A fond “ciao for now” to my Haya Hulet neighbourhood!

Three years ago  when I was new to Ethiopia I hesitated, somewhat fearful of the options before me – a line of blue and white taxis heading up the hill on Togo Street from the Haya Hulet (22) intersection on one side and a line of donkeys in tandem as I made my way to the VSO office. Should I risk getting kicked (I had read that donkeys can kick really hard) or brushed aside by a moving vehicle? In truth, there was nothing to worry about. Over the past two years I have come to enjoy these neighbourhood donkeys as they peacefully and stoically go about their work of carrying heavy loads – they are for hire and people order x number of “donkeys” of sand, wood, etc. When they have free time they lounge about, frolic in the open spaces or peacefully graze along the ditches.

African proverb: “If a donkey kicks you and you kick it back, you are both donkeys!”

My Addis Ababa neighbourhood has transformed drastically since I moved here two years ago; currently it has become a massive construction site along the main road and intersection due to construction of a light rail system for Addis. A reminder that nothing stays the same. Still, Haya Hulet has retained a sense of community for me as my small daily/weekly routines reassuringly continue. As I bid farewell to my volunteer life in Ethiopia, I want to appreciate the ways I have been nurtured by my neighbourhood in Haya Hulet (22) over the past two years by providing some glimpses of my routines and the people who enriched my life.

This bakery sells tasty pita-like breads called ambesha, that toast up nicely for breakfast or sandwiches

Bread and roses! This year I decided I would treat myself to fresh Ethiopia grown roses all the time – why not when they cost 10 cents each and are so fresh they can last for up to ten days?

The Black and White Hair Salon near St Gabriel’s Hospital of Djibouti Street where Dereije took good care of my hair

Black and White is a hive of activity on a Saturday afternoon!

The Mesti Cafe is a good quiet spot for breakfast in the sunny courtyard

Here I enjoy scrambled eggs in tomato sauce with a new friend Anke, who came to visit from Mombassa during the recent Kenyan election. She opened a nursery school there but lives most of the time in Vancouver so the next time we meet will be back home for a buna on Commercial Drive I expect! Anke and I met online in a discussion group last September while taking a UBC course on Culture, Communication and Development that is part of the International Development Certificate we are both completing.

The Getfam Supermarket, my “go to” place for whole wheat pasta and other products not available in the smaller shops, is having a massive new building attached to the side

Eucalyptus scaffolding is a common sight with so many buildings under construction 

The main drag near my place at the Haya Hulet intersection is Haile Gebre Selassie Street (after the Olympic runner). Over the past few months all the shops have had to move back about 10 meters to make way for the road construction. It is amazing how quickly they de-construct and re-establish themselves in a couple of weeks. All this moving makes walking even more hazardous, and really, really mucky now that the rainy season has arrived!

It began a few months ago with roads being dug up and new pipes laid; some people say that also accounted for power and water cuts and internet cable problems…

Up Togo Street and along the “middle road” closer to my place things are a bit more tame. This small shop has become my favourite shop for  fruits and vegetables – the sunny smiles of the helpful friendly staff  could brighten even the most overcast rainy season day. They will tell you not to buy the papaya if they are “not good” and are expert at selecting the best pineapple or avocado

There is a lot packed inside this tiny shop!

Colourful produce brightens up many corners of the neighbourhood

This building, the Gollugul Tower, was unwrapped about a year or so ago – when I first arrived  it was swathed in blue plastic and we used it as a landmark to find the VSO office, which has since re-located about a 20 minute walk away, down off the Getfam RoadBy the park along Togo Street is this man who weaves baskets – I got my laundry basket and tiny side table from him and he has never given up trying to sell me more

The Veronica Hotel is another landmark on the way up the hill to my place, right next door to the Pride Bar that was a gathering place before the VSO office moved out of the neighbourhood. Togo Street has become even more crowded and hazardous since the construction began

Literally operating a “hole in the wall” shop, this guy magically appears and then puts the fence back up when he closes;no one would guess he has his sewing machine inside!

This is what Haya Hulet intersection looked like a few months ago before the start of construction…on the right are the contract taxis that make Haya Hulet their base

Here is Daniel, an excellent taxi driver based at the intersection, taking his daughter to school!

The past few months I have gotten very expert at negotiating reasonable taxi fares due to my painful knee ligament flare-ups. I am hoping that my knee will heal up nicely once I am home on solid and even pavement.

All these shops had to move back about 10 meters and many disappeared altogether – this is what it looked like in January

And now, in the midst of the construction, people dodge heavy equipment and shield their eyes from the dust

This is what Haya Hulet looked like this week!

A sign showing more construction to come as the vendors “carry on regardless” amidst the construction dust and noise   Ato Mitiku is always cheerful, efficient and fun to visit – his shop is where I always bought my phone cards to top up the phone and the laptop

When the shop disappeared a couple of months back we were worried but my nearby neighbour and sister volunteer Judy found out from the guy selling newspapers on the sidewalk that Mitiku had relocated kitty corner and down a bit under the Chicago Pizza place. We were delighted to find him again and to learn that his 3 Birr discount on a hundred Birr card was still in effect!

Across from the Mesti Cafe is Ato Negash’s shop where we go for local gin or wine, Ambo mineral water and sometimes candles, eggs and laundry soap.

Here Judy is trading in some bottles and Ato Negash’s grand-daughter Almaz is in charge. Ato Negash has a perplexing system of noting down the bottles you have taken in a large notebook and then leafing though pages and pages to locate your name to see if you owe him or he owes you. He scolds me because he cannot find my name for the gin bottle because it was two  months ago – why not drink faster, he suggests!

I will miss the distinctive and loud cry of the mop and broom guy who plies the laneways and never gives up trying to sell me his wares

This has to be the nicest couple in the world

We call them “Mr and Mrs Hope Electric” with their side-by-side shops. She sells pajamas and clothes while his electric shop is jam packed with everything you need – and he can fix anything! Often they give you a cup of traditional coffee when you come by. He rigged up a creative three piece extension cord system so I could have a bedside lamp;for this I am eternally grateful. Then when the front of my iron fell off, he screwed it back together – no charge. Same thing when the dial fell off!

Nahuta Market became a favourite soon after it opened this past year – it’s where I go for candles, olives, soft (toilet paper), coffee and imported wine, local cheese, eggs, yoghurt and butter- they also sell party hats!

And gas canisters

Walking around the neighbourhood has become more challenging each day, especially with daily rains that create thick, goopy mud

So when I saw these platform shoes for sale on Djibouti Street I had to laugh out loud. Imagine wearing them in the muck!

Here is Wini at her Gourmet Cafe about a block from my house

This amazingly popular place, open now for eight years, serves very tasty high quality “ferenji” food. Wini’s friend Mimi creates fabulous cakes, including carrot cake, and her strawberry tart is the best ever! Wini also has build a school near her home town and over a bowl of her chicken soup yesterday she told me she plans to be back in the US soon to raise funds to support it.

The cafe patio is a great place to meet friends on a sunny day

Yesterday Wini inherited the remains of my truffle oil and vanilla beans since she is the only person I know who would actually appreciate and use them! A few months back she came over to my place to learn how I make biscotti.

Henok and I met for a final lunch at Tedy’s Snack off Djibouti Street near the Awaris Hotel- one final bowl of Ful. Amazing how different the Ful is in every cafe!

The Road Runner Cafe, scene of my last jambo (draft beer) last night with this gang of volunteers, come to bid me adieau.

I was happy to hand over my leopard housecoat to Brian and the non-stick frying pan with glass lid to Sun and Howie. It has been a busy few weeks of giving away most of the worldly goods I’ve accumulated over the past three years.

Immediately after, I had a final feast of Almaz’s famous tibs (she knows they are my favourite and surprised me with some – how sweet). Soon after, we had a round of tearful hugs, I scratched Titi and Rocky behind the ears but Pico was uncharacteristically elusive and refused to say good-bye; I think he was punishing me for leaving. Earlier in the day he snuck into my packing madness and peed on the floor! Ato Kifle and Sami took me to the airport and after hours of check-in, two security checks and immigration fingerprinting I finally flew off about 1:30 am on one of Ethiopian Airlines other (not grounded) Dreamliners to London – I must say that despite the troubles Boeing is having with these planes, they are lovely, spacious aircraft.

Almaz served one last cup of traditional Ethiopian coffee just before I left for the airport

I hope to be back in a few years for a visit. Shelagh and I have talked of coming to see Henok graduate from medical school and I will want to see how Sami, Meron and Eyob have grown up as well as  connect with old friends from Woldia and in Addis. It would be fun to see the transformation of this city; by then there should be a functioning light rail system to ease the traffic problems and many more completed buildings. In the meantime, thanks to email and Facebook we can stay connected, as they like to say here, “from time to time”!

Son and father sleeping in the sun – yes, I will be missing these guys!

But for now it is ciao to Ethiopia and my good neighbourhood as I head home with a pit stop in London to see VSO friends and relatives before the big wedding in Nelson, BC of my niece Lea and a chance to reunite with the whole family at a joyous celebration at the August long weekend.

Thank you Ethiopia – you have taught me a lot! Over the next few months, as I transition to  life back in Vancouver, I’ll be reflecting on how I have been changed by this experience before I close this blog following the Cuso International RV (returned volunteer) weekend in Ottawa next November.

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My weekend in Harar = hyenas, coffee, khat, baskets and so on…

The Ethiopian Airlines flight landed smoothly and on time and as we stepped out into the sweltering heat of Dire Dawa a man with a sign saying “Welcome Marian and Howard” immediately packed us into his minibus and drove us up into the much cooler mountains lush with crops and intricate stone terracing. I was pleased that “Howard” aka “Howie” decided to join me on this expedition – he is a Canadian volunteer who’s been here for about 3 months now. He has lived in many parts of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean so it was fun to share this experience with a seasoned traveler who also happens to be a “foodie” like me! He and his housemate Mingfei Sun, a young IT volunteer from China, will be inheriting a lot of my kitchen stuff later on this week when I leave Ethiopia and I have no doubt this will advance their culinary adventures…Maize, coffee, khat are the major income generators in this area

Harar is located in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, about 525 km from Addis Ababa and 43 km from the lowland and very hot city of Dire Dawa. It take less than an hour to fly and 8-10 hours by road

Closer to Harar we sped past a lake that is apparently great for bird life

Biniyam, our terrific guide, met us at the gate to the old city of Harar, know as Jagul and led us down the narrow labyrinth of streets  to Rewda Guest House to drop off our backpacks

I had seen pictures of this traditional Harari house from other volunteers, but you really have to see it to believe it!

