Ethiopia 2009

Rendez-Vous

2009-03-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday night we went to Rendez-Vous, an Ethiopian restaurant in Toronto!! There is a very small Ethiopian population in Hamilton, so to get any Ethiopian food, we have to drive an hour into Toronto. There were 9 of us; me, Alex, Kerry, my Mom, my Gramma, Jodnel, Meron, Nebiyou, and Noel, and we had a lot of fun... and I got an excuse to wear the shirt I bought in ET! Walking into the restaurant was like going back to Ethiopia- the smells, especially... the spices, the injera, the coffee. It is a beautiful restaurant and pretty cheap too- $80 for all of us. Meron and Nebiyou were so excited when we told them that we wanted to take them into Toronto to an Ethiopian restaurant. Kerry, my Mom, and my Gramma had never tried Ethiopian food before, and Alex and I had only tried some, so they gave us lessons on what to eat, what it tasted like, how to eat it, etc. We ended up getting 4 platters- doro wat (chicken stew), tibbs, spicy tibbs, and another wat, I think it was beef? Tibbs are the safest choice (and also my favourite) as they are not as spicy as some of the other dishes. Of course, injera was served in large proportions (as it always is) and coffee afterwards. They gave us a bit of a coffee ceremony, although nothing like we saw in Ethiopia. It is such a beautiful culture- it was so much fun to get to experience it again, if only in a little way. I gave Meron a copy of the documentary A Walk to Beautiful and I am excited on hearing her thoughts about it. It is about women in Ethiopia who suffer fistulas after childbirth- it is a really amazing film.

I also found this website on another blog where you can order Ethiopian food and have it delivered to your house, for those who don't live near an Ethiopian restaurant!

Video... Enjoy!

2009-02-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

Noel

2009-02-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

Last night Meron, Nebiyou, and their son Noel came over to our house to visit! They are from Ethiopia and were so excited to hear about our trip. While we were in ET, we met Meron's sister who she hadn't seen in 5 years, and we delivered pictures of their family. We gave them a ton of teff (to make injera) and the spice for injera (I can't remember what it is called... it starts with a b). We also bought Noel a little hat, and he looked so cute! Meron looooved the hat and hearing about the trip. She told us that we must all go to Toronto soon to the Ethiopian restaurant there.

Tips and Important Things About Ethiopia

2009-02-24T04:20:00.000-08:00

-When I got to Ethiopia, I switched half of my money to Ethiopian birr and kept the other half in USD, thinking I would be able to use American dollars in some places. This was wrong- no where by the airport can you use any type of money but Ethiopian birr. Also in regards to money, Ethiopia is very inexpensive, and you do not need a lot of money to get by. At a restaurant, you will eat for about 40 birr ($4) and you can buy shirts for around the same price (although, they may try to get you to pay higher, so always bargain with them and they will lower it!)
-Stay at the Ethiopia Guest Home! This place is amazing. It is run by an American couple who adopted from Ethiopia (they do not live there, they run it from the States). The staff is amazing, great prices, and VERY helpful. They catered to us and made everything so easy. We also got free internet and local phone calls. They have a driver that will take you anywhere, they serve great meals, beautiful view, hot water (yay- warm shower!), etc. Best of all, part of the money you spend on your room goes back into the country in aid programs. It is amazing!
-Definitely try the national foods. Doro wat is my favourite (very spicy). Doro means chicken and wat is stew. It is eaten with injera, the staple food for most families in Ethiopia. Just we sure not to have too much the first time, or you will be sick!
-You haven't seen Ethiopia until you have seen the countryside. Be sure to venture outside of Addis and go to a village. If you are interested in learning more, a great option is to contact World Vision, or a similar organization, and have them escort you. They will pick you up in Addis and drive you out in the middle of nowhere to their villages. This way, you won't only get to see village life, but you will learn more about what is being done to improve the quality of life in these areas.
-If you are bringing donations, consider underwear and vitamins. Be sure, with the vitamins, not to give them out without explanations (even to organizations that you think may understand how to use them). Vitamins aren't very common in Ethiopia and so you need to explain what the purpose of them is and how to take them (get a translator for this to ensure they understand). Vitamins are great because most kids in Ethiopia eat injera all of the time and don't have a varied diet. Most Ethiopians also go without underwear, so that is very appreciated.
-Another good option for donations is care packages. Before I left for Ethiopia, Alex and I put together about 60 care packages for kids. I am really glad we did this. We used a large ziplock bag to hold each package and filled it with lots of things (some examples include skipping ropes, beanie babies, underwear, socks, snacks (granola bars, fruit chew snacks), flash cards, school supplies, books, jewelry, hair clips, bouncy balls, toy cars, t-shirts, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc.) This way, when we saw kids in need, we were able to give them things rather than just money (although, we often did give them money as well, or went and bought food for them). The only thing I would have changed was I wouldn't put underwear in it. It made it difficult as when we saw a kid we would have to search through the packages to find one with underwear in that child's size.
-The weather varies so is hard to predict. I was in ET during the dry season (I was there in February). It was very hot (around 27 or 28 degrees Celsius) but with no humidity, so it didn't seem as hot. I burned easily. At night and early in the morning it was quite cool (pants and sweatshirt). There were no mosquitoes during the dry season. Most of the time I wore pants and a t-shirt. Sometimes (on really hot days, or when we were building) I wore shorts, but they were long shorts that went to my knee. Ethiopians are very conservative and it would have been considered rude to wear anything shorter. I did have sandals, but I wore shoes most of the time as it is so dusty that my feet would just be covered in dirt by the end of the day.
-Just beware that you will come across begging. It is typical to give beggars 1 birr (equal to about 10 cents Canadian). I would usually give more than that, sometimes up to 100 birr, especially if it was a child. I would not give any in areas where there were lots of beggars. Once you give money to one, in a few seconds you would have a dozen Ethiopians surrounding you with their hands outstretched. It is always better, at least in my opinion, to go and buy food and give them this. I would usually buy a loaf of bread or something that I knew they would like (not Canadian-style food that they may not like).

Ethiopian Shopping

2009-02-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

Shopping in Ethiopia is very inexpensive, and very fun! Addis has amazing shopping... such beautiful and cultural pieces. Market areas in Addis do tend to have a lot of begging, so beware of that. Worse, though, is the pickpocketing. Just take precautions and you should be fine. We experienced incidents when they would team up on one person- someone would grab leaves from a tree and slap Alex's legs with them to distract him. When he reached down to push the leaves away, another guy reached into his pocket (thankfully, it was empty). Other incidents I have heard about and/or experienced included people riding by on bikes with outstreched arms to quickly grab bags or cameras, or using knifes to cut bags off straps to take them. Most of them time though, these things don't happen and all is fine. Just a few things to be wary of. Below are some things I bought, and the approximate prices to give you an idea of cost (very inexpensive!) They always give you a high price, especially if you are a foreigner, but they will go down quite low.

An Ethiopian hat I bought for Noel, the baby boy who lives here in Hamilton and whose family are immigrants from Ethiopia. This cost about 30 birr ($3). I definitely could have bargained this down, but at this point I was feeling sick and just wanted to get out of there!

Beautiful painting of a girl collecting water. This cost 100 birr, or about $10 Canadian.

A buna pot. This cost 20 birr ($2). These are gorgeous- the only problem is bringing them home, as they break easily. Alex bought three, and two chipped. One tip we heard is to boil water in them before you leave, which makes them stronger.

A shirt I bought for myself. I love this shirt!! It resembles the traditional Ethiopian wear, but in a style that I could wear in Canada. I bought this for 50 birr, or $5 Canadian.

A traditional outfit I bought for my sponsor child Tsehay. I couldn't find any while shopping in Debre Zeyit, but Addis is full of them. It is two pieces (a skirt and shirt) and cost 70 birr ($7 Canadian), I believe.

Do not even think of buying anything in the airports- they are so ridiculously overpriced. A shirt that would go for 30 birr in a market would be 150 birr at the aiport ($3 or $15).

Heading Home

2009-02-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

As I write this I am in the plane flying from Germany to Chicago. We had already gone from Ethiopia to Sudan, then to Germany. After this flight, we will get on another plane to Buffalo, and then will drive home. My time in Ethiopia is over, and it is hard to believe. This trip was a dream come true for me, and something I have been wanting to do for many years. When I began sponsoring Tsehay, two years ago, I knew that one day, I would meet her. I am still in disbelief that this actually happened. This little girl who I have been exchanging letters with for so long now is ‘real’ to me- when I think of her I can picture her shy expressions, her dark, tiny house, and her quiet yet sweet voice. The culture of Ethiopia is so incredibly beautiful, and I am sad to be unable to experience it daily. There are so many things that I noticed, so many thoughts flying around in my head about the beauty of Africa, but it is hard to put it all in words. It is hard to express everything I saw and experienced and portray the beauty of it all.
My last day was full of mixed emotions. As usual (as anyone who followed my Dominican trip knows) I get travel sickness and despite trying to prepare for this as best as possible (pills, wrist bands, etc.) I was still stick and my last day, after the drive from Debre Zeyit to Addis Ababa, was pretty miserable. But I won’t dwell on that.

