A year-long project that brought over 250 Maltese and Ethiopian students and educators together has come to an end.
The Malta-Ethiopia Connecting Classrooms project saw participants from the two countries connect through digital classrooms, interactive sessions and cultural exchange.
Educational materials were translated into Amharic to support their continued use in Ethiopian schools, while a documentary capturing the project’s journey will be presented at the 11th Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (CoSP) in Doha.
Locally, the project was led by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism together with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The project’s concluding ceremony was held at Ġnien Carmelo Dimech in Mosta on Friday evening. The event also featured the planting of trees to mark the project.
Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, was joined by Environment Minister Miriam Dalli for the event.
Borg said the project had improved relations between Malta and Ethiopia.
“Nearly 200 students together with those from Ethiopia discussed our principles and values—those of the rule of law, democracy, and the fight against corruption. We could see what these meant for our young participants, who, together with their educators, have shown great interest in these subjects. I believe that such a project will leave its mark.”
Dalli said the initiative “is integrating important values for our students – values like integrity, the importance of looking out for one another, and key environmental principles. The trees these children are planting will remain a living reminder of these values”.