Our Projects in Eritrea

After two years of Eritrean border closures due to the pandemic, Elsa Michael, founder of Smile Project, was able to return to Africa a few weeks ago to resume direct contact with the people who are carrying out the various projects on the ground. Here is her account of an amazing journey

“It had been more than two years since I had last been to Africa,” Elsa said, “and the excitement and uncertainty of what I would find was very strong. Although I receive continuous updates from our projects in Eritrea, only being there in person allows me to fully understand the depth. What happened to the project’s that started before the pandemic? This was the question I was asking myself as I flew back to my country. But, what I found was surprisingly positive. Thanks to those working with me and despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, everything had moved forward, and the aid and materials I had sent had served to offer an improvement in life and prospects to the children and people living in the various centers. Now, I want to share with our supporters the story of my journey and the projects we would like to accomplish moving forward. Thanks to the help of several Smile Project supporters, we have created this interview that will help me to tell you about my adventure in Eritrea.”

How was your trip to Eritrea after two years?

Elsa: “It was very emotional because I did not know what I would find after two and a half years of the pandemic. I was afraid that the work I had previously done was lost. Instead, with joy, I found that everything has continued, people have worked hard to carry out the commitments, and the children in the various institutions are growing up with new perspectives for their lives.”

Tell us what you saw…

Elsa: “The first visit was to the Abraha Bahta School for the Blind, where 80 children study, from kindergarten to middle school. We have been helping the school for several years; we periodically provide educational materials such as Braille paper, printers, binding machines, etc. In addition, we have committed ourselves to renovating the entire school, from the kitchen to the dormitories to the clinic where the children are treated. At the clinic, the facility needs to provide a refrigerator for storing medicines, which, as you can imagine, is not of secondary importance here. Furthermore, we are working on constructing a well to water the schools vegetable garden. There is still a lot of work to be done, five classrooms need renovating, but we are slowly moving forward.”

How was your visit to the ERINAD Association?

Elsa: “The National Association of Eritrean Deaf and Mute (ERINAD) works to reintegrate people into their communities through vocational training and literacy. Also, we started a sewing workshop here in 2019. The school has expanded since we opened it, and 90 students have graduated, all of whom have found jobs. An Italian company that produces Made in Italy brands has hired 30 students. The government has also invested in the project with the intent to open other similar schools in the rest of the country. I offered my assistance, but they politely declined. It is a great satisfaction that we have achieved the primary objective of the Smile Project, namely to give them back their independence and self-sufficiency.”

Plans for the future?

Elsa: “The project that is closest to my heart is Eri Handcraft, where women can participate in sewing workshops and attend school. With what they have learned, they can return to their homes with the ability to create businesses in hopes of helping improve their families conditions. Unfortunatley, the project was paused due to the pandemic because the sewing machines I had sent to the center were stuck in lockdown. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the center had welcomed 200 women, of whom 80 were already attending a sewing course. The Eri Handcraft project has recently begun and has already grown exponentially. The site consists of a 10,000 square meter structure, where the masonry will be renovated. The Smile Project will provide tools, machinery, and a training program for sewing, modeling, weaving, basket weaving, and educational workshops. In the meantime, I will provide special fabrics, such as denim, which is used to sew certain garments and clothing. I plan to continue the Eri Handcraft project and its growth for the future.”

Did you return satisfied?

Elsa: “I came back motivated since I saw the projects are moving forward. The improvements and goals achieved by each structure were evident. We aim to support what they cannot do initially on their own, such as a renovation or creating a workshop. We will accompany them with follow-ups and plan to make them autonomous in the long run.”

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