Before we left for Addis, we had one stop to make. We split up- Beth and Brogan went to Beth’s sponsor child’s house (Genet, and her brother Yohannes) as she bought them backpacks and shoes and toys and wanted to deliver it and say goodbye. Alex and I, as I mentioned before, had prepared a package for Tigist and her girls- dresses for Sara and Fassika and toiletries and food. Anna, Alex, and I (along with the boys Melaku and Nicky) went there. I was worried that she wouldn’t be home, but as their tin gate was open and we walked through the gate made of sticks and called her name. Tigist’s expression was priceless- she just giggled and giggled and was so happy for us to be there. The girls must have just been bathed, as they were clean and their hair freshly braided (although their clothes were quite dirty). We gave Tigist the bags of food and toiletries and pulled out the dresses for the girls as we sat on little wooden stools on the dirt floor. Sara and Fassika changed into their new dresses right there, and I kept telling them how konjo (beautiful) they looked. Sara sat on Alex’s lap and Fassika on mine and as we were kissing them and loving on them, I looked over at Tigist and she had tears streaming from her eyes and a huge smile on her face. It was a really meaningful moment for me as I was reminded how huge one small gesture can be to one person.
We went shopping and Addis has amazing shopping- not just cheap souvenirs but beautiful authentic pieces that remind me of the country. I bought two shirts for myself (one, a cheesy tourist t-shirt, and the other, a gorgeous traditional shirt), a painting of a girl doing a buna ceremony, and an Ethiopian hat for the little boy, Noel, who is in the family that I posted about earlier, the immigrants from Ethiopia who I have become friends with through a volunteer program. Alex bought buna pots, 2 masks, and a knife. Everything is very, very inexpensive. Afterwards we went to the coffee shop and Alex got coffee beans to bring home, and then Tadesse, the man who helps to run BCI here in Ethiopia, had his brother bring us some teff, which is the ingredient to make injera. Injera is the staple food here in Ethiopia. I had it for the first time on my first day here, and was hesitant to try it again as it made me sick (I later learned that the first time you have it, you should have just a little as your body isn’t used to it). I did try it, several other times, and it is quite good. We are going to give some to Meron, the lady we know who is living in Hamilton and is Ethiopia, and we are going to keep some for ourselves and ask her to teach us how to make injera. When I met Meron a few weeks ago, she gave me the phone numbers of her mother and 2 sisters who are still living in Addis. They moved out of Ethiopia before their baby boy, Noel, was born, and so her family has never seen him. I had taken pictures of them together, and some pictures of Noel, and put them in a little album to deliver to Meron’s family. When Alex and I were in Addis last week, visiting AHOPE and Tsehay, we had called Meron’s mother and arranged for her to come to our guest house to pick up the album, but she never showed up and I am guessing that there had been a misunderstanding somehow. I asked Tadesse to call them today, figuring it might be easier if someone was talking to them in Amharic, and he arranged for them to meet us at the airport. Meron’s youngest sister came to pick up the pictures, and although I only talked to her quickly as we were on our way to fly out, she was very sweet (just like Meron) and happy to have the pictures. After we said goodbye to them, and watched them (Meron’s sister and friend) walking away and flipping through the album with smiles on their faces, it was time to leave. We had a full van and said goodbye to other missionaries first (Mariam, Anna, and Brogan) as well as Tadesse. It was hard to say goodbye to the boys, Sisay, Misgana, Melaku, and Nicky. We hugged them all goodbye and Misgana was acting a little funny- he hugged us quickly and then walked away to the van by himself. I looked up at Mariam, questioningly, and she said he was crying. I peaked in the van at him, and sure enough, he was hiding his face to cover the tears. He is such a sweetheart. My favourite memory of him, and the one I think best describes his personality, occurred the two times I was sick. On the first time, after I was sick and was napping it off, he came in and woke me up with a cup of tea. Today when I was sick after the drive, he wouldn’t let me out of his sight and when I had to leave the restaurant we were at to be sick outside, he came out with me and asked repeatedly if I was okay. He is such a sweet 13-year old and very wise beyond his years. I miss those boys already.
While my time in Ethiopia is over (for now) I will be posting videos and more pictures as soon as I get time to organize my thoughts and footage. While as usual, I can never properly describe how amazing the trip was, I hope that the photos and video clips will be able to at least partly portray this!

Painting For Ashenafi

2009-02-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

Our morning began with work on the school. We set out quite early and worked until lunch, putting up more rows on the wall. As we were packing up before lunch, I saw three kids standing by the fence staring at us. This happens often, but since we were all done, and they had been standing there for awhile, I decided to go over and say hi. There was a boy, about 8, a girl, about 7, and a younger boy (who looked 2, but who I later learned was 4)- very similar to the family I met yesterday. The youngest one kept burying his face in his sister’s skirt, and I just thought he was shy. As I continued talking to the kids, the little boy removed his head, but covered his right eye. After a few minutes of him holding his eye, I asked what was wrong and if I could see it. I convinced him to pull his hand away, and he could barely open his eye- it was bloodshot and swollen. I called over Eshetu, our social worker who was helping us build, and Brogan, another missionary, came too. I got him to talk to the kids in their language, Oromifa, and find out more about what was going on. We learned then that the little boy was 4, they do not go to school, and his eye had been like this for a few days. They had not been to a doctor. The kids looked very, very poor, and when we asked, they said there were no adults at home- they were all out. Brogan remembered seeing eye drops in the office back at our guest house. We have a ton of medical supplies, in case they are even needed (but most of the time they are not, and are there ‘just in case’). We had Eshetu tell the kids to wait there, and we walked back to the guest house. Brogan went to get the eye drops. We did not know what was wrong with his eye, but we hoped this would help. I got a package of vitamins I had brought, as well as soap, toothbrush/toothpaste, and a toy for each kid (a car, a skipping rope, and a beanie baby). We stopped on the way and I bought biscuits and pasta for them. We walked (quickly- by now close to a half hour had passed) back to the worksite. The little girl came running when we got there. She went to get her brother, who had left. He had been scared of us before, but when he saw the drops and Eshetu explained that it would fix his sore eye, he sat very calmly on Brogan’s knee as she put the drops in. We showed his sister how to put them in, and gave them the little container, telling them to put it in 3 or 4 times every day until it clears up. I explained to Eshetu to tell them how often to take the vitamins, and what they were for. We also had to take the toothbrush out of its case and explain how to use it. As this was happening, a crowd had gathered. One man said that his daughter also had a sore eye. He ran back to his house and brought back the baby, maybe 2 years old, but very, very tiny. I am not sure how often she had seen a white person close up before. She opened her mouth and screamed- completely terrified. I could not see anything wrong with her eye (unlike the other little boy who clearly couldn’t open it), but we put a drop in anyways. By then, about 5 minutes had passed since we put the drop in, and although the boy’s eye was still red and slightly swollen, he was no longer walking around covering it in pain. I was so glad, and they were very grateful. I hope the vitamins will help to keep them healthy in the future. **update... it seems I caught the pink eye- went to the walk in clinic this morning (first day back home) and I have pink eye in both eyes!**

After lunch we went to the house of Ashenafi. He is a 5 year old boy in the BCI program whose parents died of HIV (and who is available for international adoption). He lives with his grandmother in a one room house made of mud. I used a small portion of money I brought to donate to paint their tiny house. Paint is very different in Ethiopia than that in Canada that we are used to. It is more like coloured glue, and it is what keeps the mud houses from crumbling. We got one liter of blue paint and three brushes for less than $10 Canadian. Alex, Brogan, Beth, and the social worker Eshetu and I went to their house this afternoon. Everything had already been taken out of the tiny house and they were very excited. It took us about two hours to paint. We only had three brushes, which slowed it down a bit. The first paint store we went to only had one brush to sell, and the second we went to had two, so that was all we could do. We took turns painting. It also took longer than a ‘normal’ room (not made of mud) because in spots the mud was crumbling and difficult to paint on. Sometimes a small chunk of the house would fall on the ground- we had to be very careful. This paint will hold it together better, and make it more like a real wall and less like clumps of mud. Ashenafi was very shy, but very cute. He warmed up to me a bit when I would peak through the open window and he would duck, and run and hide on me. When we were all done, the grandmother gave us two papayas as a thank you. They were so grateful. I liked knowing that not only was the small, dark house brightened and looked more welcoming, but it would also help in making the house stronger and holding the mud together.
Today was our last full day in Ethiopia, and I have mixed feelings about it. I will definitely be sad to leave. Every night we go out and play with the kids who live in the area, and I had to say goodbye to them today. There are a few kids who come every night and who I have gotten to know well- Malcolm, Dagim, Hawit, Helen, Teddy, Mahry, and Selam. I promised them yesterday that I would bring chocolate today as it would be my last night. I went to the store on the way home from painting and got 10 small chocolate bars. Apparantly the word had spread that I was bringing chocolate. As Alex and I turned the corner to the house, about 30 kids came running towards me screaming, “Nikki! Chocolate!” Not knowing what to do as I was all out of all other sweets I had brought, I told the kids I had none today, but then whispered to the kids I had promised chocolate to that I had some and would sneak it to them. They felt very special, and kept our secret well! Tonight we have 4 boys staying with us- Misgana and Sisay live here all the time, and Melaku arrived as he comes every weekend. We also have Nicolay (Nicky- he finds it very funny that we have the same name)- a 7 year old boy whose father was a Russian who abandoned him very early on (not sure if they ever even knew each other). It is going to be a fun night- they are already running around and screaming excitedly!

Giving

2009-02-19T05:08:00.000-08:00

When I came to Ethiopia, I switched half of the money I bought to Ethiopian birr, not knowing what expenses I would have. Since I got here, I have spent very little on spending- I have paid for a few meals out (maybe 2?) and drivers, which are very inexpensive (the public is 1 birr, or 10 cents Canadian). Aside from that, all of my money I have spent giving to Ethiopians. I do not say this to make myself sound good, but rather to show the huge amount of poverty in this country. Everywhere I turn, I see someone in need. Today Alex and I were walking down a dirt road with Ashetu, one of the social workers, heading to the house of Nahom, a little boy in the program with burns all over his face from a few years ago when he fell into a pot of boiling water. We were stopped by a family- a woman wearing a faded man’s windbreaker and a shawl, and her three kids- a girl, about 10 years old, a boy, about 6 years old, and a little baby, who looked around 2, but who I later learned was 4. The little one looked sick-his nose was running down his face and his left eye was bloodshot and half closed. I noticed this before the mother even began to speak to us. Through Ashetu translating, we learned that the little one was sick. They had been to the doctor and got a prescription, but did not have the money to pay for the medication. The mother pulled the prescription out of her pocket and showed us. I asked her how much she needed, and she said 100 birr ($10 Canadian). I have no way of knowing if she will use this money on the medication, but I have no doubt that she will. The people here do not beg because they want to or because they think they will get rich off of it- they need this money in order to live.
As usual, Tigist (the mother of Sara and Fassika) joined the kids in English class. She is always so eager to learn, and sits in the back whispering and copying the English words she hears. It sometimes even gets to the point where she gets so excited and will shout out answers before the kids have a chance to, and we have to remind her to whisper so the kids can figure the answers out on their own! We taught the class, and after, it was time to say goodbye. I leave in two days, and tomorrow there is no English class, so no opportunity to see Tigist and her girls again. Tigist seemed sad all day (unlike her usually very happy self) and I didn’t realize until the end of the day when her eyes welled up with tears as we said goodbye that she was sad because we are leaving! We hugged and kissed (several times) and as we walked down the road away from each other, Alex and I decided that we wanted to help Tigist further. She is just such a kind person and so helpful and eager to learn. We decided to put together a large care package for the family, and after talking it over with Mariam (the leader missionary) she said that we will have time before we go to Addis on Saturday to stop by their tiny house and deliver the gifts. We went to a store and got skirts and shirts for the girls. Together, they came to $12 Canadian (things are SO inexpensive here!). We then went to another store and stocked them up on groceries- peanut butter, canned fruit, lots of pasta, etc. We are going to go Saturday morning and get some fresh bread and fruit to add to it, and then after we will deliver it! We are also going to add some more underwear, soap, toothbrushes, etc. to the package to make it complete. When we visited Tigist and her girls yesterday, we brought two care packages for the girls. Today at English class they were both wearing their new underwear, their socks, and their headbands- so cute! I am looking forward to seeing Tigist again and getting to help them out a little. I can just imagine how difficult her life must be- not only being a single mom to two young girls, but being unable to bring in an income and at the same time dealing with the death of her husband. This won’t change their lives, but I hope it reminds her that there are people who care about her and her family and want the best for them.

