Some things that I have learnt about…
The People – Ethiopians are the most gracious and appreciative people you could ever have the pleasure to meet. Every single person I have met was genuinely interested in the work I was doing, and grateful in a way as if I was personally helping them. A girl said to Tommy in a bar one night, “Thank you for looking after the other half of my body. I have one half and the street-children have the other half”. I have shared coffee, beles and even meals with relative strangers who wanted to show how grateful they were for the work that I was doing not for them, but for their people. As for the children at the project, there really aren’t any good or appropriate enough words…
The Daughters of Charity – I have never met such dedicated, hard working yet joyful people in all my life. They take apostolic vows, rather than holy orders, which are renewed each year: poverty, chastity, obedience as well as service to the poor. These people are modern day disciples and examples for all. The most amazing thing is the grace and joy with which they complete their daily tasks working with the poorest of the poor. I’m definitely going to miss Sr Desta’s call of ‘Andoooo’ for lunch each day…
The Past is Ever Present”“ – Everyone in Ethiopia can give you a slightly different version of the story of Queen Sheba and King Solomon, a variation on the country’s history and tell you countless stories of the people and land of Ethiopia. I have picked up a fascinating book giving the Ethiopian Nativity story which several wonderful additions to it. Oxen are still frequently used in the fields, donkeys carry heavy loads around town and whilst in Alitena we experienced the death of a local being announced; shouted from miles away around the still, nighttime mountains.
Religion – If Britain is a secular society, Ethiopia is its antithesis. Every child you find knows the history of the Orthodox Church and all the church’s founding saints. There are literally thousands and thousands of churches everywhere you go, especially in the countryside. People bless themselves frequently, and always when walking past the front of a church. At any given time prayers and hymns echo around the towns being broadcast from the churches’ loudspeaker system. There are also Catholics, Protestants, Muslims all living in this country and never once have I heard a single utterance of religious intolerance.
The Future – This is a country full to the brim with hope and optimism. There is so much determination to better their lives with the little means available. I am yet to meet someone under the age of 30 who is not studying in some way or another, be it distance-learning, university, evening classes. This buoyancy is carried even further by the forthcoming Ethiopian Millennium (September 11th).
Ethiopian Culture – Regardless of the number of Man Utd shirts seen on any Ethiopian street, the culture and traditions of the people here are stronger than ever. The traditional hospitality and courtesy never seem to falter and again every person that you meet wants to desperately share and let you experience their culture. Traditional cultural dress is worn regularly, and a prized possession for many of the children.
Volunteers – I have been lucky to share this experience with numerous other volunteers. John O’Callaghan was here soon after my arrival, John Bradley has arrived to stay way beyond my departure and of course Tommy Dobbin has been here throughout. Despite all the sacrifices we have made, the hardships we have been through and of course the tears and the difficult days, I know for certain that not one of us has any regrets about what we have done. We have played a very small part in a far bigger situation, but we have made a difference. It is far easier that you think, and I just hope my writings have possibly made you think about being next year’s ‘John’, ‘Tommy’, ‘Andy’ or ‘John’. The people here are waiting for you with the coffee on the go and the door to their home open…
Poverty – This is not just a label. Here I have learnt about what poverty really is: it is people, just like you and me, who are living their lives in the face of terrible difficulties. They are suffering greatly from AIDS/HIV, famine, drought, disease, war, unemployment, no welfare state and a hundred other things. Every single person here has a story to tell you, and sometimes they just want you to listen because it makes things a little easier.
Children – Essentially, they are all the same the world over! When the sleep together in one room they stay up all night talking, they love football, they like to play Top Trumps, they love to sing and dance, they loved to be hugged, they love to be treated, they are inquisitive, they like computers and mobile phones, they like R’n’B and they try to hide when you are about to leave from Alitena!
Making a Living – In a country where is literally no jobs, it is very hard to make enough money to survive. You can get paid 8Birr a day for carrying heavy stones, you can buy ‘softies’ for 60cents and try to sell them for 1Birr, you can collect metal for 2Birr per kilo… Everyone and anyone would do anything to make the odd Birr. In the countryside you can walk every hour in the day, with a heavy load on your back just to make a little money to feed your family. Children work as soon as they can walk; they are either an economic drain or asset and as soon as they make that transition the better for the whole family. The people here have a very hard life for very little financial reward.
