Ethiopia Trip of a Lifetime 2008 - 2008ethiopiatrip

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Hi Everyone,

Everyone is having a wonderful time so far.  Today we went to Wolliso to visit with another wonderful Canadian Feed The Children partner, CHAD-ET.  Wolliso is a 2 hour drive from Addis through some very beautiful countryside.  We reached the partner office around 10:30 this morning and was given a briefing about CHAD-ET and the sponsorship program funded by CFTC.  The media - Ethiopia Television - was there to greet us as well.  After a brief presentation we headed out to a kindergarten, where we were greeted by the most enthusiastic 4 year old I have ever met.  She ran out the door of the school with her arms wide open ready to hug and shake hands with her Canadian guests.  We visited a few of the classrooms and got to play with some of the children while they were on their lunch break. 

After this, we went to visit a government-run school where a lot of the children in our sponsorship program study.  There were 20 classrooms accommodating more than 1500 children.  The average class size was 80 to 100 children and the classrooms were in disrepair.  There were hundreds of students there to meet us and all were eager to have their photos taken.  We heard a lot of giggles and the children followed us around the school.  Krisitn's long blonde hair was quite an attraction for some of the children - she had her hair pulled a few times!  The kids were amazing and seems to be completely fascinated by their visitors.

After the visits we had lunch with the program staff of CHAD-ET and the Ethiopian media at a wonderful eco-lodge that was home to some really beautiful butterflies and lots of monkeys.  On the drive home, we stopped midway to take some photos of some beautiful huts, and a young girl about the age of 16 and her younger brother came out to greet us.  She was in the middle of her homework, but she was pleased to invite us into her home to see it.  It was very sparce, contained a bench, a small room where their food is kept and another small area where they keep their animals.  When we left her house, some of her neighbours came out to greet us, including a small child about 2 years old.  After this visit we returned to Addis.

Tomorrow we will be heading down to Meki to meet with AMDO and we will spend the next 4 days exploring the south of the country - right down to Arba Minch.  We won't be able to blog until we get back. 

I did forget to mention that I met the sister (Tigist) of a good friend of mine on Tuesday.  She brought her niece over to see me as well, and we took a few photos.  I am hoping to have time to go and visit his family on my last day.  Sorry for the lack of photos, we are not having much luck uploading them.  You might have to wait until our return to to see the rest of them. 

 

This was written my Ian on the bus this morning....

 

When did you last have burning charcoal in your living room or a meeting room?

As you know, is the home of coffee.  The coffee ceremony is a very important part of Ethiopian culture and we have been privileged to take part in several such ceremonies.  It is traditionally performed by the ladies of a village or community, either just a gathering of friends or neighbours or more formally to discuss problems on conflict resolution.

So what is it?

It is conducted by one body sits in view of the assembled people seated in a horseshoe.  She burns in an earthen ware bowl of glowing charcoal embers over which coffee beans are roasted in a small pan.  Once they are smoking she passes amongst the people whit he pan to let them smell the aroma of the roasting coffee.

Traditionally the beans would be ground and used to make a pot of very strong coffee.  Ornate pots are used and the water boiled on the charcoal.  However, at the ceremonies we have attended the coffee has been pre-prepared.  Whilst the coffee is being pounded incense is thrown on the charcoal so the room is filled with the pungent sent of burning incense (At one occasion the room we were in was filled with so much smoke, it would have set off a detector had there been one).

The coffee is served in small cups and normally drunk with two spoonfuls of sugar.  Snacks are passed around and at all the ceremonies we have attended the snack was popcorn.  I can't believe this is part of a historical tradition.

The coffee ceremony is used very effectively by "self-help" groups and community committees to meet and discuss their projects.  We witnessed this yesterday in Addis when visiting a partner - MCDP - when we gathered for a ceremony with the committee who administers a Canadian Feed The Children child sponsorship program in a very poor district of Addis Ababa.

The committee consisted of a teachers, a local government official, and parents who were all very willing to freely discuss the progress of the program.

As a coffee addict, these ceremonies are just "my cup of tea."

 

Hi Everyone

I am pleased to say everyone in the group is healthy and having a good time!