There are about 100 of these family houses still in operation in Jagul and each one has the same configuration with platforms at different levels for various household members to sit ( we won’t dwell on the male superiority embedded in this…). The walls hold the treasured baskets of the family, made by the women, some of the largest taking months to complete. A girl needed to make a certain number of various types, including” Mother-in-Law” baskets prior to marriage. A more recent addition is the colourful enamel ware from Asia that seems to blend in perfectly.

The carpets are imports from the middle east but Biniyam flipped one up to show us an original woven carpet underneath

The four large black containers on the shelf are the family “bank” originally containing coins, jewelry, incense and seeds

We flipped a coin and I got the upper room in the main house and Howie got one in the courtyard next to the shared bathroom

Rewda’s Guest House has about 3-4 rooms for rent within the family compound. Normally she serves a delicious breakfast but because it is now Ramadan we paid a bit less and ate out in the new town. Harar is considered the spiritual heart of Ethiopia’s large Islamic community and the fourth holiest city of Islam. Almost the entire population of Jagul is Muslim, although there is one Ethiopian Orthodox Christian church and one Catholic church in the city. We were treated to late night chanting (with a bit of excessive drumming in my opinion) but it did add to the authenticity of experience!

Every one of the hundreds of narrow streets offers fascinating views – it felt like going back in time (if one blanked out the electric wires and satelite dishes!)

Time for lunch at the atmospheric Hirut Restaurant where the chef puts on a good show in the open kitchen

Voila – Special Tibs, made with goat meat served with awaze paste and a basket of bread.injera to scoop it up

After lunch we took a tuk-tuk above the old town to get a birds eye view of the wall built in the 1560’s

Biniyam estimates about 40,000 people currently live in Jagul

On the hillside I was pleased to get close up to some meskel daisies; these are sold for the September 27th Orthodox Christian Meskel celebrations all over Ethiopia but I had never before seen them growing in the wild

Then we proceeded down to the Buda Gate, one of the 5 main gates of the old city

Harari women dress very colourfully so every view is a visual feast

Shiro and berbere among the many tasty blends available by the kilo – when I asked for a small handful of Danakil salt and a bit of tikur azmut (black cumin) to bring home, they didn’t charge me because they consider these amounts too small!

Fire finches enjoy free samples too!

Biniyam squeezed some beans (goolow) to show us how these oily beans are used for their greasing the traditional clay injera griddles. I was able to finally understand what Dirib had tied to explain to me in Woldia when she showed me how to make injera; at the time I had been confused when  she indicated that the grease she had in an old tin was from a bean!

This market is huge – here a whole section is dedicated to re-cycling the ubiquitous yellow oil containers

When you are fasting from sun up to sun down an afternoon nap can be very tempting!

Women carrying heavy loads of wood

I saw many more women carrying things on their heads here than anywhere else I had been in Ethiopia

How heavy is this?

Lovely colourful walls presented themselves at almost every turn

Harar has 90+ tiny mosques as well as several large ones and is said to have the largest concentration of such shrines in the world

Each one unique

The Indian influence is seen on a number of houses with interesting balconies and roof finials

The Rimbaud Museum in a building restored with funds form France to celebrate the 12 years French poet Arthur Rimbaud spent in Harar in the late 1800’s

Rimbaud poetry on the walls!

Frescoes on the ceilings

Sketching journals

An interesting collection of old photos

Great views of the old city

Including for the massive kites that circle overhead!

This is the Blacksmith area closed now for Ramadan

An old wall being restored in traditional fashion

Harar is a UNESCO World Heritage site and awarded a Peace Prize in 2002-2003 for being a role model of different cultures and religions living in harmony

The main Harar gate with the UNESCO and Peace Prize plaques

Ancient stone steps lead to a mosque

Isn’t it time for some coffee?

Divine aroma!

Grinding and packing the buna  by the kilo – yes there is some coming home to Vancouver with me!

Nure Roasted Harar Coffee – famous all over Ethiopia!

Traditional basket replica outside a mosque

As night falls the hyenas come out. This has been a tourist attraction of Harar since the 50’s or 60’s

Howie is kissed by a hyena!

Howie and hungry hyena with meat in his mouth

I decide its not that scary but ask for a longer stick

Then get braver and make him do tricks

But realize that hyenas are really heavy (males weight 80-85 kg and females 85-90) and I don’t want it pressing on my back so say “Get this thing off me – beka (enough) and woraj (stop)” Hey but I DID it! His name was Willie I think – all these hyenas have names!

In daylight we see the site of the hyena feeding – a shine to a Muslim saint – these often are build with sycamore trees planted on top that eventually merge with the shrine as this one has…

Next morning Biniyam picks us up to go to eat ful at his favourite spot and I down a double makeeto in anticipation of another big day of sight seeing

We hop a line taxi to Aweday about 5 km away and the site of Ethiopia’s largest khat market – that’s a typical khat bundle being carried on her head. The khat is wrapped in wet leaves to keep it moist…I decide the architect of the building on the left must have been chewing!

Entering the khat market into another world!

Khat must be consumed within 48 hours and this place bustles 24-7 with trucks speeding off to Djibouti and Somaliland with top quality khat. The fresh green leaf is a mild stimulant that is legal in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen and Somalia

We climbed up the stairs for a better view of the massive scene and this girl asked me to take her photo

Room after room is full of chat being sorted and bundled by men

Biniyam displays a bundle of the best, costing about 1000 Birr ($60 CDN)

We were told that khat is a big income generator for Ethiopia and because it grows faster than coffee and is worth more it is taking over coffee production in the region. And no, I did not try any – my metabolism is already speedy enough!

Back in Jagul we continued to tour. This is a house that future Emperor Haile Selassie is said to have lived in until age 18

Now being transformed into a museum to preserve/display the history of Harar

For lunch we met a couple of fellow volunteers, Helen and Mark Anthony, from nearby Haromaya University for a leisurely lunch at a local ferenji spot called Fresh Touch in the new town, then meandered back to Rewda’s to relax a bit in the courtyard and watch the kids playing.  When we got there a goat had just been slaughtered at the gate so we had to wait for the blood to be hosed away before we could get in…!

A future hyena tamer practices on the cat with the freshly slaughtered goat meat!

Later on we wandered back to Hirut for dinner and conversation with Biniyam – since he knows every detail of his city and the history of Ethiopia and has become very well aware of many parts of the world from his interactions with tourists from all over, he is a great conversationalist. At 25 he has a bright future ahead of him I am sure. Every aspect of our visit was a delight; he seemed to know exactly what tell us and what to show us, tailoring the walks to suit our interests and ensuring we did not miss any highlights that if we were simply wandering about on our own we would surely have missed.

Like a peek inside a flour mill

Or where to find the expert who makes fetira in this giant griddle

Sunday morning we set off for another cafe to sample fetira with egg and honey and spicy chechebsa, both very tasty!

Then took a walk through the peaceful early morning streets to the mango market – it is mango season and donkeys are the main transporters using these attractive leather saddles

Mangos galore

This donkey had a loud opinion!

Back inside the old city past another one of the gates near the mango market

Inside a well known Harari  family compound attached to a mosque

Finally we arrive at the tomb of the man who built the Harar wall – Ibn Nur al Mujahadeen

Domes can tell you if the person was a warrior, politician, scholar or spiritual protector. They have 99 protrusions to indicate the 99 names of Allah and also for practical reasons to maintain the structure by allowing climbing for upkeep and painting.

I had a scarf to cover my head and took off my shoes to see inside – this tomb is surrounded by other graves

This little guy came in with me!

Late morning we hustled back to collect our bags for the drive back to the Dire Dawa airport and the flight home to Addis after a great weekend in Harar.

Statue of Ras Mekonnen, father of Emperor Haile Selassie and the man appointed by Emperor Menelik to rule Harar after defeating Emir Abdullah at the Battle of Chelenko in 1887

Final photo as we head back to the airport – thanks Biniyam for an absolutely perfect Harar tour!

NOTE: Anyone wanting to contact tourist guide Biniyam can email him at feresmegala@gmail.com or call 0911 076 059

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The long and winding uphill road to “engendering” a university

On March 15, one week after International Women’s Day, I was amazed to receive an email from Atota Bedane announcing that a group of 5 teaching staff at Mada Walabu University had put together a gender proposal and were seeking the support of our Gender Directorate.

“We would like your overall support, at least professionally, your knowledge, skills and expertise/experience on the issue. As a result, we want to recruit at least 2 experts from the Ministry Gender Directorate, including Marian Dodds, as trainers.”

Atota had participated in several gender workshops I had done over the past couple of years in his role as a Higher Diploma Leader so that’s how he knew me. A well thought out proposal was attached to his message outlining what they had already done – amazing! I replied that I would be pleased to assist and asked when would they next be in Addis to discuss the plan.

Atota told me that he had some students pose and computer science students made this design to include on their proposal; later it was made into attractive banners

A week or two later Atota and Kedir arrived at my office to discuss their plan. Why do you two guys care so much about gender issues? I was simultaneously amazed at their initiative to draft an ambitious proposal to “Engender Higher Education Curricula to Ensure Equity and Quality of Education” and curious at such passionate concern for gender equality by two well educated young men (both have Masters degrees). One said he had attended a lot of gender workshops and had realized how important an issue it was for the country’s development. Both had seen female relatives suffer from lower expectations and opportunities. As University instructors they also wanted their female students to be successful.

Young women outside a shop in Robe, Oromia

The statistics speak volumes. Imagine the uphill struggle for an Ethiopian girl to make it all the way to grade 12 graduation, then be assigned a faculty and university, not necessarily her first choice of studies and likely far from home, only to be put on “warning” due to low grades and in some cases dismissed after the first semester?

Currently the MoE Gender Directorate is preparing a new Gender Education Strategy for the Education and Training Sector and the issues have become all too familiar to me after months of discussions and feedback sessions with educators working on the ground. The entire education system from policy level to the academic environment to physical infrastructures (think segregated hygienic toilets with locks and water available – only a dream in most schools here) present extra challenges for female students and staff.

MWU Gender Officer Abigiya poses in front of a banner that reads “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenges of reducing poverty, promoting sustainability and building good government”

The slogan “A country cannot develop without the full participation of all its’ citizens, both females and males” appears to have become the rallying cry and since about 96% of the academic and management staff are male, it is men who are often leading the way. The World Bank estimates that if Ethiopian women were fully integrated into the economy the GDP would rise by 1.9% per year, contributing much to poverty reduction. For universities, the key challenge is to make all campuses “Female Friendly” despite resource shortages.

