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Jun 04, 2023

Gary desks find new home in Ethiopian classrooms

When the Gary Community School Corp. rolled out nearly $8 million in new

When the Gary Community School Corp. rolled out nearly $8 million in new classroom furniture at all its schools over Christmas break, it wasn't the end of the line for its discarded furniture.

The desks and chairs found their way to classrooms in Ethiopia, as part of a program called Bread and Water for Africa.

"Even with the equipment and resource challenges our district has faced, we still recognize that there are others in need. It feels so good to be able to help others no matter where they are," said Gary district manager Paige McNulty.

Through a vendor, the district came in contact with the IRN Network, a surplus furniture "matchmaker" that finds new homes for usable desks worldwide.

Gary's old desks are now in Kechin Mesk Elementary and Junior High and Nefas Mewucha Junior High School in northern Ethiopia, the second-most populous country in Africa.

Ethiopia experienced a violent civil war in 2021 and 2022 that destroyed the students’ desks. Officials there said about a quarter their students had to complete their classwork sitting on wooden benches made from tree trunks.

Some kids had to sit on flat stones, if no bench was available.

In January, IRN brought its own trailers to Gary schools and loaded them with furniture.

In all, Gary donated 7,216 pieces of furniture that totaled about 83 tons. The items included desks, chairs, tables and cabinets.

Gary students know about hardships themselves. Many are from single family homes with poverty level incomes.

A shrinking city and district population led to the closing of dozens of schools in recent years and financial struggles that triggered a state takeover in 2017.

Now run by a private education management firm chosen by the state, Gary is poised to possibly leave state control next year. An appointed school board will be in place in July that will be authorized to select its next superintendent by 2024 if the state removes it from further scrutiny.

Coming back to new classroom furniture after Christmas stunned and excited many students. School officials said some schools have waited decades for new classroom furniture.

Gary students know their old desks are now in African schools.

"Our children are witnessing an extreme act of kindness and unconditional love," said McNulty.

Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.