Today we went to visit 2 partners.  The first one was EDA - Emmanuel Development Agency.  After a great presentation by the Executive Director and the Program Manager, we visited some agricultural projects outside of .  We got to meet some of the local farmers, saw the crops they were growing and saw a grinding mill that was funding by Canadian Feed The Children.  The grinding mill was in another area of the village a few years ago and the women’s cooperative that was running the mill was evicted.  The government gave the women some land and Canadian Feed The Children gave the funds for a building and electricity.  Each of the women contributed a piece of equipment.  The women either buy the grains from the local farmers and sell it, or they charge the local farmers to grind the grains.  Without the mill the farmers would have to walk 7 km carrying the grains to the nearest grinding mill. 

We then went to a neighbouring village to see a medical clinic and met the local doctor and the nurses.  The clinic was bare bones, but its amazing what the local medical team is doing for the village that otherwise would not have access to basic medical services.  The doctor informed the group that most of the illnesses he is seeing are infectious diseases like parasites and malnutrition in the children and the area has a very high prevalence of HIV/AIDS.  The lack of clean water contributes to the illnesses of the village.  The clinic is equipped with basic medicines, so at least the children are treated for some infections.  The doctor is also doing basic dental care in the form of extractions and restoration.

After lunch at the Top View restaurant, we met with the Executive Director of MCDP - Multi-Purpose Community Program.  MCDP is located in a slum area in Addis and we were greeted by many many children who wanted to shake our hands.  After a wonderful presentation and a coffee ceremony, the gang walked up to a local weaving program run by a community cooperative.  After some great purchases, we drove across the city to another slum area to meet with a parent-teacher association.  During another coffee ceremony, the representatives from the community told us in their own words what the sponsorship program means to them and the community and some challenges they still face.  We then went to visit one of the sponsor children - a little girl by the name of Rahma and her mom who are both HIV positive.  She was so excited to meet her Canadian guests.  We took a few photos of her, and she was so pleased to see her image on the screen she kissed everyone’s camera.  

We finished up the day by having a traditional Ethiopian dinner with Gebriel, his wife and his 2 handsome sons. 

I realize there was no entry for our activates yesterday.  WE began a very early day - 4 am - to visit the ancient churches of Lalibela.  Lalibela is without a doubt the most beautiful area of the world I have ever seen.  For more on Lalibela, you can check out the videos under "Places we will visit."  Tomorrow we visit CHAD-ET.   

 

 

Another great day in ! Today we travelled to the Chancho region to visit Canadian Feed The Children’s partner, ISAPSO (Integrated Service for AIDS Prevention and Support Organization (ISAPSO) - an indigenous, non profit humanitarian organization dedicated to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS). With the support of hundreds of Canadians, this partner implements a child sponsorship program that directly benefits 600 children, providing education, healthcare, nutrition, and income generation activities for the parents.

 

Our first stop was at a local hotel where ISAPSO’s Executive Director, Beletu, hosted a wonderful presentation that gave a thorough overview of the organization’s activities. Before we even got out of the van we were greeted by singing children who presented each of us with a single red rose. What an honour! We also had the unexpected pleasure of meeting one of ’s gold medalists - Kenenisa Bekele. After some photographs and delicious coffee we moved on to see the projects first hand.

 

When we arrived at a local kindergarten we were once again greeted at the gate by singing children holding a giant “welcome” sign. We were then invited to join a kindergarten class where two very busy (and amazing) teachers were teaching 80 four-year-olds the ABCs! After some very cute songs (“brush your teeth” and “a week has seven days”), a short photo session, and lots of chatter, we made our away down the road to an elementary school.

 

We were once again welcomed with song and flowers - such is Ethiopian hospitality. At this school we saw a classroom in desperate need of renovation. Crumbling walls, holes in the roof, and potholes in the ground made this classroom unusable. We also saw three of the water taps were no longer working, leaving just one tap for 1200 students. We were surprised to learn this was a government-run school. Sadly the government does not provide funds for maintenance or renovations.

 

Since we arrived toward the end of the school day, the kids all followed us as we left the grounds to make our way to meet two Self Help Groups. These women’s groups are set up as “co-ops”. Mothers and guardians of the sponsor children are invited to join the groups. Together the women learn basic business skills, accounting, savings and more. With some training and start-up funds from Canadian Feed The Children, the groups go on to save money and eventually start a “revolving loan” system that allows them to take out small loans to start their own micro-businesses. The women were wonderful. They proudly showed us their saving books and shared with us their plans. It was great to see sustainable development in such a simple – yet profound – way.