Spaghetti and Buna

2009-02-18T04:19:00.000-08:00

As I said in my last post, we were invited to Tigist’s house today. Tigist is a very sweet 24 year old mother of 4 year old Sara and 3 year old Fassika. She is always laughing and was very excited for us to come. We went first to the house of Bezuayehu, a 10 year old boy in the program who adores Alex! He is one of five kids, and the father is not in the picture- I am not sure if he abandoned them or if he died (both are very common). There is a 13 year old girl, Masret, another girl maybe 7 or 8, Hymanot, a baby boy, Yordanas, and an older child who I did not meet. They are very, very poor- I was told that before he joined BCI and they began helping the family, the kids only ate twice a week at the meal program. We walked into their compound and it was obvious that the area was even poorer than most we have been in. Most families in Debre Zeyit live in compounds- a gated in area with several tiny, tiny rooms attached together that can be rented out. They all (about 7 families who live in one compound) share a common kitchen and bathroom. The kids that were sitting in the compound or playing were half clothed and completely filthy. The babies don’t wear diapers, as obviously they can’t afford them, and some were covered in their own filth. The adults were around, I am sure, but I didn’t see many. We handed out some care packages and I picked up two adorable baby girls, Selamawit and Miga, and we went to Bezuayehu’s house (Tigist and her little girl Fassika came with us, as they are neighbours). Bezuayehu’s mother is so kind and was very happy to have us. The kids were so thrilled when I pulled out care packages for them. Bezuayehu was especially excited with the peanut butter- he tasted it and loved it. The girls loved the skipping rope. The other things included in their packages were things like underwear, socks, fruit snacks, toothbrushes and toothpaste, hair clips and ties, toy cars, and beanie babies. Their house was one room. It was larger than the teensy one I was in yesterday, that could barely just fit a bed, but it was not much larger (and, this house is for a large sized family!). There was one bed, and we sat on little cushions on the ground beside the bed. His mother, Wubalem, surprised us by pulling out a huge pot of spaghetti that she offered to us. I am sure this was probably meant to be a meal for her kids. Most people in Ethiopia eat only two meals a day and I know this family is especially poor, but I did not want to be rude and refuse it, so we all ate some. She then offered us buna (coffee), which is what happens in almost every house you visit here in Ethiopia (either that, or tea- but coffee was invented in Ethiopia and they all love it!). They drink their coffee in very tiny cups, but it is very strong. She performed a coffee ceremony and we watched her prepare the cups, and then we all had our drinks. I am not a fan of coffee at all, but again, I did not want to seem rude and so tried to swallow it quickly! Despite my not liking coffee, it was definitely interesting watching it be prepared and trying coffee in the country where it was invented. And of course I always love loving on all the babies. I kissed the babies goodbye (by then, 5 had joined us in the tiny house) and thanked Wubalem for the meal and coffee (thank you in Amharic is amasegenalow) and moved on to Tigist’s house. Her 4-year old, Sara, was still at school but she and Fassika showed us around. Their house is quite small, and there were bugs everywhere, but it was brightened up a bit as a team who came before painted it a light yellow. When you go outside the house to the back you have a beautiful view of Bishoftu Lake- just stunning. It was clear that she was very proud of the house, and took our cameras and guided us in front of the lake for a little photo shoot, telling us who to go in which photo, etc. She gave me her address as we left and made me promise to write, and I will. She was very excited for the backpack I gave her, for Sara to use for school, and the care packages we gave her girls. Fassika liked the beanie baby best (a moose- they did not know what that was). Tigist is a very sweet woman and her kids are precious. They, like many of the kids in the BCI program, are available for international adoption. I can see how much she loves her girls, but she wants the best for them. They often come to English class or activities filthy and stinking, or in the same clothes day after day. She just wants something better for them, despite how much she loves them, which I can see she truly does.
As we were standing at the street kissing Tigist and Fassika goodbye, I felt a tap on my shoulder. A crowd of kids were walking by in their uniforms as they go to morning school and school had just let out. I turned around and saw a face I recognized, but I couldn’t exactly place how I knew him. I shook his hand and asked him how he was, but before he had a chance to really answer, he was pushed down the street guided by the dozens of other students walking in that direction. As I crossed the street, I pointed him out to Alex (he was now down the road) and asked if he remembered how we knew him. We thought about it, and finally Alex remembered- it was Abera, the 13 year old orphan boy who captured by heart when we went into the village this weekend! I was so angry at myself for not recognizing him right away. I really think that everything happens for a reason, and I kept wondering all afternoon why I would have seen this boy again for just a few seconds. I wish I had recognized him right away so I could have hugged him and just given him more love, as he isn’t getting that anywhere else… just to make him feel special. It really bothered me that I wasn’t able to do that. Of the TONS of kids walking down the busy street, he just happened to walk by me and recognize me and decide to tap my shoulder as we passed. I keep thinking about it, and wishing things had gone differently. But who knows… maybe there will be a time when we will pass again on the street, and when that time comes I know I will recognize that beautiful smile and will make sure that he is doing okay.

Home Visits

2009-02-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

There are 5 social workers that BCI works with- Betty, Nigist, Goldie, Ashetu, and Gatu. They have a certain number of kids each who they focus on and make sure they are doing fine. Once a month they need to go to the home of every child in the program to update their profiles and ensure that everything is going okay. If it isn’t, we will arrange help, whether it be groceries that they need, medical care, school supplies, etc. Alex and I went with Ashetu to three home visits. While we were there, we met the kids and asked either them or their parents (depending on their ages and if their parents were home) questions to update their profiles to find them sponsors. We went to the house of Mastewal first. Their house was actually fairly nice (more than one room) but his situation was not the best. He is 9 years old, very shy, and both of his parents died of HIV, so he is in the house of his aunt. He wants to be a pilot when he grows up. He was very shy and his aunt was not around, so it was a quick visit. When we asked him a question, he would whisper an answer. We went to Mekdess’ house next. She is 8 years old and a complete sweetheart. Her father abandoned the family and she lives with her mother in a tiny one room house made of mud, sticks and straw. The entire house was about as big as my bedroom at home. There was one bed that she shared with her mother (who was at work, but we did meet her later), a mat on the ground for cooking and eating, and a small dresser- that was it. I gave her a care package and she was so excited. Ashetu asked her what her favourite part of the package was, and she said the beanie baby. We asked her some questions and she seemed to be doing fine, although was falling behind in her school work. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up, so we talked to her about trying her hardest at school in order to make this happen. We left when it was time for her to leave to school (school is half day here, and she goes in the afternoon). We also went to the house of Dawit, the youngest child in the program who is almost 2. He is a cutie. He wasn’t at the house when we went there, but we saw him later at English class. We talked to his mother for a long time and she was very kind. She has 4 children including Dawit. Her two boys live with her ex-husband, and her daughter lives with the grandmother. The father of Dawit abandoned the family, so she supports him on her own, working as a labourer doing anything she can get paid for (usually making injera and cleaning houses). She made us tea (which Alex thought was the best tea he ever had) and gave us a bowl of something called dabo kolo, which is really tiny pieces of baked bread with sugar- it tasted sort of like sugary cereal-type bread. Their house was similar to Mekdess’- one room with just enough room for a bed, a dresser (at the foot of the bed which can only open a few inches, and two chairs (they offered the chairs for us, and Dawit’s mother sat on the bed and the social worker Ashetu sat on a pillow on the ground). In between home visits we also had English classes. All the 102 kids in the program have English classes throughout the week that the social workers and the missionaries teach. We split the kids into groups depending in their ages and levels (2 groups). We worked on letter writing (to their sponsors) with the older kids, and I helped with the younger kids doing body parts and days of the week. There is one mother, Tigist, who is 24 and has two young daughters, Fassika (age 3) and Sara (age 4, who is in the program). Tigist is SO kind but can not get work, as she needs to stay home with her girls who are still so young, so they live in pretty rough conditions. She is very friendly and I have gotten to know her well. We are going to visit their house tomorrow to have a buna (coffee) ceremony and I will bring some care packages for Sara and Fassika. Tigist is trying very hard to learn English, so she sits in the classes with us and we teach her as well. Her girls are adorable, and I am looking forward to seeing their house tomorrow.

Alex and I took the public to the Internet café after English class. Halfway through writing my email the power went out, as it does every few days. We started to leave, but it came back on quickly after and they ran outside and called us back in so I could finish my emails (was on for a half hour, and it cost 76 birr, or 76 cents Canadian). We took the public back to the guest house (1 birr, or 10 cents Canadian) and the power was out here and is still out now, a few hours later. We went out and played with the kids on the street for awhile. One little girl, Helen, is my favourite. She is 9 years old and adorable- very shy and will hide when we pull the camera out, although I think it is all pretend as when we do sneak a picture of video of her she gets very excited! Whenever it is time for us to go in, she says “I love you Nikki” in that adorable African accent. We went to visit her house, and the house of brothers Malcolm and Dagim (and their baby sister Hawit). She lives in a compound, which many families do here. It is one big fenced in area that one person owns, and many families rent a section of. They asked if we would come play tomorrow at 12:00 (12 Ethiopian time, which is 6pm our time as they use a different clock system- they are the only country in the world that does this). I told them I would come and bring some candy for them, so they were very excited.

Toothpaste!