Solidarity – I have allowed myself to be taken into the world of these people. I have been taken to places that I never thought I would go (3rd Floor Café Bar to watch the Charity Shield) and done things I never thought I would do (sit, bouncing around on the back row of a bus full of street boys on mountain roads that were hand-chiselled into the rock!). There were times when I though to myself: shall I drink this? Shall I eat this? Shall I go here? Shall I do this? I am glad that nearly every time I said yes. I have shared everything I have with these people and I have been rewarded with the title ‘habasha’!
Technology – Power cuts, dial-up internet shared by 4 PCs, dodgy phone lines, no texting… I have learnt to value the communications network in the UK, but also begun to realise that actually its not that necessary after all. You get by, and spend more time speaking to people and making committed arrangements with friends. It’s been nice. I may need to convince those many hundreds queuing in Mekele to get one of the 45,000 SIM cards being made available in the city for the Millennium…
“You couldn’t make it up if you tried…” – A well used to phrase over here that has brought non-stop laughter and disbelief to all of us in Ethiopia. The stories, the mistranslations, the randomness, and the sheer amazement of the things we have seen, heard and experienced. This is one amazing country, filled a huge number of amazing people, doing many amazing things!
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What we spent your money on….
• A trip for 40 students to the Yohannis VI museum to learn about the history of Mekele.
• A trip for 20 students to the TPLF museum to learn about the modern political struggle of the people of Tigray.
• An overnight trip for 18 students to Alitena to play a game of football and generally enjoy themselves (perhaps too much!).
• Various educational resources that have helped us teach English to the students effectively. These are to be left for future volunteers.
• A large selection of Top Trumps and other card games.
• Equipment for the Sisters to continue their work across the 17 different projects working with the poor of Tigray.
• A certificate and photo for every child who has participated in English lessons.
• An exercise book and pen for every beneficiary – vital for their studies in Government schools which will resume in September.
• A selection of atlases, dictionaries and other ‘academic books’ for the project library.
• A large photo frame containing around 70 photos from our time in the project this summer (materials needed have been left with some of the artistic beneficiaries to produce the montage themselves)
• A smaller frame containing photos of the girls dressed for Ashenda to go in ‘their’ room (where the sewing and embroidery takes place).
The remainder of our fundraising, and this is actually the majority of the money, is going to be used to fund equipment for the new project building. CARITAS, CAFOD and others fund the on-going costs of the project work, and a generous anonymous UK-based company has paid for the actual building work of the new project. However, there is just simply very little money available to ‘kit out’ the new place. Tommy and I decided that through the above we have given gifts and experiences to the students of today, yet we wanted to leave a longer lasting testament to your generosity. Sr Medhin is going to keep me informed of exactly what the money is spent on, and hopefully include some photos! It is most likely to be essentials such as benches, desks, beds, white boards, shelving and so on. She looked relieved when we agreed to this; maybe we answer her prayers. No one we spoke to could really tell us where it would have come from otherwise. We both certainly felt this was a fantastic use of our fundraising and hope that you agree.
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In summation, this has been one of the biggest honours and privileges of my life. I don’t have one single regret about coming out to Ethiopia and being involved with the work of the Daughters of Charity here. It has been enriching and educational to me ways I never though possible, and struggle to imagine a way in which I could have learnt more about both myself and others.
Our leaving party from the project was very special; poems were read, presentations were made, gifts exchanged. We clapped, we danced and we shed a few tears. I was okay until Sr Medhin read the parable of the sheep and the goats - and re-read the last line about serving the least of the people… these maybe the poorest economically and socially children in Mekele but they have shown me friendship and love without any boundaries or conditions over the last 6 weeks. The maybe ‘the least’ in some respects, but they are equally ‘the most’ in many more.
I do hope to return in the not to distant future, after all we now have a big family to visit in Mekele, but in the mean time I have some amazing memories that I will cherish until the day that I die. I can’t wait to get home and share just a few of them with you all!
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