 

Dinner at an Italian restaurant ended the group day trip, after which we returned to the hotel for some R&R. For some of us, R&R meant venturing down to the Merkado – ’s largest – for some hardcore shopping. I’m not sure any of us were quite prepared for the intense selling techniques, but we held our and walked away with a couple of good deals. When night fell, and the market shut down, our driver took us to one more store. A small – no a TINY – hole in the wall artisan shop. Somehow the owner managed to cram five us into a room the size of my closet. Much like my closet, this room was jammed pack full of stuff. From floor to ceiling there were thousands of masks, crosses, drums, bells, carvings, necklaces, rugs, bags, scarves, and artifacts. You name it, and the shopkeeper would scramble to pull it out of some dark corner. And the scrambling didn’t stop, even when the electricity went out on the entire street! We soon found ourselves shoulder to shoulder, in pitch darkness, trying to identify the many things that fell on us from above. “Don’t worry” the shopkeeper assured us as he pulled out some candles and continued to pull down items for us buy! Some fancy footwork (or more of a nervous shimmy) and few purchases later we were back on the road for a well earned good night sleep.

 

Tonight we’ll dream of Lalibella (tomorrow’s destination) as we hit the sack early for a 4:00 am start.

 

-Kris

p.s.

Check out the photos... the children's INCREDIBLY ADORABLE faces say much more than I could ever manage.

the most impotant part of the day!  The American Embassy is on the mountian and they are very strict about  photos being taken.  The tour guide told us on the way up NOT to even move the cameras.  On the way down we got a gentile reminder not to take photos.  Mr. Kenny was holding his camera to his chest, Heidi was taking pictures out of the otherside of the bus and Mark decided to put his camera over his sholder - all at the same time.  We were pulled over by the guards from the Embassy, and it turned out they wanted to see Mark's camera.  Thankfully, he followed the rules and there were no photos on his camera and the let us go, and let Mark keep his camera and memory card. 

Today Kristin and I went out exploring the city on our own this morning and immediately met up with a great city guide (a fifteen year old boy from the countryside who moved to Addis Ababa to attend grade eight). Our guide took us up to the Presidential Palace and a few local Christian Orthodox Churches - beautiful circular buildings that date back centuries.  One of the churches we saw is apparently where Emporor Menelik, his wife and daughter are buried.  Kristin even got to sit in the chair that he used when he came for church services.  We enjoyed a "colourful" historical overview where, among other wonders, we learned that Michealangelo himself had presented the church with one of the oil paintings (despite the fact that the church was not built until 1920!). After the church tour, we met up with some very old turtles (three men argued as to the exact age - either 35, 200 or 300 years) who were hanging outside in the church yard.  We then took a walk through a local residential neighbourhood and ended up back at the hotel for lunch.   Today was Marian Kenny’s birthday and the band playing at the hotel sang Happy Birthday and gave her a lovely cake that was said "Happy Birthday Marian and Kenny!".  You can see the photos from today.

 

At 2:30 we met Gebriel and the rest of the trip delegates for the city tour.  We were lead by a very knowledgeable tour guide who took us in a double-decker bus around all the city.  We visited the National Museum of Ethiopia, where we got to see “Lucy” - a fossilized humanoid found in the 1970’s.  We then visited Ethnological Museum which is set within Haile Selasses’s former palace (if you don’t know who he is, Google him, he was very interesting and is credited for founding the Rastafarian faith).  We then drove up to the mountain and around the city center to visit some very beautiful monuments that depict the rich history of Addis Ababa.  We also visited Orthodox Church and museum and learned some of the customs and history of this religion in .  We ended the tour by seeing the Great Mosque (but it was quite dark by this time) and a drive through the Merkado, which is Africa’s largest outdoor market.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to shop there, since is was  Sunday, but most of the group have agreed to go back for some shopping.

 

Tomorrow will be our first project visit and we are all really looking forward to seeing the impact of the programs.