2009-02-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

This morning we did more work on the building of the school. The weather works out well for us, as both of our work days have been much cooler than others. Some boys, not in school, came riding on their donkeys past the school. When they see ferenges (foreigners) many Ethiopian kids are trained to ask for money. They just stuck out their hands, riding past on their donkeys, saying “money, money, money”! I do usually give the kids money is they are beggars, but there were too many of these kids to do that, so I told them no. I did go over and take some videos of them, which they thought was hilarious, until one of the men yelled at them to go away. Around 2 we went into town as we had some jobs to do. One of the other missionaries, Beth, wanted to buy Misgana a bike. He has been living with us and will continue to live with BCI indefinitely (not a set time that he will go back home). I have posted about him several times before. He is a sweetheart. His father died and his mother is very poor. When he found out he was getting a bike, he said “all my life I have wanted a bike”. He is so sweet, and definitely deserved it. When we were at the shop a ton of Ethiopians crowded around us, so excited for him. We did groceries and did some other little jobs. This week we have wanted to give each kid in the program (there are 102 kids) a toothbrush and toothpaste. Alex and I brought enough toothbrushes for all of them, but not enough toothpaste. I had a lot of money donated for me to bring and give while here. Some of this was given to AHOPE, some was given to Tsehay’s family for a bed, and today I gave 2000 birr ($200) to the social workers to fix up the homes of some families in the BCI program. They are discussing tonight so I should know by tomorrow what families will receive this and what will be fixed. I had 200 birr left ($20) and so I decided to put it towards toothpaste for the kids. The toothbrushes are fairly useless without it, and these families are so poor that what little money they do have is not going to go towards toothpaste. I went to the store and bought all of their toothpaste, 19 packages at 5 birr each (50 cents). They had no more left, so we are going to go back tomorrow or try a different store to get the rest. As we were walking back, one little boy, maybe 3 or 4 years old, came up to me and held my hand. I could see his mother watching from down the street. He held out his hand for money and jabbered away in Amharic or Oromifa (not sure which language). I am a sucker for these kids. I have said that before. It is just hard for me to imagine having to bed at that young of an age, and having to live in a situation where you have no other option. I gave him 10 birr ($1- beggars usually get 1 birr from each person, so he was very happy) and watched as he ran back and gave it to his mother. I continued watching as they walked down the road. His mother would pick out the people who looked better at and would point her son in their direction. He would walk up from behind them and hold their hand, just as he had done to me, and without fail every person would give him money. I imagine they do this for hours every day just to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.

As I write this I am sitting in our guest house family room right by the front door that we leave open all day to let in the breeze. There is a big gate in front of the yard and our guard is standing by it. I can hear the kids who live on the street on the other side. When the guard opened the door earlier, they saw me sitting on the couch and have been screaming my name for me to come play. I am just about ready to fall asleep, but how many times in my life am I going to play football with a bunch of hyper African boys and girls, with donkeys passing and women going to the river to collect their water on either side of us? I have to go play!

Ethiopian Mountainside

2009-02-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

This morning Brogan and I went to church at MKC, one of the churches that we work with (where we had Activity Day). Everyone else-Alex, Mariam, Anna, Beth, and the boys (Sisay, Misgana, and Melaku) went mountain climbing. Apparently it was very hot and tiring, but the view was gorgeous. Thinking back to the hike I took in the Dominican and how miserable I was by the end (and that wasn’t even up a mountain!) I opted out, and Brogan was happy as she didn’t want to go either, so we went to church. The church was packed. We sat at the back and I couldn’t tell how many people were there, but the social worker who works at that church tells me they have around 800 people. A crowd of little girls came and sat with us. After the singing, the service was in Amharic, so we just played quietly with the girls. I had brought a care package in my bag and they were thrilled to see the goodies in it, especially the book (that I got at the dollar store at home!). The little girl who I ended up giving the package to, after all the other girls had left, was about 4 or 5 years old and was sitting on my lap the whole time. Every few minutes she would look up at me and if I would make eye contact she would giggle hysterically and look back away. All the kids do that here- they think it is pretty hilarious to see a ferenge! She was coughing the whole service and her nose was so runny- she just didn’t look good at all. But it was a great feeling getting to put that smile on her face.

In the afternoon we all went to a small village that one of the churches whose kids we work with outreaches to. The village is small and rural, and the people are very, very poor. It was there that I met Abera, a little boy who I completely fell in love with. He is 13 years old and only knew a few phrases of English. It was clear that these were phrases he had been taught, as if I asked him a question, he could not answer. It is a long way through the bottom of the mountains (by Green Lake) to get to the village, and he followed us silently the whole time, just looking up and smiling shyly every once in awhile. Alex and I had packed a ton of care packages in our bags, and I whispered for Alex (who had the boy bags) to give one to him as he continued to follow us. You should have seen his face light up! He ran behind a bush so no one could see as he unpacked the bag and looked at all he had gotten. Then, he tucked in his shirt and put the bag inside his shirt so that it was hidden and no one could take it. He was so grateful. Seeing how happy he was, I wanted to learn more about him. When he came over to thank me, I tried to ask him questions, but he didn’t know English too well. I learned his name (Abera) and that he is 13 years old. Ethiopians find the meanings of their name very important. Whenever someone introduces themselves, they will say “My name is ____ and the meaning is ____.” For example, Misgana means praise and Melaku means angel. Abera told me that his name means ‘the light’. He told me in choppy English that his parents died and he had no living family members left. I pulled over one of the pastors in the community who spoke better English, and he confirmed that Abera’s family was dead and that he was very poor and struggling. He goes to school in Debre Zeyit, and walks 2 hours to get there every day and 2 hours to get back. He runs so that he is never late. My heart just broke for this boy. I thought of myself at 13 years old and how I would feel if my entire family died and I was left to fend for myself. When it was time to leave, I slipped him 100 birr and the smile I received was priceless. We hugged goodbye and I watched him walk away with the mountains and clear sky behind him, hoping that somehow he would be okay. Our night was filled with more football games with the boys on our street, until it was too dark to see the ball anymore.

Activity Day

2009-02-14T22:36:00.000-08:00

Today was activity day! BCI does this once a month on a Saturday morning for all the kids in the program and their siblings. We had close to 200 kids show up and we had spent last night preparing for them. We had different stations with games and crafts, as well as a snack at the end. Alex was in charge of a game. He did a relay race splitting the group into two teams and having them do things like skipping rope and three legged races. I wrote about Abayneh earlier- he is the one who lost his arms in a train accident two years ago. He gets left out a lot and finds it difficult to participate in many of the activities. He loved doing Alex’s game because Alex adapted it so that he could play, where as he had to sit out in many of the others. At the part when the kids would skip rope, Alex changed it so that they would have groups and other people would swing the rope and all he would have to do is jump. It is great when he is able to participate like that. I was in charge of doing a craft. Because it is Valentine’s Day (they don’t celebrate it here, but we adapted it and told them about how Americans and Canadians celebrate love) we had 2 crafts- one where they decorated with their fingerprints on a heart, and mine where we decorated bookmarks with stickers and drawings of hearts. After each of the 5 groups we had separated them into went to each station, they lined up and we gave them a cup of kool-aid and a package of cookies. The kids are so adorable and we had lots of fun getting to know more of the kids in the BCI program and providing them with a fun day. I met kids who are orphans, kids who have been abandoned by their parents, and even two adorable little girls, Haben and Lidia, who live with their 15 year old aunt. I can’t imagine having that responsibility at 15 years old, and I can’t imagine being the kids who are parented by someone so young.

Afterwards we went to the market to do some shopping and to see how Ethiopians buy their food. It was crazy, but really interesting to see. The people are so gorgeous and everywhere you look it is just so beautiful. There were tiny stalls as well as people just sitting on the ground selling shoes, clothes, food, etc. Alex bought a belt that says Ethiopia on it and I bought two traditional scarves and a shirt that has words in the Amharic script. The shirt was only 35 birr, which is $3.50 Canadian. Some of the kids at the market are so poor and filthy. Another little girl carrying her baby sibling on her back was begging on the street. I have a weakness for those kids- it just breaks my heart. If people give to beggars, they usually give 1 birr (10 cents Canadian). I didn’t have change and just felt so sad for her and the life she has, so I gave her 100 birr ($10 Canadian). Ethiopians are always so grateful and put their hands together and bow whenever they want to show thanks. They really are a beautiful and kind people.

After dinner we played ‘football’ (I am still not used to calling soccer football!) out on the street with all the boys who live in the area. The boys on the street wait for us every evening when we get back. They run and greet us- (“Hello, Nikki- How are you Nikki! Football, Nikki?) going from person to person saying the same thing (they sound so cute saying Alex’s name with their African accents- no one can pronounce it properly!) There is Helen, Mahry, Selam, Dagim, Malcolm, Hawit, and Teddy- and of course Misgana and Sisay who live with us. They faithfully wait for us every afternoon, and if we are inside, we can hear them screaming our names over the gate until we come play. They are adorable kids, and great at both English and football!

Building

2009-02-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the worksite to work on the school we are building. It is going to be the school for all 102 of the BCI kids when it is done, and will also provide school for other kids (who are a bit wealthier and will pay tuition in order to pay for the BCI kids to attend, most of whom are orphans and would not be able to afford these school fees). A guest house will eventually be built on the property for the missionaries, and at night the school will be a place for community activities. It is going to be great for the community when it is ready! The sun wasn’t as hot today, and there was a slight breeze. It is a gorgeous view with mountains to every side, kids and adults walking by and tending to their cows, and kids running in their tattered school uniforms, carrying their faded books, to get to school on time. We worked on the walls of the school, making cement, and laying the bricks. We worked hard and got the walls built up a lot! It is great seeing the tangible proof of what our work has done, and knowing that it is going to help the community. The goal is that by April, the kindergarten classes will be able to begin (although they think that September is more likely).

After dinner Melaku came back! He is the 9 year old boy who was living here when we first got to the guest house, and is one of the kids in the BCI program. He lives with his aunt, so had to go back home to go to school, but is allowed to come live at the guest house with the missionaries on the weekend. We also had Sisay, a thirteen year old boy who, like Melaku, is an orphan. Sisay will soon be adopted to America by a couple who came as missionaries earlier. So, we had three boys to keep us entertained (including Misgana, who has been here the whole time). They all ate a huge amount of dinner, especially Melaku (making me wonder how much he gets fed at home) and then we taught the boys how to play the card game Hit the Deck. They all caught on quickly, even Melaku whose English isn’t as good as the other boys.