Twice Atota and Kedir made the 800km round trip from Mada Walabu University to Addis to meet with me to share their ideas and gather resources as their plans evolved. I helped connect them with others in the Ministry, including my director Mekdes Eyoel who offered advice, encouragement and support to move things forward. Their flash drives were filled with gender resources from my computer. Despite Internet challenges they managed to email me drafts of their plans and I sent them feedback. Their university president was fully behind the plan and the requisite bodies approved enough of their proposed budget to allow them to complete the gender sensitization process and begin action planning for students and staff before the end of the academic year.

At the 11^th hour the MoE could not supply a car and driver so they overcame bureaucratic challenges I don’t even want to imagine to arrange for a car from their university to collect me and my MoE colleague Zaid and to bring us back! Kedir even made the trip to Addis with a terrific driver named Daniel just to ensure it all went smoothly.

On June 17th I was happy to be on the road and moving away from the pollution of the congested highway out of Addis…!

Breakfast stop at Mojo – Zaid, Daniel the driver, Getema and Kedir (L-R)

Along the Rift Valley lowlands we encountered a huge group of camels, likely on their way to the market

Ethiopian road trips invariably involve a stop or two to buy some of what’s in season – in this case onions!

After our buna break at Shashemene the landscape began to shift to narrower and more winding roads and the mountain climbing began, a suitable metaphor for the work ahead. I don’t imagine many people are invited to assist an entire university in “Engendering the curriculum” and I felt fortunate to be invited to help. Weeks earlier I had wondered if we would overcome the assorted challenges to pull this training off so, as I inhaled the fresh mountain air, I was especially pleased to be on this road trip 430 km southeast of Addis to Mada Walabu University in Robe, a town of about 70,000 in the Oromia region of Ethiopia.

Suddenly a baboon family appeared on the road ahead

Unexpected delights of the journey

Traditional houses dotted the roadside

We saw nyalas off in the grassy areas

And climbed higher and higher into the mountains

Abundant fields of wheat, barley and maize – delightfully lush patchworks of colour

Many more mosques in this part of the country

Standing up on garis seems to be common practice here – must have pretty good balance!

Looks like rain up ahead as we get closer to out destination

Warmly welcomed by Atota and Kedir, Zaid and I settled into a great hotel they had arranged for us in the nearby town of Goba and the team met over dinner to finalize the plans for the next day’s session, planned for about 10% of the 400 instructors at the university. Mada Walabu is newer university with about 5000 students. It is 6 years old and most of the construction is complete – they are fortunate to have a large ELIC/HDP building with offices, open space and a classroom.

Next morning we arrived to see the key message of the events announced on a giant banner!

The planning team: Kadir, Tesfaye, Kefale, Abigiya and Atota (L-R)

This dedicated team has a plan to educate and activate the university community (600+ students,150 instructors,450 administrative support staff and 50 top managers)  to effect changes that will advance gender equality and make MWU a model for others to follow…

Atota opened the training day for the instructors with an outline of the project stating that the gender issue is a burning issue that is on the global, national and institutional agenda. He said that gender equality is a key to poverty reduction, sustainable development and good governance in any society. Next he introduced the university president who is very supportive of this work

University President Dr Ketema Meskela spoke clearly and directly about the importance of gender equality to the university community and noted the key role played by instructors in moving things forward. I later learned over dinner that Dr Ketema spent four years in China doing his doctorate and can speak Mandarin!

Tesfaye presented data on attrition rates of female students to provide concrete examples of the current situation

Then we got down to a series of mini-sessions aimed at highlighting both the issues and actions that are needed to address gender equality at their university with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction. Three enthusiastic young Peace Corps volunteers working in the region were also invited to participate and may be able to offer additional support, especially for the female students as the project moves forward.

A yes/no survey warmed things up. Do you prefer a son to a daughter?

Do you think it is possible to achieve equality? Of the 400+ teaching staff, only 17 are female

Team member Abigiya is one of them! She has a Masters degree in Biology

Equal opportunity but not equal access on the real issues on the ground – lesson learned about the difference between equity and equality from group discussions using the story of the fox and the crane

Lunch break in Roba town at their favourite cafe – serving raw meat and shekla tibs (beef cooked over charcoal)

Group work on language use – a discussion on proverbs was especially popular

The afternoon ended with action plans being drafted and evaluations completed. The day was rated highly and many needs for further training were identified by the participants

While I summarized the evaluation forms and we further refined the plan for next day’s managerial staff training, my colleague Zaid took time to discuss the work of the MWU Gender Office

Abigiya and Zaid discuss her work in the gender office – the MoE Gender Directorate offers support and encouragement for such initiatives to increase the success of female students. Abigiya explained the sign designed  to celebrate high achieving students

This sign, initiated  by the Gender Office, is displayed on a library building to celebrate the highest achievers at the university; there are a number of female students in this category to be role models for others who follow!

The gender office has a plan to add a photo banner each year of the highest achieving students to be seen as an inspiration to all the students on campus.

On Thursday we conducted the training for the managerial staff

The morning training for managerial staff began with a panel presentation by the team explaining the results of the student training the previous week and a sobering analysis of the data on females students at Mada Walabu University. Higher attrition rates for female students, the issue of Gender Based Violence (GBV) identified by students on campus and the lack of gender responsive pedagogy set the backdrop for the managers to begin a deeper analysis of the issues and identify opportunities for actions to improve the situation within their respective portfolios.

Managerial staff listen closely

I presented a “gapped lecture” titled “Gender policy background, gender issues and gender mainstreaming at higher learning institutions in Ethiopia” with time for mini-discussions after each topic

Discussing information presented as it applies to their area of responsibility be it finance, clinic, support staff, public relations, etc.

Drafting some initial action plans to mainstream gender into their work. The feedback was positive and hopeful with a request for further training at the end

A final team picture!

By the end of June this part of the project will conclude with a training for administrative support staff on the issues and the roles that secretaries, guards, cafeteria workers and others can play in creating a safe and secure environment for all. No doubt the team will be submitting a proposal to further the initiative in the next academic year.

A surprise on our last afternoon was a trip up the Bale Mountain National Park to the Sanetti Plateau where Kafale, Abigiya, Zaid and I enjoyed the fresh air and awesome views at around 4000 meters.

Can you spot the hare?

Described in the Bradt Guide as “The world’s largest expanse of Afro-alpine moorland…renowned for supporting the most substantial extant population of the Ethiopian wolf … other mammals are the Abyssinian hare, the endemic giant molerat, and a number of other endemic small burrowing rodents.” I got a fleeting glimpse of a wolf, managed a snapshot of a hare and side stepped many rat holes while wandering around exploring the plateau.

Psychology instructor Kefale was thrilled to have his first visit to this plateau and I delighted in his exuberance as we hiked past giant lobelia trees

As a true Canadian, I couldn’t resist the urge to hug a tree! It was very breezy and bracingly cold.

Dead lobelia trees make lovely sculptures

I was surprised by how many small lakes there were…

A painters dream landscape…

The ground cover presented fascinating miniature worlds and the air was filled with birdsong

Lovely wildflowers Lichen covered rocks

Look hard and you’ll see a couple of the endangered Ethiopian red foxes – this was a rare sighting, thanks to the park guard in the back of the truck who spotted them as we headed back down the mountain

This is what they looked like in the President’s office!

I wish I could have hiked there for a few days. Other parts of the park can be enjoyed on horseback and rough camping is available with several simple mountain shelters with guards. Tourism in this area is in its infancy with huge potential for growth. The university offers Eco-Tourism and Tourism Management degrees. I met the Director and hope to connect him with counterparts back in BC who might be interested in sharing ideas.

The road home on Friday was another delight with an abundance of warthogs, some baboons, plenty of nyalas and even the surprise of a very large spotted hyena loping along the roadside in broad daylight as we traveled through the Rift Valley lowlands.

Why did the warthog charge across the road?

Maybe to meet up with his friend?

We passed this dramatic rock formation full of caves at Sebesebe. The region also has the Sof Omar Caves to explore, reputedly the largest network of limestone caverns in Africa

It was market day in some small towns along the route and as the journey progressed we passed many donkey carts loaded with people heading home

There are a lot more horses and riders in this region than I have seen elsewhere in Ethiopia, including women riders

We took a lunch break in Shashemene and great driver Deribe had some tasty skekla ground beef with injera

Mada Walabu University – an inspiring place to visit!

I have to say this was one of the best weeks of my time here as a gender adviser; I felt I was doing what I had dreamed I would be able to do when I signed on and, as I promised the group at MWU, if they email me when I get back home to Canada in a few weeks, I will do my best to continue to offer technical/academic support based on what they identify as their training and research needs.

Though their climb is steep I believe they are fit for the challenge and I wish them all the best. I deeply appreciate the hospitality and enthusiasm they shared; this will be a lasting great memory of my Ethiopian volunteer experience!

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My “visual tizeta”

I remember when I first saw his work in a gallery on Bole Road in Addis about 2 years ago. His unique montage technique using photographs and acrylic paints on canvas intrigued me and I took his card. Later  I saw his work at the Artisan’s Bazaar and it stuck in my memory. Preparing to go home to Vancouver I decided to buy one of his paintings with me as a reminder of my time in Addis.

Abiy Eshete – Artist

Then I got another idea – why not ask him to use my photos to create two paintings for me, one for my year in the northeastern highlands in Woldia and another showing Addis Ababa where I have spent the last two years?

Happily artist Abiy Eshete agreed to this collaboration and we agreed to meet the next week. I chose several hundred photos from my collection for him to consider. After my initial selection, I said the rest was up to him – I trusted him as the artist to decide which to use. A month later, when he brought me the finished products, I was ecstatic!

The son of a dentist, Abiy Eshete was born in 1985 in Ziway in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia.  He attended primary and secondary school in Ziway and then joined  Addis Ababa University School of Fine Arts and Design in the Department of Industrial Design, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in August 2007. He has worked as a full time studio artist since 2008 and has exhibited his work in both group and solo exhibitions in various Ethiopian art galleries. Today at 27 years of age, Abiy supports his widowed mother and 3 younger sisters, who still live is Ziway, with his art.

Program notes for a recent group show “Perception” March 23-April6, 2013 at Mama’s Kitchen in Addis state:“Abiy Eshete is an Ethiopian painter, based in Addis Ababa. His unique artwork portrays cityscapes through a creative montage of photographic cutouts merged with acrylic paint on canvas. Each of his “paintings” is a juxtaposition of assorted snapshot elements from diverse parts of the city, presented as a meaningful recreation of unified neighbourhoods, events and activities.”

Last Saturday I returned to Abiy’s studio, a small space atop a condominium building near the Gurje area of Addis, to ask him a few questions.

