herbs and vegetables (used in our Food Preparation training). The tukul will eventually be equipped as a creche, so young mothers can leave their children in care whilst they attend their skills training at Mums for Mums.
You can see the updated site plan in our October-December 2006 news letter (PDF file), showing the building progress to date. The newsletter also outlines other new projects we have been working on.
The centre was designed by a British architect, free of charge. The Municipality of Mekelle donated a suitable plot of land in the town. We have enlisted the voluntary help of a local experienced construction manager and a pair of German architects who are living here to help in the building process.
Due to financial constraints, the new centre is being built in phases. We still need more funding to finance future phases. If you would like to help by making a donation to the building fund, please complete our Enquiry Form or Contact Us by email or phone.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the new Mums for Mums Centre was conducted on December 5th 2005. There were more than 120 people present for the ceremony, , mostly beneficiaries of Mums for Mums services. The ceremony started with a blessing and prayer led by an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian priest followed by breaking of bread
(Himbasha - a traditional Tigray bread, baked as a large round loaf and eaten communally) especially baked by one of our supporters. You can see photos and read a report of this ceremony in our September-December 2005 newsletter (PDF file).
The photo to the right shows a scale model of the new centre. The cafeteria is at the front of the building, with offices and training rooms around the central courtyard. The covered walkways around the courtyard are to provide shade in the summer and shelter during the rainy season.
Home-based Care
We are currently expanding the Home-based Care programme to other regional towns outside Mekelle, including Axum, Adua, Shire and Maichew. Care-givers are being trained in each of these towns and we are providing them with the equipment they need. This project is being funded by Pathfinder International.