Meeting Tsehay

2009-02-13T16:42:00.000-08:00

Today was amazing. It ranks right up there in the best experiences I have ever had. I got to go meet Tsehay, the little girl I sponsor through World Vision. I have been sponsoring her for two years, and she is now 8 years old. I thought she was 12 (World Vision wrote the wrong year on her papers- they felt very bad!) That explains a lot as I always wondered why she was so tiny. She is 8 and in grade 1 and her brother Hailu is 11 and in grade 3. The World Vision staff picked us up at 7:30 and we made our way out to the ADP (area development project).It is 150km north of Addis, but took us about 3 hours to get there. The main road is paved, but eventually you get to a dirt road, and then you go past the dirt road to an area that barely has a road at all- very bumpy, covered in rocks, etc. We got to the World Vision office and we met some more staff members and they told us a bit about the program. Since they began this project in 2003, the area has gone to having 50% of kids in school, to 81%. There has gone from 40% to 50% of girls in school- still needs improvement, but much better! They also do a lot of work with the families to improve their farming, adding new crops, etc. They do amazing work. We then got back in the truck and made our way to her village. It is about thirty minutes from the office, over the road that is not really a road! The entire drive was the most beautiful thing I have seen- it is just stunning. We just stared out the window the whole time, it was amazing. There were so many kids not in school, taking care of their goats or cows. Women were walking down the road carrying huge loads of firewood, either to keep or to sell. It looked so heavy. We finally arrived at Tsehay’s village, and we parked and walked a short way to her house. Her brother came out first, and I recognized him right away from the picture I have of their family. He was very excited and kept smiling and motioning for us to follow him. He brought us to their house, where a huge crowd of kids had already gathered round, waiting to see the ferenges! I walked in and saw Tsehay first. I am not sure I would have even recognized her. She is so tiny, and her hair has been all cut off since my last picture of her. But I looked closely as I walked over and I knew it was her without having to ask- it is those huge eyes that give her away. She was so shy (it is funny, because I was talking to Alex before and I said I guessed she would be shy!). She shook my hand and then we all went into her house. It was so surreal to see her in real life after spending 2 years of exchanging letters. The house is made of wood and mud, and is pitch black as there are no windows. The only light was coming from the open door, which was crowded from all the kids staring in! I was introduced to Tsehay’s mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather. They were so excited and sweet- each of them came and bowed to us and kissed our hands or cheeks. It turns out, her mother was pregnant and had a baby boy just one week ago! He was so tiny! One of the World Vision staff members talked to the mother about breastfeeding to keep the baby healthy. They have no beds, so her mother had made a little area in the corner of the small house with sheets where she laid with the baby. I gave them each a gift- a bag of gifts for Tsehay, a bag for Hailu, and a bag for their parents. They loved the blanket which they wrapped the baby in, and I explained to them what the vitamins are (the kids each opened their mouths for me to feed them one!). Hailu was sitting beside Alex with a huge smile on his face, and Tsehay was sitting beside me, looking a little stunned. The kids got up and brought over piles of all the things I have ever sent Tsehay over the past 2 years. It was so
touching. There were my letters, pictures, toys, clothes, etc. Some were very well used, and others were being treasured and had not been used at all (like the stickers I sent that decorated their walls, pinned up and still in the packages). We used the World Vision staff members who had come along to translate, as they speak Oromifa. I asked about their ages, and this is when I found out Tsehay is actually 8. She had a copy of her original sponsorship form that I got when I began sponsoring her, and it said she was born in 1996. I showed this to the staff, and they were very apologetic and said that she was really born in 2000. I asked about the family, and what they needed. They began by saying that they would love anything, but when I persisted, the mother told me they needed beds. They sleep on the ground right now, on a blanket made of tree leaves that they roll up and put away each morning. I talked to the World Vision staff, and gave the family 1000 Ethiopian birr ($100) which would be enough for a bed, sheets, and pillows. After awhile of visiting, the World Vision staff asked me if I was ready to leave. We went outside and Tsehay showed me the cow I had bought the family last year. She was wearing the shoes and dress that I had sent money for at the same time. She also showed me the sheep that she takes care of. We took the kids and their grandfather in the car and back down the half hour rocky ride to the World Vision office to have lunch. I am not sure if Tsehay has ever been in a car before- she was terrified. It was at this time that she began to relax a little and warm up to me. When she thought I wasn’t looking, I could see her staring at me out of the corner of her eye. I would look at her and she would smile or giggle and look away quickly. She looked so scared on the bumpy ride and was gripping onto me, practically sitting on my lap by the end. Her dress and hands were filthy, and the dirt was getting on my pants where she was gripping tightly, and the staff kept telling her to stop as she was getting me dirty (of course, I didn’t care- it is just a little dirt, and I told them this!). She tried to listen to the staff (even though I told them it was okay) but we would hit a bump
and her arms would fly back around me. We got to the office and it was time for lunch. Tsehay and Hailu looked so unsure of what to do. We went to the bathroom to wash our hands. Tsehay was last, and she didn’t know how to turn the tap off- she just looked around nervously and then walked away quickly. We filled their plates up with food (injera, apples, bread, and rice)- they had SO much food and they cleaned their plates. They ate a ton! I was stuffing myself with food, not wanting to look rude, and the staff still kept asking me what was wrong and why I wasn’t eating enough! Ethiopians have huge meals! There was a TV in the room, which Hailu and the grandfather were transfixed with. After lunch, we went outside and I took a video of them on my camera, which they thought was hilarious. I pulled out the bubbles then and showed them what to do. I tried to give it to the kids to play with, but their grandfather just lit up and took it out of their hands and played with it himself!

I was so sad when it was time to go! Tsehay was finally coming out of her shell and coming over to me to hold my hand. I hugged Hailu and shook hands with their grandfather. He bent over and bowed his head again and kissed my cheek three times- it is always done in three’s in Ethiopia! I hugged Tsehay and kissed her three times, as the girls and women always do here- left cheek, right cheek, left cheek. It was such an amazing experience getting to finally meet her, and seeing what life is like in rural Ethiopia. You haven’t seen Ethiopia until you have gone out in the countryside- it is beautiful and the culture is incredible. I am so impressed with the work World Vision is doing and I am even more encouraged to support them. The best part of my day was seeing Tsehay pull out everything I have given her. It was amazing to see where all my money has gone and how treasured it is. I can’t even express how much it meant to me to see this and to meet this precious little girl. Child sponsorship has so many benefits and can really make a difference in the lives of kids living in poverty.

AHOPE

2009-02-11T08:57:00.001-08:00

This morning Alex and I arrived at the Ethiopian Guest House in Addis,
where we are staying for the night. It is beautiful here, the staff is
wonderful, and I couldn’t speak highly enough of it. Not only is it
amazing, but part of the money they make, they put back into programs
in the country helping children and families. I LOVE this guest house!!
Today Alex and I went to AHOPE, something I have been wanting to
experience since I first became interested in Ethiopia. In one word, it
was heartbreaking. All of the kids at AHOPE are orphans and have HIV or
HIV/AIDS. Many are in the process of being adopted to Canada, the
United States, and other countries, so it is against the law to post
pictures of them online, but take my word for it that they are precious
children. To the parents adopting from AHOPE who asked for me to take
pictures of the kids, Susan, Julee, and Vali- I saw Yordanos, Girma,
Assefa, Tsegerda, and they are all adorable and so sweet. I will email
you all pictures when I get home, as the Internet is so slow here. We
got a driver at around noon and drove to the Little Hope, where the
kids aged 0-7 live. AHOPE was not what I expected at all. Honestly, I
thought the conditions would be better and the kids would be healthier.
While it is clear that the ladies working there love the kids VERY
much, they just looked so sad. Having workers at an orphanage doesn’t
replace a mom and dad. Many looked so sick, while others looked quite
healthy. There were 30 kids in the Little AHOPE, that we visited. There
is another compound for the big kids, but they just happened to be
visiting the little compound while we were there, so we got to spend
time with them all. As we got there, the kids were just finishing up
their lunch and getting ready for nap time. We got to play for 15
minutes or so, and met two other adoptive moms there with their kids,
but then it was nap time for two hours- we picked the wrong time to
come!
We left AHOPE and walked around Addis for awhile, getting to explore a
little, which we haven’t had much time to do yet. We had brought some
care packages that we made (filled with toys, toothbrushes, underwear,
etc.) and wanted to hand some out. We searched around for kids to give
them to, which was a lot of fun. One area we went to was really awful.
The entire ground was covered in garbage and it smelled so bad. The
kids would just pull their pants and go to the bathroom right there on
the ground. One little girl, maybe 2 years old, was sitting with her
grandmother, and they both kept smiling at us. She toddled over and
shook both of our hands, which was so cute. Her grandmother just lit up
when we gave them a care package. We gave some more out, but my
favourite was 2 little girls. I can’t remember their names (they were
difficult to pronounce) but the girls were just gorgeous. They were in
tatters, and the one little girl had a sandal that was falling apart,
and her toe was bleeding. They were maybe 8 or 9- it is hard to tell as
Ethiopians are so tiny. They came up and said hello, and when we pulled
the care packages out of our backpack, they literally squealed with
delight! They kept saying "wow!" and doing this high pitched giggle.
The underwear seemed to excite them the most.
We went back to AHOPE just as the kids were waking up from their naps.
There are 3 bedrooms- one for the babies, one for the boys, and one for
the girls. I was talking to a boy outside through the window, and he
motioned for me to come inside. We started playing with the boys in
their room, and as I pulled my camera out, one of them saw a care
package in my purse. We had already given a separate pile of donations
to AHOPE, and didn’t want to give out gifts to the kids, because we
didn’t want to hurt any feelings and didn’t know if we would have
enough for everyone. I tried to keep my purse shut, but in a few
seconds I had ten boys running at me from every angle trying to get the
goodies. The girls, hearing the commotion, then ran in as well. I
managed to close my purse (after they had already taken most of the
toys out) but just as I suspected, it caused a lot of hard feelings.
The kids who didn’t get anything were upset. It is so hard seeing that,
as I know they have very little of their own belongings, as everything
is shared.
Soon the toys were forgotten and I found a pack of stickers (where I
could hand one out to every kid). Then I got to have fun with them
before it was time to leave. They are precious, and so sweet. They are
just desperate for love- hugging on to us and wanting to be held and
hugged and kissed. And then there are some on the other side of the
spectrum who cringe when touched and push your hand away. I absolutely
fell in love with sisters Yordanos and Kidist. They look like twins- I
am not sure their ages (maybe 6 and 8?) They are so sweet and quiet.
Kidist especially was one I tried to hug on a lot, as she just seemed
so sad. There were multiple times throughout the afternoon where her
eyes welled up with tears. But by the end of the day, I was able to get
a smile and even a laugh out of her. Her favourite part of the day was
when Alex lifted her up on his shoulders- she looked like she had won
the lottery! Overall, the day was amazing… something I will never
forget.