Abiy also works in acrylics and had several large paintings on display

What influenced you to become and artist?

At age 7 I was selected to take part in a Ministry of Culture special art class 2 days a week and given art supplies and tutoring along with about 15-20 other children.

View out his studio window

Which artists have inspired you?

Julie Mereto, Afewerk Tekle. I also like African masks and the work of Picasso and Monet

A large work about one square metre, recently completed

How did you develop your technique?

A few years ago I took a course in photography and became interested in the old buildings in the urban landscape of Addis. I had learned collage technique using magazines, etc. and then my own idea was to use photos. Through my experience I have used different media and content such as a creative montage of photographic cut outs merged with acrylic paint on canvas.

  “I am fascinated by the city unity in diversity, surrounding daily lives of people. the loves and sorrows, challenges and celebrations, dreariness and vibrancy”

Why do you want to make this art?

It is my vision, documenting day-to-day life and old houses. I want to contribute to documenting Addis urban life as it changes. I am fascinated by the city’s unity in diversity; and draw inspiration from the surroundings and daily lives of ordinary people. The loves and sorrows, challenges and celebrations. dreariness and vibrancy, etc. I believe I am documenting the urban transformation as I see it happening around me every day.

How do you do it?

I start with my vision, think about the front, back and side views from many angles and perspectives. Photos are glued on the canvas and then acrylic paint is used around and on the photos.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

To study and learn, develop my art. In the future I want to be a famous painter.

These two paintings created by Abiy using some of my photographs will hang on my wall back home in Vancouver, becoming my “Visual Tizetas”, evoking memories of my three years in Ethiopia. They will just fit into my suitcase!

Ethiopian Tizeta music is said to evoke memory, nostalgia or longing and has been compared to the blues in the western tradition. Listen to some “Ethiopian nostalgia music” to get the feel…

My Woldia painting: Gonderbar Road, Adago, Merchare Hotel, giant Poinsettia tree, donkeys, women with injera baskets, jerry cans of water, St George sign, tin roofs, crops after harvest, sun breaking through cloud over mountains after torrential rainstorm…

Detail from the Woldia painting

My Addis painting: crowding onto line taxis, anbessa bus, shoe shine guys, Arat Kilo, sheep, scaffolding and construction, shops, shanties and skyscrapers, Ministry of Education building, old piazza house, people everywhere…

Addis transforming – this is what Abiy sees as he leaves his studio

 Abiy currently sells his work through the Makush Gallery at the Hilton Hotel and can also be reached at eshete02@yahoo.com

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Lalibela! Lalibela!

The bus touts swarmed us at the Woldia manaharia (bus station) but we were experienced enough to play it cool. Whenever foreigners appears in Woldia they are accosted by shouts of “Lalibela, Lalibela”. This is the main reason anyone passes through Woldia – to visit the 11 rock-hewn churches of this famous UNESCO world heritage site and likely accounts for a large percentage of Ethiopia’s tourism income. But that was not our motivation to visit this time.

My travel strategy involved seeking out a bright looking English speaking young man who appeared to be trying to get on the same bus

“Hello, are you going to Lalibela?” I ask

“Yes I am”, he replied in good English

“Great, so are we, can you help us out?”

“Of course”,  he volunteered.

True to his word, he made sure we got seats and then helped us negotiate the second bus once we arrived in the chaos of small town Gashena. Turns out he is working for a German NGO that is involved in saving the endangered endemic Ethiopian wolf.

We squeezed onto a mini-bus going to Gashena  on the ashphalt road (aka the “China Road”) and hoped for the best…after all, these roads were more straightforward with fewer hairpin curves up the mountainsides

The last time Shelagh and I had done this trip we had taken a bus that diverted to a “short cut” gravel road where we had to ford a “small river” washout with 50 others on a 24 passenger bus. This time this one proved a better option…the road was good and the ride not bad, only a couple of stops to ditch extra passengers prior to the traffic police check and then collect them again a few kilometers ahead – they appeared to have sprinted through the fields to catch up. Well, Ethiopia is famous for its’ runners after all!

The second mini-bus from Gashena to Lalibela, fated to be stopped twice by the traffic police and once for onions!

Taking a buna break in Gashena while the mini-bus gets a tune up, Steve and Shelagh are anticipating meeting their Plan foster girl the next day in a small village near Lalibela

My motivation was to cut down travel time back to Addis by taking this route and flying back the next day. At the same time I would get to see our Scottish friend Susan who now has a flourishing restaurant, Ben Abeba, on top of a mountain in  Lalibela. Shelagh and I had seen it half built two years earlier and I had been back in January 2012. Since then I had sent countless other volunteers there to be nourished by Susan’s good home cooking and always got happy reports of her superb hospitality. I wanted to spend one more evening on the top of the world with good friends!

Looks like there’s room for a few more in here…

Typical scenes along the way

Sometimes it is just easier to sling a defiant goat over your shoulder!

Yes the woman (and the donkey) usually carries the bigger burden here…

Whenever a bus stops children instantly appeared to stare in at us and beg for pens, money and candies. I tried to get a good photo of girls but every time I made an attempt boys would jump in front of them with a grin. Yes indeed there is much gender work left to do here…

Heartbreaking as it is, when confronted by these kids, to hand out trinkets would result in literally dozens more appearing out of nowhere and demanding more. In Ethiopia there is never enough and, especially where tourists abound, the children have learned that begging often yields results. As development workers with concerns about long term solutions to poverty the challenge always is to balance compassion with pragmatism. I find that smiles and jokes, asking them some questions (what grade are you in?), some attempts at broken Amharic and showing them their photos on the camera screen works for me…

In the Bradt Guide author Phillip Briggs makes a good point  in his piece on responsible tourism: ” The thread that runs through my opinions is that you should never give things to people who ask just because you are a foreigner. The give-me, give-me, give-me attitude is prevalent enough already in Ethiopia;responding to it will only reinforce it.”

In Lalibela town itself the kids are trained to say “Welcome to Lalibea” and not to beg overtly. A favourite scam though is the one that goes like this: “I really want to learn English – would you please buy me a dictionary?”  The naive tourist is taken to a shop, pleased to support some poor kid’s education. The same dictionary has been sold hundreds of times, the shopkeepers are laughing all the way to the bank and the kid pockets few Birr as well! He could have been in school instead.

Showing off their hand made ball

Red onions skins drifted past my open window and scented our luggage as five sacks of onions added a weight to the roof that I though might cause it to cave in!

Our bus had several long unscheduled stops on the gravel road from Gashena to Lalibela. While it is only 60 km we spent time loading 5 sacks of red onions at one point and a hour long pause while the traffic police issued the driver with what looked like several tickets and smacked him in the face while half the passengers stood around and weighed in on the situation. Someone took an air filter hostage so the bus could not take off. In situations like this, the only smart move is to stay put and quiet and allow things to resolve. Eventually a fine was paid, the filter returned and we were on the road again.

Finally at about 4 PM we chugged up to the top of the mountain in Lalibela. 175 km, two mini-buses and 7 hours travel time. Oh well – it took Thomas Pakenham 4 days on a mule from Dessie to Lalibela so things have certainly developed since 1955!

After a deliciously decadent hot shower at the Top 12 Hotel set on the nearby cliff, we finally met Susan for our reunion at Ben Abeba –  Salut!

During her 6 years living in Lalibela Susan has opened a school and a restaurant and shows no sign of stopping with plans for accommodation in the works – not your usual retirement! Ben Abeba employs 32 cheerful young people who are being taught hospitality industry skills in cooking, serving, finance, management and customer service. I have no doubt this initiative will ripple out for years to come and improve the lives of many more Lalibela citizens.

This is likely the most beautiful kitchen in the country! The girl in the foreground in scrubbing out giant pan for the film set…

Ben Abeba gets great reviews on Trip Advisor and has made it into the new 2012 version of the excellent Bradt Guide to Ethiopia – only problem is they raved about her Shepherd’s Pie so now they are obliged to make it every day; one night they served 20 portions! Steve and I enjoyed it too while Shelagh opted for the meatballs and pasta.

And here’s a surprise – we are on a film set!

Susan’s Ethiopian business partner Habtam shows off the film set – turns out an Irish-American co-production is being partially filmed at Ben Abeba and the new flowers and plants will remain as a garden legacy. Titled “Wild”, this Lalibela love story is expected to be in theatres in about a year.

More railings and a glassed in area have been added since I last visited

And yet another surprise – Susan has Wifi!

Gardens and future sites for some small tukuls to rent out

Ben Abeba at sunset – a destination well worth the effort!

After a long and lovely evening reminiscing and catching up, we said our farewells and headed off to the Top 12 Hotel where I sunk into a decadent mattress with springs – foreshadowing what’s to come when I get home in two months after three years of VSO foam!

Tucked under a heavenly Lalibela angels quilt for a great night’s sleep…

Next morning Shelagh and Steve were collected by Plan officials to meet their foster girl and I chatted with two couples staying at our hotel en route to the airport who had enjoyed hiking in the mountains. The Swiss couple plan to visit Vancouver in the fall so I invited them to look me up there! He has been working with Medicins sans Frontiers in the Somali region for a while with interesting stories to tell. You never know…

Flying home over freshly planted fields

All these fields are still being ploughed by oxen – I was reminded of this as we walked past the Woldia Primary School on the way to the college

Bright green teff fields and small rural villages

Passing by the Simien Mountains our Ethiopian Airlines flight touched down briefly in Gondor and then smoothly took us to Addis Abeba

Deep gorges. No doubt about it – Ethiopia has stunning landscapes and rich potential

Home sweet home to the usual welcoming gang and then back to work the next morning after my 5 day adventure packed journey with good friends and two destinations that touched my heart.

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Woldia revisited

“Oh” said Shelagh “I think he is holding that air filter hostage!” We were enjoying a return visit to Woldia and Lailibela and the usual bizarre and at times hilarious adventures along the way reminded me of our ten months sharing a volunteer life at Woldia College of Teacher Education in 2010-2011.

Steve and Shelagh ready to board the Selam Bus at 5:30 AM to go to Dessie. They had come from Nottingham for a visit and I joined them for the Woldia-Lalibela part of their trip since it was my last chance to see the folks I know in Woldia and Lalibela before I leave in July

My companion at the window seat turned out to be an interesting fellow. A Protestant, he explained his work as a religious educator and I got some insights into his world view that helped me better understand the rising trend toward Protestantism in Ethiopia. I also felt refreshingly able to share my own perspectives with this obviously intelligent and committed man. We talked about the work they are doing to help the poorest members of their congregation and those infected with HIV, using the government 1:5 model that also is used in workplaces. In this model people are organized into small groups of 5 with one being the leader. In his context he felt this  model helped them not only teach religion but also identify those in need. He seemed appreciative of my suggestions on how to infuse some critical thinking into their work..quite an stimulating 6-8 AM conversation indeed!