 

Although the city is very poor and you can clearly see the infrastructure is acking, the people of Addis are very warm and welcoming.  We had people of all ages – including lots of children running to the street to greet us and welcome them to their country.  I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be here, and to work for an organization that cares so much about the children and families of Ethiopia.  I am also very grateful for being able to share this experience with such a wonderful group of people.

 

Ok I know this journal entry is getting a bit long, but that’s me – long winded!  Just a couple of more things before I go – Robin and Sandra, a shout out from your sister and she is wondering if you are really reading this blog??  I also wanted to say hi to my family and friends who are reading this and Michelle know that you are missed. How much we wish you were here.

 

 

The entire group arrived safe and sound from a very long plane ride.  After resting up from jetlag, we met with Gebriel, our Country Representative for for the orientation and got to know the group a bit more.  We then went to the Crown Hotel for a traditional Ethiopian dinner and a dance show.  The Crown Hotel is about 15 minutes on the outskirts of Addis.  Kristin had a bit of hard time with the food – she had only meat dishes to chose from, but the staff whipped her up some vegetarian fair.  The hotel was set up much like an Ethiopian hut, where we all sat around in a horseshoe on leather stools and chairs.  The music was amazing and the dancing was surreal.  They eventually got some of our group up to dance, with Mark leading the way. 

 

On the way to the hotel, we got to see a bit of the city.  The smells, sights and sounds are really hard for me to describe.  Its very busy, with people everywhere, horns honking and children chasing buses like ours.  The only way I can describe the smell is a campfire.  There are vast contrasts through out, with many many corrugated tin shacks on one side and elaborate buildings on the other.  We got to see some construction, and the scaffolding they use is interesting to say the least – most of it looked like tree branches pasted together.

 

Tomorrow we have the morning free, so Kristin and I are planning on getting up early and going for a walk around the city.  Then we have a city tour in the evening, followed up by a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony.  We will try to post more tomorrow. 

 

P.S.  I have added some photos from the dancing\! 

The gang is all here! We arrived safe and sound late last night (about 24 hours door to door, and longer for the Calgary travellers). We're off to have fun!

Lots to do before we head out. Good luck!

10/26/2008 8:42:15 PM - 002035527604

To everyone:

 

Just heard from Nigel and Cara and they have confirmed what Cindy and Andrew said earlier regarding the lack of internet access and therefore no blog updates.  Nevertheless, they said that the entire group is keeping well and continuing to enjoy their journey.

 

Regards,

Sandra and Maurice

10/26/2008 5:06:26 PM - 002035434659

To everyone with family or friends in Ethiopia,

We have just heard from Joy and Ian and they wanted us to mention that there is no internet access where they are at the moment, which explains why there have not been any blog updates recently. Everyone in the group is very well. They wanted us to let everyone know that they are all having a great time.

Regards,

Cindy and Andrew

10/22/2008 11:50:58 PM - 002035765140
Hi Cara and Nigel...been following all your adventures and enjoying viewing the pictures that are posted!  Enjoy your trip,it seems wonderful! All is well with everyone here!  Love to you both!  Robin, Bill and Christian (and Cruz, of course!)

10/22/2008 2:21:44 PM - 001081725790
Hi gang!  Well done on keeping us all posted. Be sure to take some photos of each of you there.  It will add to the slide show! Any sunrises?  Sunsets?

10/21/2008 4:28:58 PM - 002035438859
Hi Lisa, Checked out the blog and your pictures, so glad you are getting to enjoy this experience its simply amazing!!!! Keep us informed I will be checking it daily, You guys are a wonderful group of people. Take Care

10/21/2008 12:27:17 PM - 002035434659

Fantastic entries to the blog, Kris and Lisa! We really, really enjoy reading them, and the photos are amazing. We check the blog every day and look forward to sharing the whole gang's adventures and impressions of Ethiopia, and of the work CFTC does there. Benjamin blows you all a kiss!

from Cindy and Andrew Winterborn

10/21/2008 12:06:52 AM - 002035527604

Hi Nigel & Cara .... yes we have been following the blogs religiously and all of you appear to be having a wonderful time.  We are so happy for you.  Sandra, Maurice & Michelle

p.s. I wish I (michelle) was there !!!

10/9/2008 8:38:43 PM - 001060311723
Hi Gang! Can't wait to meet you all. See you at the airport :)