First Day

2009-02-11T08:56:00.001-08:00

Today we got up bright and early and met the social workers we are
going to be working with. We had breakfast and then went out to teach
an English class at one of the churches. We split up, and we had 7 kids
at the English class Mariam, Alex and I taught. This is less than
usual, as the kids started school again this week after being on
vacation. One little boy, Abayneh, lost both of his arms when he was
hit by a train while playing on the train tracks. In Ethiopia, if you
are disabled you cannot go to school, so because of this, he can’t get
an education. He loves English class though, and had a lot of fun. BCI
is in the process of trying to organize for him to go to America to get
prosthetic arms. First in the class, we had papers with opposites. We
handed out the cards and took turns saying the word, and then finding
the person who had the opposite card. We would then explain what the
words meant (for example, if someone had open and another person had
closed, we would demonstrate by opening and closing the door). When we
got to rich and poor, we asked them for examples. For rich, they said
Bill Gates. For poor, they said themselves, telling us that Ethiopia is
one of the poorest countries in the worlds. After we had a relay race
where we split the kids in two groups and gave each group cards. The
matching opposites were across the yard. They would race to see what
team could find all the opposites the quickest. It was a fun class, and
many of the kids only go to school for half the day, so it is nice to
keep them learning. It was so interesting walking through the village
and just taking everything in. We tried to go to an Internet café, and
I sat for 15 minutes before we had to leave for lunch, but none of my
emails would send. We went to lunch and Misgana (the 13 year old) told
me about the Ethiopian dishes). He, Alex, and I all got doro wat with
injera. Doro wat is chicken stew, and the injera is a spongy bread that
you dip it in. The doro wat comes in a bowl, and you use a spoon to
dump it on the injera. You then rip off pieces of the injera (with your
hands- Misgana made it very cleat that Ethiopians eat with their
hands!) and then dip it into the spicy doro wat. It was very good, but
I couldn’t eat all of it! Misgana ate all of his and half of mine, and
I was still stuffed. It didn’t sit too well, and I felt like I was
going to throw up about an hour later! Brogan told me later than a lot
of people feel sick their first time trying it, as it is so spicy. We
toured the city a bit and then it was time for another English class.
It was at this point that I experienced my first Ethiopian begging. I
have experience begging before in the DR, but never by kids. This
little girl, maybe 7 years old, came up to me in tatters, carrying her
baby brother on her back. I know a lot of people disagree with giving
money to beggars, but she is just a child and none of this is her
fault. It is really heartbreaking seeing what her life must be like,
having to beg for food just to eat. I was still feeling sick, so went
back to the Guest House to lie down. I was disappointed as I really
wanted to go, but the time change and the food had caught up on me and
I needed that 2 hour nap! I am feeling much better now. Misgana is so
sweet. He came in my room and woke me up, having made me a cup of tea.
We sorted through all the donations we brought, and handed some out to
Misgana and Melaku. Melaku (the 9 year old orphan who now went back to
his home where he lives with his aunt) came here with nothing but the
clothes on his back, and is going back home with three big bags full of
things like clothes, toothbrushes/toothpaste, toys, etc. I gave him a
care package and he loved the toy car in it, and played with it for a
long time. He also loved the underwear, which apparently is a rarity
here in Ethiopia. We had dinner and now have the rest of the night to
relax. I will be going to bed early! Tomorrow we are going to Addis to
do our own thing for 2 days- going to AHOPE, meeting my sponsor child,
etc.

We Arrived!

2009-02-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

I am here! Our flight landed first in Sudan, where we dropped off some
people, and then we went to Ethiopia. The view from the plane (in
Sudan) was gorgeous. It was too dark by the time we got to Ethiopia to
see much. I definitely had some culture shock at the airport, but I
loved it. The people are so gorgeous and interesting. Many of the men
were in bare feet or skirts. Some of the women had religious tattoo
markings on their faces. We met Beth, one of the other ladies on our
team, on the flight, and then we met the rest of our team (long term
missionaries) at the airport- Mariam, Anna, and Brogan. They had 2 boys
with them from the BCI program, Misgana and Melaku. We drove back to
the Guest House and on the hour long drive I learned more about the
program and about the kids. It turns out, some of the kids are orphans
or don’t have great family situations, and they come live at the Guest
House with us for a little while. These 2 boys are both living at the
Guest House. Misgana is a funny boy. He is 9 years old and lives with
his aunt in a small village, as both of his parents died. His aunt is a
farmer, farming teff (the ingredient to make injera) and makes about
$10/month. He didn’t want to go home, but school started up again and
his small village is too far away to transport him to and forth, so he
stayed over the first night we were here, and he went back home today.
Misgana is a sweetheart and 13 years old. He is one of four kids, and
his father has died. He has amazing English and we can communicate
together almost perfectly.

We got back to the Guest House and we were all exhausted. We stayed up
and talked for a bit, unpacking and playing with the boys, and then got
ready for bed. I tried to have a shower, but it definitely wasn’t like
the shower I am used to at home! The water was freezing and the water
often goes on and off, so you have to time your shower for a time when
the Guest House has water. I am staying in a room with Brogan, Anna,
and Beth. The Guest House is really nice and homey. Alex is staying
right behind us (same building area, but a bit separated) with the two
boys, Misgana and Melaku (now just Misgana as Melaku went home, but
another boy, Sisay, is coming soon). I had a great sleep and woke up
early again to start my first day!

Flights

2009-02-09T00:03:00.001-08:00

As I write this I am sitting in the airport in Frankfurt. We had an hour-long flight to Philadelphia (from Buffalo) and then a 7 hour flight to Germany. Both were pretty uneventful. Although it was 7am Germany time when we arrived, it was the middle of the night in Hamilton, so Alex and I are both exhausted! Exhausted, but excited. We have been waiting for about a half hour now and will board our flight in another 45 minutes or so. Alex is reading (The Rebels’ Hour by Lieve Joris) and I have just finished the book I blogged about earlier by Amy and Josh Bottomly, about their Ethiopian adoption (it was really good!) We spent some time looking around our waiting area and wondering why everyone is going to Ethiopia! A fun enough game to pass time. They are a handful of Ethiopians, some UN workers, and other missionaries, I am assuming. There aren’t too many of us in the waiting area, although we do still have some time before we board. We both slept most of the flight to Germany and are exhausted now! First thoughts on Germany? … Cold! We had to go outside from our plane to the shuttle bus that took us inside. It is freezing (and snowing). Colder than Ontario, I think. I am hungry for some ‘real’ food (not chocolate and candy!) but don’t want to switch any of my money to Euros, so I am holding out. Nothing much else to report! Very soon, we will be in Africa!!

Leaving Tomorrow!

2009-02-07T19:16:00.001-08:00

I am leaving tomorrow!! I am sooo excited. I am all packed now, just have a few last-minute things to add. My flight leaves at 1:35, so we have to leave here around 9 in the morning as we have to drive awhile to get to the Buffalo airport (we had to fly out of the States, not Canada). The only problem right now seems to be money!! I waited until last minute to take cash out of my account to bring as spending money (to pay drivers, for food, souvenirs, etc.) When I got home, my parents had just found out that someone had taken almost $1000 out of their account. Then, my sister found out that someone had taken $200 out of hers, and Alex's Dad had $400 taken out of his. I went to the bank and deposited some cheques, and then tried to take out my spending money. Nothing... "transaction cancelled". UGH. I called the bank, and apparantly someone had copied my card, but fortunately had not taken any money out yet. I cancelled my card right away, especially since I won't be able to make it into the bank for another 2 and a half weeks, but still... this leaves me very little options for getting cash to bring, considering everyone in my family is now unable to use their debit cards!! I do have another card that I used to use, and I think it still has some money on it, so I am going to go check that and hopefully will figure something out! Other than that, all the preparations are going well and I am just excited for tomorrow to come!

AHOPE

2009-02-03T06:36:00.000-08:00

5 days til I leave!!

Alex and I are still planning on visiting AHOPE for a day. We are not sure yet if we will be going to Big AHOPE or Little AHOPE, but we are going to call when we get there to work it all out. That said, I know that some people who read this blog are adopting from Ethiopia. If anyone reading is adopting from AHOPE, send me an email at ncochrane3@hotmail.com with the name and picture of your child, and I will try to get some pictures and videos to send you when I get home. Again, not sure if I will be in Big AHOPE or Little AHOPE, but I will try my best!

This week is BUSY with catching up on the school work I am going to be missing next week and trying to get everything packed and ready. I got my package from Blessing the Children with all the info, and we have a VERY small team of 6 people. It is going to be very different from the huge teams I am used to with Hero Holiday in the Dominican of 100+ people!

Meron, Nebiyou, and Noel

2009-01-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

I leave VERY soon for Ethiopia- 1 week and 4 days! My housemate Kerry just signed up to volunteer with Micah House. She is going to be a "global friend" to a family from Ethiopia (like I am with Jocelyne, Fanel, and Jod). She met the family last week and brought me to the Micah House with her today to get to know them better. The family is made up of the father, Nebiyou, the mother, Meron, and their 11 month old baby boy, Noel. They left Ethiopia four years ago and lived in Maryland, and just came to Canada two weeks ago. They will live in the Micah House for a few more weeks as they get on their feet and find an apartment. I have to say, I have heard that Ethiopian people are kind, but I had never met an Ethiopian before. I was amazed at what a sweet lady Meron was. The smile very rarely left her face and the love she has for her son is so evident. It is certainly returned as he wouldn't let his Mama out of his sight! They were so excited to hear that I am going to Ethiopia, and Kerry and I sat with them for over 2 hours talking and playing with Noel, who is absolutely precious. They both told me about life in Ethiopia, taught me about Ethiopian food, and taught me several phrases in Amharic that will be useful to me. I have listed some below. I spelt them phonetically, as I don't know the Ethiopian script-
Amasingenalow = Thank you
Ewodeshalow = I love you (to a girl), Ewodehalow = I love you (to a boy)
Yneseme Nikki = My name is Nikki
Manew semesh = What is your name? (girl), Manew semeh = What is your name? (boy)
Demenesh = How are you? (girl), Demeneh = How are you? (boy)

We had such a fun time. Kerry had bought a few outfits for Noel (which fit perfectly). Meron's mother and sisters live in Addis Ababa and they have never seen or met baby Noel, as he was born in the States. Meron gave me the phone numbers of her family members, and I am going to call them when I am in the country and try to arrange to meet them, and give them photos that Kerry had taken of Meron, Nebiyou, and Noel. It was really great to meet them, and I love having a connection with Ethiopian people here in Hamilton!

From Ashes To Africa

2009-01-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

I leave in less than one month, and am VERY excited! My trip package from Blessing the Children is getting mailed out this week, and I will be getting final details for visiting Tsehay from World Vision soon. I just wanted to post quickly about a book I just bought. It is going to be the perfect plane-ride-to-Ethiopia-read! It is called From Ashes to Africa and is written by Josh and Amy Bottomly, a couple who adopted from Ethiopia and whose blog I have been following since before their adoption. The book is about Africa, their adoption, and the poverty in the country. They are in the process of their 2nd adoption now (of a baby girl in Ethiopia) and I so look forward to following their journey, and reading their book.

Flights!

2008-12-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

Melissa at Blessing the Children just emailed Alex and I our flight itineraries!! And in a few days (saturday) it will be just TWO MONTHS until we leave! It is coming up sooo quickly. I still have not heard back from AHOPE. I talked to one of the women who work for them in the States, and she said that visit requests have to be sent to the office in Ethiopia, so I emailed them a few days ago and am just waiting to hear back. Hopefully we can arrange to visit on the 11th during the time that we have to be in Addis to get picked up from World Vision. Anyways- here is the flight schedule!