Debre Sina! When Shelagh and I were en route back and forth we usually texted each other when we reached this half way point to Dessie, that is the usual 30 minute stop. Persistent sellers offer a wide range of specialties including kollo (roasted barley with a few peanuts), dried oregano, sugar cane, fruits in season – this time small plums, oranges and mangoes.

We had our traditional makeeato and looked forward to the second leg of the journey, thinking we were making such good time we might get to Woldia by 4 and could certainly make it to Dessie with having to visit the infamous Debre Sina toilets. But we were in for a surprise…

The bus had broken down and they started unloading luggage off the disabled beast – and we had paid extra for this relatively luxurious and safer vehicle!

Amidst the chaos we eventually got onto a minibus arranged by the bus company but our tickets were taken from us and not returned and, as is the tradition, no one explained anything. Certainly no chance of a refund. Taking a bus in Ethiopia is never simple.

However we headed down the mountain into the lowlands, passing plenty of camels

Drivers must watch out for donkeys and lorries – all part of the journey

More typical road hazards

Dropping off a Peace Corps couple near Kombolcha I snapped this colourful vignette

Then we headed up the long winding road to Dessie

At last we reached the Dessie bus station, stopping at a cafe first to use the “almost as awful as Debre Sina” loo…

Negotiating our final minibus ride of the day

Me “Is this driver going to chew khat”

Man  “Of course not, he is fine”

Me : “Are you telling me the truth?”

Man “Yes of course, I am taking this bus myself'”

Lets see how many we can squish in…

On the way out of Dessie – the main street

First stop out of Dessie near Hyak the same passenger who had assured me about the khat insisted we stop and proceeded to purchase a large bouquet of khat which I later watched him sharing with the driver

My experience is that it is not possible to travel from Dessie to Woldia without going in a minibus driven by a driver who is chewing khat, despite the fact it is illegal for drivers to chew. Like so many things here, the law has been written but the enforcement steps have yet to be taken…though there are a lot of traffic police checking for overcrowding these days…

I foolishly chose the worst seat and spent the next 2.5 hours bracing myself so I would not be tossed out as we careened up the mountain curves, while several of my fellow passenger proceeded to discreetly vomit into plastic bags and toss them out the windows. As Lonely Planet accurately states travel on Ethiopian buses can be “Butt-clenching”!

Best to focus in the scenery and visualize a safe arrival – in times like these it IS the destination, not the journey that keeps me going!

The final hurdle – a small river to charge through where the road had washed out

Animals heading home at dusk, a lovely pastoral scene

Woldia at last! Total time from 4 AM wake up to arrival = 15 hours to travel 520 km!

We met the Woldia volunteers and headed out for beer and skekla tibs with injera, about all that’s on the menu right now with all other items being “not available” as usual. Luckily no vegetarians in the group or they would have been out of luck

Aisling the new volunteer had kindly invited me to stay with her. We awoke to discover a cow had arrived overnight and settled in under the bedroom window.Well these things happen…it’s owner recovered it 24 hours later

That morning I headed into town in a bajaj for breakfast and there he was – ChoCho the one horned pet Afar goat lives! Though he did seem pretty old and frail I was pleased I got to see him one last timeOne thing I really love about Woldia is the easy way you can get a bajaj anywhere for about 10 cents

Naturally I had to have Special  Ful for breakfast at the Waw Cafe balcony and enjoy the passing parade

Another tasty breakfast option is chechebsa – small chunks of fried bread soaked in a honey-spiced butter-berbere mixture

Oh yes, I had forgotten how these buses troll the streets with really loud speakers blaring out the cinema on offer at the municipal  hall

Construction continues to boom with skeletal scaffolds above already open ground floors

That afternoon we met up with Zelalem, who had been in my class, for a beer and to catch up on all the gossip. Aisling on the right is the new young Irish volunteer working with the Woldia University Higher Diploma Program

Late afternoon we met Zerefa and her sister dressed for the Mels of their nephew Tamrat. We were honoured to be invited to attend this event that coincided with our trip to Woldia and Zerefa was thrilled that her match making had worked out!

We were all graciously included – Aisling is joined by Jim, another Irish volunteer who was passing though town on a Ministry of Education road trip with his colleague Teklu on the right

Excitement mounted as candles were lit and a sheep was herded into the center of a jubilant circle of people clapping, drumming and singing

I wondered if it was to be slaughtered on the spot but then I saw the buffet so I think it was given a reprieve…

Bridesmaids!

Groom Tamrat helps his bride Feven out of the car

A Mels happens after the wedding and is where the family of the bride welcomes the family of the groom or vise versa. The groom Tamrat is from Canada and his bride is from Dessie

The wedding party enjoys an impressive buffet

I was an honour to be included in their celebration and I wish Tamrat and Feven many blessings as they begin their married life together.

Next day I visited the new Woldia University

Woldia University is up and running in two years with 6 faculties and first and second year students, an impressive accomplishment. This round tea room is gorgeous!

It is astounding how fast this university went up. Two years ago it was only a plan. Last year they started using a temporary facility nearby and now they have enrolled 2nd years students amid the construction on campus – a work in progress!

It was fun to meet old friends from our time in Woldia CTE who have moved on to work at the university. Balainesh is now secretary to our former college dean, Ato Bihonegn

Balianesh, Tesfaw works in Finance and Ato Bigonegn is Vice President – Administration

Women  with jerry cans of water near the university campus, a reminder that 85% of the population still exists on subsistence farming alongside this rapid expansion of tertiary educational facilities and that only about a quarter of adult females are literate and half of males…

Later I visited my old workplace, and was amazed at the transformation

The new Woldia College of Teacher Education is almost complete. Next step will be the landscaping

I enjoyed some brief reunions with many of the instructors who had been in my HDP class though about a third have transferred to other institutions, as is common here. Still it was lovely to sit and catch up with several in their new offices and share a thirst quenching laslasa (soft drink) in the hot sun with others. The next day I spoke to several on the phone that I had missed seeing, including Nejashi who said, “Please don’t forget us”. “I promise you”, I replied, choking up a little, “I will never forget you” How could I?

At the College we enjoyed some silliness with masks in our old classroom, scheduled to be demolished in a month since the new buildings are all  but complete

It was a delightful surprise to see a group of 3rd year students about to graduate – when we were there they were beginners! And the boy called  Yokoso in front with the drawings turned up too – he used to draw me a lot of lions on scrap paper I provided and he is still at it!

Tea time with the soon to graduate students – here you see all the volunteers in Woldia past and present lined up. Alain and David replaced Shelagh and me and have now almost completed their two years. Aisling arrived two months ago to teach HDP at the new university

And Serke has a new Shy Bet (tea house) near the primary School so we had another reunion

Future teachers brimming with confidence!

I enjoyed a visit to the Adago area and said hi to a few shop owners I knew

Paused for a makeato at the Hamar Cafe – it came is a most surprising cup!

The message on the saucer read: “In the taste you may do as much as you like to enjoy an elegance and leisure. Even if there is a leisure time for awhile you still can expel sadness and oppression.” Indeed!

All too soon it was time to say a final farewell to Woldia and tackle a day of bus travel to Lalibela to visit our friend Susan at her Ben Abeba restaurant, the one Shelagh and I had seen two years earlier when it was still under construction. Stay tuned for part two, including the fate of that air filter…and a visit to a movie set…

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Our “gender responsive” road trip to Adama

Rocky the pup, snoozing as usual on my doormat, perked up when he saw my packed bag at the door. He looked at me as if to say “and just where do you think you are going and who will be giving me my morning biscuit?”The phone rang. Meseret was calling to say they were en route to get me.

Shortly after her call the MoE SUV collected me and  we headed to Arat Kilo to pick up our colleague Addisu. Plans had changed and we were behind schedule but “expect the unexpected” is the norm around here so I sat back to enjoy the passing parade and take photos, as is my custom!

Next we backtracked to the Ministry of Education office to collect Ato Teshome from the legal department and he squeezed into the back with Meseret

We were on our way! Turns out that there was an issue with vehicles (as is often the case) so we were doubling up and taking Addisu and Teshome with us to drop off at Debre Zeit before we headed down the road to Adama. I sat back and enjoyed the views…reflecting on the dramatic juxtaposition of tradition and industrializtion

A typical scene in Addis: selling tapers to women wearing netellas of loose cotton who are on their way to church

Heading out of Addis, (likely this way for the last time since I leave in 2 months) I reflected on the rapid development in Ethiopia. Here road construction is a constant reminder of ambitious infrastructure projects, including a light rail system in Addis to help ease the congestion of almost 3 million people.

Modern transport systems are under construction but labour intensive garbage collection remains basic!

Small shops setting up for the day

Fully loaded trucks crowd the streets

Along with fully loaded donkeys!

Passing the paint factory and anticipating the dusty road jammed with lorries that leads south past many factories I was glad I had my usual scarf to hold over my nose when the bellowing black smoke/fumes got to me

Yes, we are heading to Adama, the land of farm fresh eggs!

“Look, its a Yegna bus!, I exclaim, seeing the Ambessa bus “wrapped” in the soon to be very familiar logo that is the brand of Yegna.

A few weeks earlier I had attended the launch of Yegna and just last week I had participated in a workshop organized by the Girl Hub Ethiopia intended to link up NGOs and agencies working on gender projects focusing on adolescent girls. Meaning “ours” in Amharic, Yegna is a weekly half hour radio drama, followed by a half hour talk show being piloted in Addis and the Amhara region. The show targets girls from 12-19 and is 70% entertainment and 30% educational messaging about girls’ empowerment. The five girls in the drama become friends because they share a love of music and each episode will have a new song. Funded by DFID (the British Development Department) and the Nike Foundation, Girl Hubs are doing innovative projects in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Rwanda using social media to reach out teenage girls and encourage boys to support gender equality at the same time.

Skeletal buildings abound as more and more hotels, office buildings and factories go up. The scaffolding is made from fast growing eucalyptus trees that were introduced about 150 years ago from Australia by Emperor Menelik.

