The mud school, however, was never meant to be a permanent solution. Michael began contacting as many people as he could in as many countries as possible to help construct an adequate building and get funding to keep the school in operation. For years there was no help. Not yielding to failure, Michael decided to take action into his own hands by selling his own home in order to fund the project. With the money, he was able to build concrete buildings. The Ethiopian government extended support by having 24/7 survellaince with the presence of the Ethiopian army. This protects the children from frequent raids and violence that plague the region. Finally in 2006, the new school was inaugurated.
The Tilahun Belay Kindergarten is a school for orphans in Tembien, Ethiopia. When Michael first returned to Tembien in 2000, he built the school out of mud for immediate usage, after finding teachers to help. Michael went from village to village to save orphans – some were found living in trees by the river. Others were about to be shot by their own families since they could no longer afford to feed them. These are the children that Michael saved and recruited as his first class for his school.
The temporary "Mud School" that sheltered our first class.
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