February 8th, 1:35pm - 2:42pm - Buffalo to Philadelphia (approx 1 hour)

February 8th, 6:05pm - 8:05am - Philadelphia to Frankfurt, Germany (approx 14 hours)

February 9th, 10:05am - 8:25pm - Frankfurt to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (approx 10 hours)

WOW... that is pretty much two straight days of travelling. For those of you who followed my Dominican trip, you may remember that I threw up about 20 times on the drive/flight there... I am sooo not looking forward to this flight!! Lots of Gravol! On the other hand I am VERY excited for the actual trip to come. When we get to Addis we will drive about an hour (I think) to the Guest House we are staying at in Debre Zeyit, and then I assume we will begin our work the next day (the 10th)!

Trip News!

2008-12-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of news on my Ethiopia trip lately that I am really excited about! I will start with World Vision... I am confirmed by the WV office in Ethiopia to go meet Tsehay on February 12th. A WV worker will pick Alex and I up at 7am that morning and we will drive 2 hours to her village. We will be briefed by the staff, I assume this would mean them explaining to us about the village. We then go meet Tsehay and her family and spend time with them in the village until 4. This includes a lunch which we pay for her and her family to share with us. At 4 we will leave and go back to Addis.
It worked out that World Vision was unable to pick us up from the Guest House I will be staying at with Blessing the Children, as they only pick up from Addis Ababa. So, because of that, Alex and I will be staying at the Ethiopia Guest Home for the night of February 11th. I am super excited about this as the Guest Home sounds fantastic. Their motto is "more than just a place to stay" and part of the proceeds they make go back into humanitarian projects within the country- that is so awesome! Their website says; "Ethiopia Guest Home is not going to save the world, but we are going to make a difference one child at a time. We will fund programs that seek to lower the need for adoption. Ministries that seek to de-stigmatize HIV and encourage people to seek treatment will be funded. Single mothers will be assisted with tools, skills, and resources that may be needed to sustain their families. We have partnered with World Orphans, who have contracted to build 15 church-based children’s homes…to support Ethiopians caring for children who may not be adopted internationally. Programs that seek to assist women who are HIV positive to be treated and lower the risk of passing on the virus to their newborn children will be funded.".
We have to check in at 12:00 on the 11th, so we are hoping to be able to visit AHOPE that afternoon. I have emailed them and am hoping that this will work out. I first read about AHOPE in Melissa Fay Greene's book There Is No Me Without You and have wanted to go badly ever since. AHOPE is an amazing orphanage for children who are HIV positive. Cross your fingers for me that it works out for us and we can go :)

Dinner Fundraiser

2008-11-23T19:09:00.000-08:00

While I have Blogs for a Cause to help a lot with my fundraiser to pay for the trip to Ethiopia, Alex needed to come up with some ideas to fundraise the money. His church is donating some, but he needed one other big fundraiser, which we held last night. Alex's parents and godmother helped him organize a dinner fundraiser. We had 18 women over at their house and cooked them a HUGE dinner. We left envelopes at the front door for each person to make an anonymous donation to go towards Alex's trip. Many people also brought items for us to bring along with us to donate while we are there. The fundraiser was INCREDIBLY successful and Alex raised around $1300, which is great as he can now send the cheque for the last part of his trip payment and we will both be fully paid! We were all in shock at how well it went; everyone had a great time, the food was delicious, and we received SO many donated items. We won't have room to bring them all to Ethiopia, so many will come with me to the Dominican in may and Alex will likely be going to Mexico volunteering this summer, so some will go with him there. Two of my housemates are going volunteering in Peru in May at an orphanage for kids aged 0-6, so we gave them some of our baby items (still leaving quite a few for Ethiopia and the DR); little socks, soaps, etc. Alex will kill me for putting up this picture- but I am going to anyways. This is how he came up the stairs after he was told to put the apron on. We tried to get him to answer the door like that when everyone came, but he wouldn't go for it!

Junk Posse

2008-11-17T07:36:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to write a huge THANK YOU to Tracy over at Junk Posse. From now until I leave for Ethiopia, a portion of some of the necklaces she makes will go to my Ethiopia trip! All the funds will be donated directly to the projects I am working with; to the schools and children's homes in Ethiopia. This necklace is my favourite, and is the one that I have. It says "Iria hasta los extremos de la tierra por ti", meaning I would go to the ends of the earth for you. Everytime I wear it I think of Frangelis and all of the other little kids in the DR that I have fallen in love with. The ones with money going to me (well, to the children in Ethiopia, but the money will be delivered by me) are the Guatemala designs. So please, check them out.. they would make awesome Christmas presents and I believe every necklace on her site sends money to a great cause! This Christmas try to make your gifts count!

A Walk to Beautiful

2008-11-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

I think documentaries are such an amazing way to learn about the world. For the work I do in the DR (mostly with Haitians), I *highly* recommend The Price of Sugar. I am trying to learn as much about Ethiopia as I can before I go, and recently came across this documentary called A Walk to Beautiful. I got it in the mail today and LOVED it! It is so heartbreaking and moving; unlike anything I have seen or heard of before. I HIGHLY recommend it... even if you are not going to Ethiopia or have any ties to Ethiopia, everyone should watch this and understand the plight these women go through. Please check out the website for The Fistula Foundation to learn more.

"A Walk to Beautiful" is a feature length film. It follows five women in Ethiopia who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries, particularly, obstetric fistula. Shunned by their communities, these women append their lives in loneliness and shame. The film follows them on their journey to the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where their lives are transformed. The film weaves their stories into a portrait of grief and courage, compassion and triumph. "A Walk to Beautiful" was named Best Feature Length Documentary of 2007 by the International Documentary Association.

Terefe and Mulugeta

2008-11-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't wrote a ton about the work I will be doing with Blessing the Children. I am still a bit foggy on the actual details, but will get an itinerary in the next few weeks. Basically, we work with orphans. They stay at the Adana Children's Home for a while during the time that they are brought back to health and a foster family is found for them. We then match the kids with foster families right in Ethiopia, so that they can grow up in a family environment rather than institutional care. In the picture are brothers, Terefe and Mulugeta Kebede. This is what they looked like when they came to the program. They are being given healthy meals and vitamins and soon will put on weight and gain their health back. This is why I am trying so hard to collect vitamins to bring- these kids need it so bad!

Christmas Is Coming!

2008-10-30T17:22:00.001-07:00

Christmas will be here in less than 2 months. In spirit of this, I have been updating Little Ways To Help End Poverty with ideas for Christmas gifts. The ideas on this blog will ensure that the gift you buy will not only put a smile on the recipient's face, but it will also somehow help someone living in poverty. Check out Little Ways To Help End Poverty for further ideas! And it would be awesome if you would help spread the word about some of these amazing gift ideas!

Bags Almost Packed!

2008-10-19T13:08:00.001-07:00

Alex and I have been so grateful for all the donations (both cash and in items) that have been made, and our suitcases are nearly full! We went shopping this weekend with money that had been donated to stuff the last of our care packages. Our goal was to have 50 care packages made, and we ended up with 66! Some items in the care packages: underwear, socks, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, skipping rope, tennis ball, bouncy ball, beanie baby, first aid kit, crayons, notebook, flash cards, books, t-shirts... We also have several general donations for Adana Children's Home, the place we will be working while while in Ethiopia; vitamins, blankets, fruit snacks, books, videos, underwear, clothes, etc. We have a bit of room left in our suitcases for some donations, and after that I will just bring cash and buy donations there. I have been told that there is a good selection of Amharic books for sale at book stores in Addis Ababa, and I would also like to buy directly for any place we will work that I see a need for food, baby formula, etc. That way we won't have to worry about going over our luggage allowance, and at the same time will be supporting the Ethiopian ecomony.

The trip is just over 3 months away! I should be getting more info from Blessing the Children soon, including an itinerary and flights, and should be hearing from World Vision soon about meeting Tsehay, after they hear back from the office in Ethiopia.

Email From World Vision

2008-09-30T17:14:00.001-07:00

My police checks have been completed and my visit is approved by the office!

I am approved to go meet Tsehay- yahoo! Next Steps: World Vision contacts the office in Ethiopia to confirm my visit. They will then contact me in a few weeks once they hear back from them and let me know what date I am going, and give me any other info I need! YAY :-D

More Care Packages

2008-09-27T20:34:00.001-07:00

I put a Chip In up on my sidebar just over a week ago, and was SO excited to have $60 donated to it since then, to go towards the Care Packages that I posted about earlier. Alex and I went shopping this afernoon for the Care Packages with this money; between that and separate donated items, we are now up to 29 Care Packages made!! My goal is 50, and we are over half way there :)

I try to make the Care Packages pretty even in what they have in them, although they aren't all exactly the same. I try to put in each: a toothbrush, toothpaste, 2 pairs of underwear, socks, a toy (mostly skipping ropes, tennis balls, and toy cars), a stuffed animal, soap, and a couple extras (hair elastic, educational flash cards, stickers, candy, peanut butter, etc.) I really love the flash cards; I think I need to go and buy some more of those. They have them on for a dollar each, and have different kinds (addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.) They even have some that would work really well in teaching the kids english, as they learn english in school, like colours, numbers, etc. Alex and I are speaking at his church tomorrow (about our past Dominican trip and plans for Ethiopia). We are going to post a list of items we need, so hopefully will get a few more donations through that. I have a friend donating a ton of beanie babies, and another friend donating some packages of Airborne Health Power Pixies (really cool!) so for the next trip to pack some more Care Packages, socks, flash cards, and toothbrushes will be at the top of our list (they have this really great packages that come with a toothbrush and toothpaste all in one for only a dollar- perfect!)

I have also been getting a lot of vitamins donated!!

Tsehay's Family

2008-09-27T16:41:00.001-07:00

World Vision encourages the sponsors to bring gifts when meeting their sponsor child. I have put together three little bags; one for Tsehay, one for her brother, and one for her parents.
In Tsehay's bag is toothbrush/toothpaste, a sweater, underwear, a pencil case filled with school supplies, crayons, a skipping rope, and this adorable little doll (see picture). She is a Fair Trade doll made in Zimbabwe by women who have children with special needs. I bought her through the group Tashanda. According to her tag, she was made by a woman whose child with special needs is named Kuziva. They named the doll Ropatadzo.