At Debre Zeit we drop off Addisu and Teshome for their meeting

They are spending a few days with a group to develop sexual harassment policy for colleges, based on the already completed model document designed for universities. Eventually all levels in the school system will have sexual harassment policy. The next challenge will be enforcement as, by all reports, sexual harassment is widespread and a threat to girls staying in school. As the Ethiopian proverb goes ” Slowly, slowly the egg will walk”. This is a first step…

Past Debre Zeit we breathe more freely as the congestion clears a little and I enjoy the landscape of the south as we head down the Rift Valley toward Adama

An innovative idea – wrap plastic jugs in twine to create a cooling thermos for truckers to store their water for long haul trips

A Chinese built “Industrial Zone” reminds us of the large investments China is making in Ethiopia

Along the route we pass steel and marble tile factories, tanneries, flower farms, food processing plants…

And choke our way through hundreds of lorries near Mojo, a “dry port” stacked with containers going to and from Djibouti

And now a colourful sign for a Flour and Biscuit Factory – we are in Oromia and the language is Afan Oromo which uses the familiar alphabet but for some reason, they are big on multiple vowels!

Arriving in Adama ( also known as Nazreth) Meseret explains to me that this sculpture represents the “womb” and is meant to indicate that Adama is a growing town where many developments are being “born” at the numerous workshops, meetings and conferences that are held here

Once we get over the usual hotel room wrangle we meet late afternoon to begin our task – to complete draft #2 of a module on Gender Responsive Pedagogy (aka GRP) to be used in Universities and Teachers’ Colleges to train all primary and secondary teachers to be gender responsive as we like to say here in the “teaching-learning process”.

I am delighted at last to meet with these gender experts who are also university and teachers’ college instructors to review the first draft I have prepared on our MoE GRP module. This project has been in the works for over a year and I am thrilled to at last see things moving forward. We welcome as well the chair of the FAWE Ethiopia board who has been delivering GRP trainings at Teachers’ Colleges, based on the GRP Teachers’ Handbook developed by FAWE and used in 38 African countries. FAWE is the leader on gender work for schools in Africa and I have long appreciated their “made in Africa for the African context” resources.

As always there are surprises – yes, Helina has come with her 11 month old baby and husband, who keeps the baby entertained while we work, an excellent role model for men here!

Meseret takes a turn with the baby at meal time

And Melkam shows her baby amusing expertise!

Another surprise – Melkam’s son shows up for dinner and is recruited to solve some of our technical challenges – turns out he is studying computer science at Adama university

Let’s have a group photo – OK! But where are the others? Bohala – we will do another later!

Afternoon tea break time and the driver has brought 3 women from the Finance office to sort out the per diems and of course enjoy the snacks and shay/buna

We ate all our meals at the hotel but Azmera and Tigest invite me out one night for a juice at the best juice bar in town – very yummy with lots of strawberry!

Mulu and Helina both teach at Haromaya University and their smiles gave me a clue – yes they are sisters! With a rapidly expanding tertiary education system, most university and college staff are young recent graduates. Mule is already a dean and a role model for women where the gap is still wide in terms of women in leadership positions.

During our days together we worked hard to go through the draft step by step. I was delighted by the group’s thoughtful contributions, background knowledge and commitment to provide feedback that will ensure this module meets our goal of making the theory of gender responsive pedagogy come alive through active learning, continuous assessment, reflection and action research processes.The intention is that all future primary and secondary teachers be given this preparation so that the school system ultimately becomes more “girl friendly” and that the national goal of gender equality come closer to reality. Increased enrollment of girls in schools, coupled with retention and achievement, are key targets of the Ministry plan to address gender issues in Ethiopian schools. It is a massive task but this working group showed me that there is the will to succeed.

Finally, a picture of the entire group. Left to right : Meseret from MOE, Leilet and Setu from Gondor Teachers’ College, Melkam from  FAWE, Azmera from Axum University and Tigist from Ambo University, Mulu and Helina from Haromaya University and guess who! We retire to the dining room for a last lunch and then head down to road again…

On the way out of Adama we pass a wind farm, a reminder of new technologies for energy being developed to supplement the hyrdo-electric dams under construction here, all intended to bring electricity to a larger segment of the population

Time for gas – and of course a chance to add to my collection of photos of flag colours – red, green and yellow are never far for view!

Watermelon and pumpkins by the tonne. Naturally we had to get some…road trips usually involve some shopping on the way home

And some sampling as well…

Closer to Addis vendors offere oranges and mangoes

Debre Zeit is famous for the plants and flowers that grow so well in this climate

I appreciated the sights and scenery on the road home, already feeling a slight nostalgia knowing that I will soon be leaving it behind. I also had a sense of accomplishment that we had taken the next step toward this module getting finished.

But I am experienced enough now, after my three years in Ethiopia, to know the road ahead for this module is still long, winding and rocky. Several more drafts will need to be done, many more experts will weigh in, funds will have to be found to pay for validation workshops and printing. Then the cycle of Training of Trainers (ToT) will kick in and the “cascade model” will be enacted to reach the grassroots. Still, we have begun the journey…and my part is soon to end. I admit I had been apprehensive about how much we could get done in Adama but I came home feeling satisfied that we had done our best. I have prepared the next draft and am awaiting feedback to complete draft#3. Once my part is done, I trust that my colleagues will carry it forward.

Naturally my welcome committee greeted me when I was dropped off at home, though they clearly had been hoping for something other than watermelon as their treat !

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Risky business at Ethiopia’s Lake Langano

Visualize this – someone in a Cuso International t-shirt leaning forward with a piece of raw meat on a stick in his/her mouth about to feed  a wild hyena; the caption reads “Take a risk!” Would that grab your attention and possibly get you to read the pitch to be a volunteer in Ethiopia? Well that’s what our Canadian team came up with during the “key messaging” session at the recent VSO Ethiopia national conference…Yes volunteering can be risky and adventurous but relax, feeding wild animals is not really part of anyone’s job description. Though, for the record, no animals or humans have been harmed while taking part in the unique tourist experience of feeding hyena’s in Harar and a few vacationing volunteers have enjoyed the photo op!

The Canadian team at Lake Langano: Brian, Nalini, Sharmilla, Tsion, Me, Francis and Gerald with Beza in front

Volunteering really does provide challenges and opportunities along with risk and adventure. Organizing a national conference is certainly not without risk and I must admit that when I saw the email, my heart sank. Deputy Country Director Catherine had found some funds that needed spending before the fiscal year-end and issued a “challenge” to our VSO Ethiopia volunteer committee – organize a conference for 150, including all long tern volunteers, 38 short term youth volunteers and staff within 3 weeks. As chair of the volunteer committee, I knew we had to say YES and make it happen. After all, there had not been a national conference since 2010, volunteers were asking for a chance to meet as a whole and our volunteer committee had been lobbying for just such an opportunity. I also knew it would be risky, trying to please such a large and diverse group.

Thankfully when I contacted the committee, several immediately agreed to help. James was in town between meetings for the week, Gideon joined us one afternoon and agreed to be the “registrar” via email, Kate showed up for a medical appointment so we just mixed and matched meetings, keeping in contact by email and mobile with Barbara to make it happen! To avoid chaos and confusion we agreed on a clear and efficient communications strategy, using the VSOE Weekly Update for general messages with links to emails of those in charge of registration and transportation.

Coming together at the VSO office to take the bus to Langano, spirits were high. Most people had flown to Addis (or already live in Addis) so we needed 4 buses to make the journey, all efficiently organized by Eden, Judy and Beza

The stage is set – Lake Langano!

Location was a major issue since the budget was small and few places could accommodate a group our size. The added challenge of power cuts, unreliable phones and fax machines made getting the requisite 3 quotes take much longer than anticipated. Suddenly a breakthrough came and James and I found ourselves in Ruth’s car heading to a negotiation with a “big man” in charge of the Lake Langano property. Yes he said, I will set up a tent on the beach big enough for 150, yes I will give you the most expensive buffet for the middle price, yes, yes, yes! I basked in the Amharic negotiations and, understanding my numbers well, I even managed a few clarifying questions as Ruth used her charm to get us a great deal. Meanwhile, I secretly wondered how a small bottle of pink nail polish had made its way into the man’s desktop arrangement of pens and pencils…

With great relief, we were able to announce the location to the participants who already knew when but not where. Swim suits, sunscreen, torches and malaria medication were advised; Langano being one of the few Biharzia free lakes in Ethiopia, located in the lowlands of the Rift Valley about 270 km south of Addis.

The night before James, who had gone early to check things out called to warn me “We have a small problem”. No tent. Ever resourceful, he convinced the staff to re-arrange the dining room, moving tables and chairs into the bar and onto the deck, so we could use it for our sessions.

As soon as we arrived, the deck became a favourite place to meet new people and re-connect with others

Once we had settled into our rooms, our volunteer committee convened to iron out details and agree on tasks. We had left the evening free for people to mix and mingle and this seemed to set the right tone, as we were aiming for a good balance of free time and programmed sessions.

So far, so good! Time for a bottle of St George and sunset on the deck!

The next morning we formally began, all squeezed in to the dining room converted to meeting hall!

After the welcome and overview, and a short introductory activity, we  shared images of what VSO means to us.

Barbara had suggested we bring these images to contribute to a VSO collage, Judy volunteered to put it together and voila – we had a colourful conversation  piece/backdrop for our conference!

Working in sector groups, we used metaphors to share our volunteer “journeys” and create group posters. Barbara had taken the initiative to seek out some extra funding and resources and we were thrilled to have these giant Post-It chart papers to use. This also meant that we all got new bright green t-shirts and some “beverages” for the final night’s festivities!

The IT group at work!

After all that creativity, it was time for tea…

Peter couldn’t resist a bird’s eye view of the tea table

And it truly was an idyllic spot

Colourful birds and birdsong provided a delightful visual and audio backdrop

Long tea breaks and a 2-hour lunch gave plenty of time for informal conversations

Time with friends and time to meet new people. As well as long term volunteers, we included 38 ICS Youth Volunteers . These British and Ethiopian youth (ages 18-25) partner up to work together for 3 months contributing their skills to environmental, education, community development and health projects

Friends meet up after being spread out across the country  for some time

Volunteers and staff  enjoying a chance to talk informally

To form regional groups for the afternoon session we lined up in direction/ distance from Addis and then we headed off to share ideas on how we could expand our regional linkages

Barbara and Deputy Country Director Catherine confer on the guiding questions for the regional group sessions

To involve as many people as possible, we had put out the call for volunteers to be on IT, social and sports committees and to facilitate or take notes for small groups and in the end at least half the people contributed beyond just participation.

An idea I came up with to allow maximum skill sharing was “Open Space” at the end of each day. We issued an invitation to volunteer to run an hour long session on whatever they wanted to share and let people chose whatever appealed to them. This seemed the riskiest idea to some of my colleagues – what if no one volunteers or people don’t show up? Don’t worry I said, it will work out!

It was a risk that paid off! Talents shared by volunteers included…

Face painting

A bird watching expedition – Weaver birds amazed us with their nest building skills

Ethiopian cultural dancing lessons

Reflexology

Intense IT virus discussion!

Other Open Space sessions included Meditation, Origami, Ethiopian architecture, First Aid and photography. The energy and enthusiasm were catching and next day people added more sessions – hidden talents were surfacing… and it was a lot of fun!

We ended the days early to allow free time before dinner -yeah!

Goofing around on a log!

Nice to see VSO staff enjoying the beach!

Swimming and playing in the lake or simply toe dipping…

Time for dinner – all meals were served buffet style on the bar

VSOE staff Ruth and Beza

Early morning meditation enjoyed with birdsong and sunlight on the acacias

Early bird yoga each morning at 7, led by Catharina

Birds watch people too!

Happy t-shirt models!

Judy, once a textiles teacher, helped customize t-shirts for some who were willing to risk the scissors for a new look

The second morning we set up heterogeneous “cross-cultural conversation” groups to tackle case studies that represented the common issues we face – accommodation, job frustrations/dissatisfaction, misunderstandings across cultures, emergencies, etc. Since a risk of events such as this is that they can spiral down into gripe sessions, these conversations were structured to support creative and collaborative problem solving. Volunteering in another country inevitably involves the ups and downs of culture shock and, despite the preparation we are given to help us cope, sometimes we really need a good listener. Comments on evaluations showed that it was helpful for some to recognize that they are not alone and that others have overcome similar challenges.

Cross cultural conversations mixed people up to share perspectives on case studies representing common challenges faced by volunteers – it was helpful to learn how differently others may see the same situation…and how often we leap to conclusions that miss out a lot of the pieces of the puzzle,especially when we are in another country

We tried to set up groups to ensure a mix of staff, volunteers from different sectors, cultures, and regions

VSO Ethiopia currently has volunteers from England, Ireland, Scotland, Kenya, Zimbabwe,Uganda, the Philippines, the Netherlands, India, China and Canada (recruited through Cuso International) as well as Ethiopian and British youth volunteers.

Volunteers from the Philippines and India. Here you see doctors, IT experts, educators and even a mechanical engineer!

Moving on from challenges to successes was the next order of business and James and Kate assigned sector groups to share their small and large successes and figure out how to creatively present them to the rest of us.

IT group sharing their successes – the presentations were high energy and plenty of fun

Youth volunteers shared some amazing success stories. These were inspiring to all of us, as we had previously known little about what they were up to in Hawassa and Addis…

Climate change is a cross cutting issue (like gender and ICT) in VSO’s strategic plan so it was good to see the youth doing environmental projects…

This education group had plenty of fun setting up their presentation!

There are also 4 APs (accompanying partners) currently in country and many have gotten involved in their own initiatives – here Viv shares her “Give Me Education” project in Axum that has resulted in several street kids getting into school. Others have gotten involved in providing knitted blankets for neo-natal ICUs and one, a trained counsellor, has been working to support sustainable counselling services in his town

After another long lunch, it was time to think of taking our success stories out to the rest of the world.

To begin, Country Director Wube explained the key messaging strategy of VSO and gave pointers on how to effectively communicate to external audiences. Then groups set to drafting their own external communications plans including identifying target audiences, key messages, media to be used…the impressive results have been summarized and may be used for further outreach projects. I do hope our Canadian Hyena visual gets some air time!!

My “key messages” about the conference:

• Retreats enhance volunteer motivation and satisfaction
• Volunteers are resourceful organizers and willing participants
• Trust the process and goodwill of people and you will not be disappointed
• Open space is worth the risk – it works!

The last night we had dinner around the bonfire and some partied well into the early hours…

In the end about 130 people came to Lake Langano and created, through their enthusiasm and participation, a successful and memorable event that will now become a shared memory for volunteers and VSOE staff in Ethiopia in 2013.

While it is hard to measure the long-term impact of such a gathering, the evaluation comments showed that people left feeling re-energized and supported to carry on with their volunteer work, knowing they were not alone and that everyone has ups and downs but the journey is worthwhile. New friendships blossomed, old friends re-c0nnected and ideas/experiences were shared all in a spirit of fun and creativity. Well worth the risks…

*We also had a team of about ten people taking photos during the conference and many of the photos in this blog are from the collections we shared – thanks to all these folks for sharing their talents!

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Dancing with Ethiopian Mid-Wives

Enthusiastic dancing erupted the minute we reached the outskirts of Addis as both buses bounced with a mix of traditional and Ethio-Pop music . Everyone was in great spirits as we  headed 270 km south to Hawassa on March 7^th for the Ethiopian Mid-Wives Association (EMA) retreat. I had met Executive Director Hiwot in Awash at a Gender Based Violence training a few weeks back and was delighted when she invited me to assist in the facilitation of their event.

Traditional clapping and shoulder shaking make Ethiopian dancing infectious!

Waving to the rest of the group in the other bus who were dancing up a storm!

Meanwhile Said enjoyed reading an Amharic translation of Crime and Punishment!

Typical scenes along the highway – grazing animals

Traditional houses

Small town scene with plenty of donkey carts

Kids playing and acacia trees gracing the dry land

Arrival at the Lewi Resort on Lake Hawassa

The Ethiopian Midwives Association was established in 1992. It is registered under the new civil society organization law and has more than 870 members. The organization is contributing to reducing maternal and child mortality and improving the quality of maternal and child health services.

Certainly it was ime for lunch!

Ethiopia’s version of steak tartare, Kitfo is a very popular dish of raw beef accompanied by soft local cheese and cooked greens. It is served with injera and a special bread made with false banana (enset) .  Kitfo can also be served cooked lightly or even well done (my preference!)

I chose fish goulash and others had doro wot (chicken and egg stew). All delicious!

Cheeky monkeys, having assessed the menu from on high, got very bold and snatched food off the tables

In the late afternoon we convened in a very elaborate board room for an introductory session and then were taken to check in to out hotels. It was a great plan – enjoy the resort for the meetings , lunches and evening BBQs but sleep at more affordable hotels in town.

That night we enjoyed a traditional BBQ and campfire on the lake shore

Meron, one of the energetic mid-wife trainers, was an amazing host, revealing her immense talents as a stand up comic and fabulous dancer!

At the end of the evening we were all dancing

The next morning our program involved an overview of the current projects of the EMA and another session on the mission, goals and objectives of the organization. This was the first time so many staff and board members had been together and served dual purposes of information sharing around the strategic plan and team building.

While the retreat was a lot of fun, the underlying work is serious and the staff very dedicated to improving mother and child health in Ethiopia. And the need is great. Here are some statistics from the recent Ethiopia Demographic and Health survey 2011

• The  birth rate in Ethiopia varies from 2.6 in urban areas (17% of the population) and 5.5 in rural areas where most people live
• Less than 10% of Ethiopian women give birth with the assistance of a health care worker
• Maternal mortality in Ethiopia is very high at per 350 deaths/100,000 births
• Infant mortality is at 59 deaths per 1000 live births, representing a 23% decrease  since 2005
• The good news is that incremental improvements are being made thanks to increased education, health services and vaccination and sanitation programs

EMA enjoys a good working relationship with the Ministry if Health and is supported by funding from 16 donors, including the Clinton Foundation, Packard Foundation, UNICEF, USAID, among others as they work toward realizing Millennium Development Goal #4: Reduce Child Mortality and Goal #5: Improve Maternal Health.

I introduced a team building activity that got people competing to build the highest tower

With only newspaper and masking tape…people can be pretty creative

This experiential activity provided an opening to reflect on task and process roles in groups

A leaning tower!

Proudly introducing their tower before the collapse!

Good teamwork is part of what EMA is developing to achieve its’ visions, mission and objectives. With an Addis head office and five branch offices; in Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, SNNPR and Somali regions, EMA is engaged in:

• Capacity building for staff, members and leadership to support full engagement in sexual and reproductive health. Both pre-service and in-service education reaches midwifery students as well as professionals already working in health institutions
• Advocacy in health sector development through supporting efforts to achieve health development targets indicated in the national plan of the government.
• EMA promotes midwives and the midwifery profession through professional standards and advocates for the health of women and families by increasing access to quality, integrated and sustainable sexual and reproductive health services and rights.
• Through creating partnerships EMA maintains mutually reinforcing relationships with the government, professional associations, donors, members and the community at large.
• Research, monitoring and evaluation activities are geared towards informing policy and programs.
• Work is done through modeling best practices, improving program outcomes through evidence based practice and use of data and information for decision making.

We moved our afternoon session on time management outdoors to be cooler…

Which meant some monkey business was added to the mix!

Taking time to reflect on time management

Enjoying the ambiance with Hiwot at Lewi Resort after the end of the first day’s sessions

Next morning we discussed stress management – the causes, effects and tips. Being a mid-wife is stressful for sure!

This was followed by a session on advocacy, including internal and external communications. As part of this session, Australian volunteer Holly introduced media tools and gathered some stories to integrate into the communications strategy she will be working on for EMA – she arrived 6 weeks ago and will spend the year volunteering at EMA. Holly  feels very fortunate to be working with such a great NGO!

Then my neighbour and fellow VSO volunteer Peter reviewed the EMA website and asked for feedback. As an IT volunteer, he will be assisting EMA with a re-design/updating of their site and also hopes to build the IT  capacity of staff

Peter at tea break enjoying the gardens of Lewi resort!

Finally it was time for appreciation of exemplary staff and celebration of the successes of the organization

Wise words for a board member, who was also quite a great dancer by the way!

A gift for Sister Marit, one of the original founders of EMA who remains on the board and now works at the Hamlin College of Mid-Wifery that she helped to establish. A tireless and dedicated woman she said  “Give me work till my life ends and give me life till my work shall end.” reminding us the “70% of the world’s people came to life at the hands of a mid-wife.”

I was given a beautiful scarf and a certificate of appreciation. I think this photo shows how just how betam destanya (very happy) I was to be part of this weekend!

Then,  full of mischief,  board member Aster ended the formalities with a raunchy joke!

Next morning as we prepared to leave for Addis,  I noticed this colourful condom truck was parked at our hotel, a fitting image I thought to remind us of our health goals. Millennium Development Goal #6 is to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

On the way out of town we enjoyed a visit to the park on Lake Hawassa

Complete with a traditional woven house

Chances to get up close to Colobus monkeys

Watch gigantic maribou storks fight over fish

Boys diving into the lake

And some more traditional dancing!

En route home we had a pit stop for water and snacks

And took a turn 20 km off the road at Lake Langano to visit the Bishangari Eco-Lodge to relax and have lunch. We were all pretty excited as none of us had been here before!