In her brother's bag is toothbrush/toothpaste, a long sleeved shirt, underwear, a pencil case filled with school supplies, a little football, and a toy car.
In their parents' bag is vitamins, bandaids, soap, and toothbrushes and toothpaste. I need a few more things to add in here, but am not sure what yet. I think maybe I will give them a blanket, as I hear nights in Ethiopia get very cold and their house is made of branches and dirt, so I can't imagine it helping them to keep warm.

Care Packages

2008-09-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

There are 3 main things I am doing right now in planning for Ethiopia; 1) vitamins to donate to the kids that Blessing the Children works with, 2) books (mostly trying to raise money for Amharic books through Ethiopia Reads, and also a few simple English books for the kids to help teach them English, and 3) Care Packages.
My goal is to put together at least 50 Care Packages. They are big ziplock bags filled with fun things for the kids; things like toothbrushes, soap, granola bars, underwear, socks, school supplies, toys, and stuffed animals. I want to focus mainly on school supplies, but also want some fun things for them. Alex and I are going to distribute them to the orphans we work with, the street children, and the kids we meet when we take the day with World Vision. I have the first three Care Packages packed and ready to go, pictured below.
The first one has: toothbrush, toothpaste, tooth floss, skipping rope, toy car, peanut butter, 2 pairs of underwear. The underwear are size M so I have marked it as a package for a boy aged 6-8(ish).
The second one has: toothbrush, toothpaste, beanie baby, skipping rope, addition flash cards, peanut butter, 2 pairs of underwear. The underwear are sized M so I have marked it as a package for a girl aged 6-8(ish).
The third package has: toothbrush, toothpaste, tooth floss, beanie baby, skipping rope, peanut butter, stickers, 2 pairs of underwear, and english alphabet flash cards.

I am trying to collect as many donations as possible to fill these bags, as I really want to bring at least 50. I am estimating that the bags will cost about $10, on average, so I have put up a "chip in" on the sidebar where you can sponsor a Care Package for $10, if you are interested. Or, you can send me items if that is easier. They do not have to be new (well, except for socks, toothbrushes, and underwear!) but if you have small, gently used beanie babies, toy cars, little toys, etc. that would be perfect! You can email me at ncochrane3@hotmail.com to get my mailing address.

Tsehay's Annual Update: 2008

2008-09-13T10:23:00.001-07:00

I got Tsehay's annual update in the mail!!! Eek- I was so excited to see it. This is probably the last photo I will receive of Tsehay until I go in feb. to meet her (although I should get a few letters). Aside from the absolutely beautiful photo I received (look how long her hair is getting!) I got quite a bit of info on her health, her family, her interests, and her education. I was happy to hear that she has passed first grade and is entering second grade, as well as that she received school supplies and vet training from WV. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up, which I love. Education is so important, as these kids will be the future leaders of Ethiopia!
This was just amazing to me. One year ago, she had never been to school and so many of these questions were left blank. She is now excelling in school and getting up to the level she should be at. She looks stronger and healthier and happier! Her face looked so sad in the first two photos I had of her, and while I have yet to see a smile, I don't see that fear or sadness. She looks closer to her age (12 years) as she is growing so much. This is what I learned about what WV is doing in her area: With the main objective of enhancing household food security, the ADP is undertaking community based, child-centered and sustainable transformational development. Towards improving the agricultural productivity of the community, training was given to 422 farmers on various topics. 1018kg seeds of different crops, 3000 enset corms, 55 grafted apple seedlings and 344kg forage seeds were distributed to the trainees. Enset, a prolific drought-resistant root crop, was not common as a good in the community. After the distribution of seedlings and the training, it is now one of the staple foods. The vegetable seed distribution has enabled most of the households to increase their income sources by selling produce. The health status of families is also showing progress now that they grow more food to eat. Two veterinary posts were constructed at Dire Bantu and Derea Amuma Wajo communities where outbreaks of livestock disease were serious (Tsehay's family participated in this). This will reduce disease prevalence and increase livestock production.

Global Food Crisis

2008-08-25T12:14:00.001-07:00

I saw this video on Tracy's blog and just had to share. I'm sure almost all of you must know about the 'global food crisis' when "the years 2007–2008 saw dramatic rises in world food prices, creating a global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations." We have seen the impact it has had on our own lives in North America, but this video shows the HUGE impact it has on the lives of Ethiopians.

Tsehay

2008-08-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Ethiopia is because that is where my sponsor child lives. Tsehay was 10 years old when I started sponsoring her and will soon be turning 12 (September 5th). She had never been to school before the sponsorship, but now will be going into grade 2. She lives with her father, who is a farmer, her mother, and her younger brother in a World Vision sponsored rural area. She loves going to school, her special talent is dancing, and her favourite food is injera.
Tsehay and I exchange letters through World Vision about every other month. I sent her packages with clothes, toys, stuffed animals, and little treats. I so look forward to her letters, especially the ones that come with pictures! I just recently sent World Vision $150 for her family to use on whatever they need the most, and they bought a dairy cow and new clothes for Tsehay, as you can see in the photo. With World Vision, I write the letters in English and mail them to Ethiopia. A worker then translates it to her language and goes to Tsehay's house. He reads her the letter and then she tells him what she wants him to write, and they write a letter to send back to me. Her letters light up my day and she is always so sweet. Her most recent letter said this, "I always wish you peace and happiness for you and your family. I hope you are fine. I am so happy to get this chance to send you message. I am doing well and my family are all fine. We received the money gift you sent us recently. And we were so happy about it. Thank you very much for your love and kindness to us. We bought one dairy cow and a very nice clothes for me. We sent you picture of me and my family and the new cow. Those people in the picture are my father mother my brother in front of my father. We also send you my picture with the nice gift you sent me recently. I love the toy. I play with it always. I never played with toys before, there are no such things here. So I am so lucky to have it. I also remember you everytime I see it. I love you so much. I am in grade one. I passed to grade two now. I have a very nice clothes for the new year. I can't wait to go to school. My family are all grateful to you. I hope to hear from you soon. With lots of love! Tsehay."

I am so excited to meet her! I am taking a day off from working with Blessing the Children and will be going with Alex to meet her and her family. We will be picked up by a World Vision worker and be driven to her village. We will meet her family and get a tour of the community, and see the work that World Vision has been doing in her area. I am going to bring some gifts for her and her brother, as well as some things for her parents, so if anyone has any suggestions (especially ideas for things for her parents), I would love to hear them! I think I will do something similar to what I did in the Dominican with my little sweetie Frangelis and buy a school backpack and fill it up with little goodies like school supplies, toys, and clothes, but I am a little stumped as to what to ger her parents!

Want To Help?

2008-08-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

Because I am going on two mission trips this year (Ethiopia and the DR), as well as getting through University, I am going to need to do a whole lot of fundraising! If anyone is interested in helping to support me, I would be VERY grateful and there are many ways that you can do this. I have also put up a paypal button on the sidebar if you so wish to donate through there. Thank you!!

BLOGS FOR A CAUSE: If you have a blog, and would love to have it "stylized", I am charging $30 to give your blog a new look! $5 of that goes to a Charity of the Month that changes monthly, and the rest goes towards funding my trips. All details are on the site, www.madebynikki.blogspot.com

CAFE PRESS: I have designed "my heart is in Ethiopia" shirts and am selling them on Cafe Press. Price varies depending on the style you buy. Visit my Ethiopia Wear store to check them out.

GIFTS: I am trying to collect as many items as I can to bring with me to hand out to the children's home, and to the many street children and orphans. Below is a list of items I am looking for. If you are able to donate any (new or used) that would be great! Contact me at ncochrane3@hotmail.com if you don't live close enough to hand deliver it, and need my mailing address. Most of these are items that the Adana Children's Home has a specific need for:
-towels
-bed sheets (twin size, both fitted and flat)
-vegetable and flower seeds
-vitamins
-kool aid
-videos and DVDs to help the kids learn english
-kids shoes
-kids clothes (huge need!)
-books (check out Ethiopia Reads for some great Amharic books)

Application

2008-08-16T06:02:00.001-07:00

I mailed in my application today and will be going to Ethiopia in 6 months!!! I am so excited. I have wanted to go to Ethiopia for a long time, ever since I began sponsoring Tsehay from there. I will be going with a group called "Blessing the Children International" and will be staying from February 8-22 (approximately, flights not booked yet). There is a lot planned for this two-week trip. We will be working mainly in the Adana Children's Home, which they are in the process of finishing building right now. It is going to be a school/community center. The Adana program is a foster care program, where it will work with local churches and place children with families to care for them. During my visit, we will be working with the children teaching English classes, doing home visits (where we will spend an afternoon with a child and their family, reading books, coloring, and sharing snacks), activity days at the local churches. We can also work with the families doing classes on basic medical care (how to apply Neosporin and a band aid), hygiene classes (bath daily, brush your teeth, deodorant, etc), bible studies, and home fix-ups.

I will also be taking a day off to go and visit Tsehay! I have been sponsoring her for over a year now with Caitie through World Vision, and exchange monthly letters with her. She is 12 years old and had never been to school until she was sponsored. We will get to meet her and her family, and see what World Vision is doing in their community. I am so excited about the whole trip! I am not sure if I will have access to the Internet yet, but if not, I will write in a journal daily and post about each day on this blog when I come home. Either way, you will be able to read all about my trip on this blog. You can also check out My Dominican Dream to read about my Dominican Republic mission trips.

Ethiopia

2008-08-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia is a country in Eastern Africa, about twice the size of Texas. It borders Kenya, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan. Home to over 77 million people, Ethiopia is Sub-Saharan Africa’s second most populous country. It is a young nation: 44% of its population is below the age of 15. It also is a place where marriage comes early: 49% of women are married by age 18, and in some regions of the country half are married by age 15. Girls who are married are expected to bear children as soon as possible, contributing to the epidemic of pregnancy complications in Ethiopia, where rates of maternal mortality and morbidity are among the world’s worst. At the same time, the number of HIV infections is high and rising, and in Ethiopia young women represent the majority of the 1.3 million people with HIV.

Capital city: Addis Ababa

Population: 77,000,000

GDP per capita: $159.61 per capita

Language: English and Amharic, among several other tribal languages

Life expectancy: 46

% of children under 5 moderately to severely underweight: 47

Literacy rate: 40%

This short youtube clip was made by Gladney, an organization that does work in Ethiopia and organizes international adoption. Ethiopia has one of the strongest, most stable international adoption programs.

If you are interested in learning more about Ethiopia, please read "There Is No Me Without You" by Melissa Fay Greene. It is one of my very favourite books and is an amazing and powerful story. I also highly recommend reading Erin's blog "Full House". Erin has 11 children; 8 are adopted, 3 adopted from Ethiopia, two of whom are HIV positive. It is really interesting to be able to learn more about HIV/AIDS and Ethiopia at her blog, and she has an amazing family!