Meeting some children while we waited for the mini-bus to collect us for the final 10 km of very rough dirt road to reach the lodge

At Bishengari some enjoyed rafting on Lake Langano, one of the largest Rift Valley lakes

Others preferred wading

And some enjoyed the hamocks!

Lunch served!

Giant trees at a tree top lounge area

Then we crowded into the minibus to get back to the main road

Avoiding a series of the usual road hazards – donkey carts, donkeys, goats, sheep, cattle, kids…

Back on the main highway, we paused at Ziway for a cup of traditional Ethiopian coffee and then settled in at dusk for the final stretch to Addis – the end of a 12 hour return trip full of good times, new sights and great energy!

To me the Ethiopian Mid-Wives Association exemplifies an outstanding NGO. Well organized, staffed with professional, dedicated and well qualified people who are clearly committed to their work and very good at what they are doing to improve the health and well being of Ethiopian women and children.

On top of that they really know how to laugh, dance and work together as a team – well done!

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An unimaginable Ethiopian “vacation”

The loud knock on the door brought me stunning news. I had been expecting my two guests from Australia, who had arrived the previous day, to come for pancakes and coffee.

Renee-Claire and Vanda just arrived and anticipating a lovely two week vacation in Ethiopia!

The first afternoon we spent a lovely time absorbed in the wedding scene at the Ghion Hotel

Religious wedding ritual by the pool

During “wedding season” many affluent Ethiopian couples have their wedding photos taken in the beautiful hotel gardens and it is fun to see the parade of traditional and modern fashions.

That first evening Vanda and Renee-Claire met my VSO and Cuso colleagues at a dinner party and we spoke of our plans to visit Harar and tour the famous sites in the north. Renee-Claire was to hike in the Simien Mountains while Vanda and I relaxed by Lake Tana at Bahir Dar but that all changed overnight…

Suddenly I found myself racing across Addis by taxi to the Yekatit government hospital where the Veronika Hotel manager had transported them and then had dispatched a guest who spoke some English to tell me the news. En route, I called Dr Brian, a Cuso International volunteer to alert him something seemed to have gone terribly wrong. When I leapt out of the taxi I was so relieved to see Brian, Katharina, a VSO volunteer mid-wife and trained nurse from Sweden and Hanny, a Dutch volunteer’s partner already on the scene. Vanda lay on an emergency room bed having seizures, her daughter Renee-Claire by her side and everyone trying to assist. Dr Fekadu from Yekatit Hospital was doing exactly what was needed and Brian and Katharina began assisting while Hanny and I rushed to the hospital pharmacy to buy a prescribed pill. We quickly reached consensus that she needed to be moved to the private Myungsung Korean Hospital as soon as possible, so once she was stabilized, Renee-Claire and I careened across town with Vanda and an attendant in an ambulance, sirens wailing.

Dr Bereket greeted us at Emergency and professionally assessed the situation, ordering blood tests and determining that she needed a CT scan. Since the hospital scanner was broken, we crossed town again in another ambulance to a private clinic. The news was good – no signs of damage on the brain. But the seizures continued and we raced back to the Korean Hospital where Vanda was moved to the Intensive Care Unit.

Renee Claire spent a lot of time with the very helpful hospital finance manager Mr Lee

A visit to a pharmacy to fill a prescription

That first worrying night Renee-Claire joined several Ethiopians whose relatives were also in ICU in an overnight vigil, kindly befriended by Biruk who let her use his mobile to keep in touch with me and found her a gabi (traditional cotton blanket) to keep her warm.

Meanwhile, I got their belongings from the hotel and set up the small spare bedroom/bathroom in our compound that was fortunately vacant and my landlord had agreed they could use. The network of VSO volunteers mobilized to help; most had met Vanda and Renee-Claire the evening before at a dinner party and several texted to offer support. My neighbor Judy loaned me her folding cot to put beside the bed plus sheets and a pillow. My landlord offered to drive us around. His sister Adanech is a nurse at the Korean Hospital and was able to reassure us about what was going on throughout the time Vanda was hospitalized.

I had met Adanech months ago, she is my Landlord’s sister and regularly visits our compound when relatives gather on the weekend – here she cuddles a cousin’s baby, born last August! It feels great for me to have this family connection and support here!

Here I am with Biruk and Renee Claire. Biruk’s brother Teshale arrived at one point and invited us for coffee in the hospital canteen. He pulled a copy of Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine out of his briefcase when he found out I was Canadian and started a conversation about neo-liberalism and Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics. You just never know what surprises are in store in Ethiopia!

The lineup outside ICU where family members sit vigil day and night

When Vanda felt better she paid a visit to the ICU crowd…everyone was pleased she was feeling better

Mike and Anjeli, a husband/wife team of Canadian Cuso volunteer doctors texted me to say they would come to see Vanda the next morning. They met with Dr Tadesse in the ICU and reassured us that Vanda was getting the best care possible and that the doctors were doing exactly what they would have done back home. Dr Fisseha the internist also was following her case and on call at night.

A thank you visit to Dr Tadesse and a nurse in the ICU. Dr Tadesse is still in touch by email!

Vanda’s seizures lasted 12 hours on Monday and thankfully, by the time Mike and Anjeli saw her, she was recovering and had no more from then on. The puzzle of why this happened continued. Vanda spent 2 nights in ICU and then 2 more nights on a ward in a room with 4 other patients. The first night we were surprised to discover that a family member is expected to stay overnight watching the patient so Renee-Claire, exhausted as she was, sat vigil. The second night we hired Natneal from a private nursing company to stay with her.

Natneal the night nurse!

On Friday after lunch, we were at last able to bring Vanda back to my compound where she spent the rest of her Ethiopian “holiday” resting and recuperating. Our original plan to fly around Ethiopia to visit the tourist spots had long been abandoned and, while we talked of taking a small trip out of Addis by car, as the days went by, it just did not seem feasible to be too far away from medical care. Arrangements were made for Dr. Bereket to accompany them on the long two-flight journey back to Perth via Bangkok.

ER Doctor Bereket accompanied Vanda and Renee-Claire home to Australia and enjoyed meeting Vanda’s husband Peter and touring the Perth Aquarium and Zoo and King’s Park. He also had a city tour of Bangkok on their stopover en route!

Stopover in Bangkok between flights allowed time for a city tour

Touching a woma python!

In Perth Zoo with Koalas behind in the tree

The day Vanda was released from hospital was the start of 3 days of Timkat, the biggest celebration of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian calendar. Luckily for us 2 churches were congregating in the football field two blocks from my house so we could easily partake in the festivities and Vanda was able to see some events and take rest in between.

Festive flags decorated the streets and processions from Ureal and St Michael’s churches made their way to the park with priests in colourful garments and sparkly umbrellas carrying the sacred Tabot, symbolic of the Ark of the Covenant to the park where it rested overnight before a return procession. In the early morning baptisms took place.

Procession

Priest and elaborate crosses and gowns

Tabot in procession back to the church

Beautiful baby!

Happy children!

Early morning baptisms

Women selling grass and herbs for traditional coffee ceremonies

Donkeys grazing in my lane

On Saturday volunteers Hans and Katharina took Renee-Claire on a day hike to the Entoto Hills above Addis, encountering about 6 more Timkat processions along the way.

That afternoon, while Renee-Claire was on her hike, her mom napped on my bed and did not even hear this electrician on the roof above the bedroom. The power had been off for about 48 hours and he managed to restore it…we were not so lucky with the water which was off and on much of the time and did not have enough pressure for showers so we ended up boiling up pots of water for sponge baths during the rest of the visit…

Over the next 8 days Vanda rested and we made small excursions around Addis to see some sights. Volunteer friends invited us for dinner and we had some over as well. Low key and friendly, supportive affairs. Another VSO doctor, Jo was in Addis en route home to the UK after completing her year at Gondor Hospital, and kindly offered advice and reassurance to Vanda over coffee at my place.

Not the vacation that had been much anticipated but a unique experience to be sure! And despite the terrifying start to their time here, there were many memorable moments of kindness and compassion of Ethiopians and VSO/Cuso volunteers. To complete the picture here are some images of what else we saw beside the interiors of hospitals and ambulances…

The Ethnographic Museum at Addis Ababa University provides an outstanding overview of Ethiopian history and culture

Renee-Claire made friends quickly with Titi and Pico and I am sure if they could talk they would tell her they are missing her attention!

Ato Kifle and W/ro Almaz al dressed up for a wedding!

A visit to the 2nd oldest church in Addis, St Giorgis in Piazza was well worth the effort. A guided tour of the museum and church highlighted more history for us…

Playing with traditional musical instruments

Famous painting by Afewerk Tekle in the church

A visit and lunch stop at the oldest hotel in Ethiopia – the Taitu

The Taitu Hotel is a lovely place for a visit

Time for cake and makeato on the Good Times Restaurant and Bar balcony in Piazza. Nice to see Vanda looking more perky on the last couple of days…

Renee- Claire enjoys the good Ethiopian coffee and view

I imagine she won’t forget all our rides around Addis in these old blue and white taxis!

Typical scene back home – preparing chilis for berbere near my front door

The next day a visit to the beautiful Selassie Cathedral in Arat Kilo where Haile Selassie and Empress Menem are entombed and where the grave for recently deceased Prime Minster Meles Zenawi is under construction

British suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst is also buried here

Detail from the small round church on the property

I was pleased that we were able to have lunch with my young friend Henok who managed time off from his medical studies at Black Lion Hospital and was able to accompany us to the Selassie Cathedral

Traditional woven baskets at the National Museum

A taste of Tej, honey wine served in special flasks, capped off our day of exploring

The last morning. landlady Almaz invited us for a traditional coffee ceremony and served her delicious tibs and firfir for breakfast

Kifle, Almaz, Etenu and Amazon join in the ceremony…and then we headed off to the NGO Bazaar for some last minute souvenir shopping

On their last day we met up with some of the volunteers who helped us. Dr Brian is the tallest one standing in front of Dr Anjeli. Katharina is on the left beside Hanny.

The good news is that the flights home were smooth and uneventful. Vanda’s doctors are still puzzling out the causes and the current theory is it may have been a reaction to the yellow fever vaccination she had 11 days prior to arrival in Ethiopia. While the whole experience was very shocking and frightening and it was such a disappointment that they did not experience the beauty of the Ethiopian countryside and the richness of the cultural sights, they did have an in-depth insight into the kindness and caring of Ethiopians that most tourists never know. So despite the dramatic turn of events, I hope they retain some good memories of the people they met here and that Renee-Claire will return to hike in the spectacular Simien Mountains some day soon.

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