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30th March 2008
Greetings from the land of coffee,
Can you believe it? I have been in Ethiopia for ten weeks now and my time is nearly up! By the time you read this I will either be crashing out in an airport, or in the air on my way back to the UK.
Life here over the last couple of weeks has continued a pace as I have tried to complete a number of maintenance projects before leaving. The youth centre has just rented a new house in preparation for a number of short-term workers coming out over the summer to run English and sports programs. Unfortunately the builder spent his entire budget before the kitchen was completed. Consequently I have spent the last week plastering, repairing window frames, hanging doors, and trying to make the place bug proof. – Not an easy job out here. In fact, in our constant battle with the mozi’s, they seem to be getting the upper hand by sneaking through doors and around the mesh on windows. Time for another can of “kill everything” bug spray- just remember not to breathe for a day or two!
Not all my time has been spent at the youth centre. Over the last few years the centre has formed links with schools, orphanages, churches and the prison. Every Friday morning I have been visiting one of the only two government funded blind schools in the country. During our time there, we play ball games with the younger children whilst spending time talking and building up relationships with the older kids. These children love to practice their English and hear about the lives of other people. Despite their impaired sight, they are always cheerful and talkative. They like to build up an impression of you in their minds by listening to you and touching you – are you tall / short, fat / thin etc. They are very touchy feely. That seems common to the Ethiopian culture. The greetings will always involve some kind of hug, friendships being cemented by the holding of hands. However, a boy and a girl walking down the street holding hands is frowned upon here, whilst two men or two women holding hands is perfectly acceptable.
The youth centre has links with several orphanages. Many children here have lost their parents either during child birth, through war, HIV / Aids or road accidents. Unfortunately the government doesn’t provide much support for the orphanages, many being funded by western sponsors. One such orphanage has built a new facility complete with 10 acres of land. The plan is that the children will have a safe environment in which to develop whilst the land gives them an opportunity to grow their own food. They have already purchased three in calf heifers ready for milk production in a couple of month’s time when they calve. The problem for the orphanage now is finding the children. There seems to be a lot of government paperwork and a requirement for children with HIV to be kept at a separate facility to children without the condition. There are also problems trying to recruit staff for orphanages housing children with HIV, as many people are un-educated and scared that they may catch it. Members from the youth centre currently go into some of the orphanages to teach English and to try and support the workers in this difficult task.
I confess that I seem to be slowing down with the work at the moment. I think it is a combination of factors, from the temperatures now being in the mid 40’s to the fact that I did a silly thing like running a 10km ‘fun’ run. It seemed a good idea at the time! The run was a killer but great as a way of building friendships and strengthening the links between the youth centre and the community. I ended up running with a complete stranger wearing a pink cowboy hat (not sure what that’s all about) who after the race invited me out for a coffee. People are so friendly here and always want to get to know you and learn more about you. I think that is one of the biggest things that I am going to miss out here. – the friendships I have built up with people and the way that they have invited me into their lives and their culture. It will be sad saying goodbye to them all.
So what am I looking forward to back in the UK? It may sound a little basic, but a loaf of white sliced bread, cheddar cheese and milk. It will also be good to catch up with everyone and discover what they have been up to over the last 10 weeks. One thing I have learned is that we are all on a journey through life. Many times we seem to focus on our goal or the target we set ourselves. The reality is that the journey is as important, along with all the people we meet, the experiences we have and the lessons we learn on the way. The trick is learning from these experiences and carrying them through the whole of our lives.
Thank you to those of you who have prayed for me during my time out here. Praise God that I have formed some great friendships, been able to talk to people about my faith and have learnt a great deal about God and His role in my life. Please pray for me as I re-adjust to life back in the UK. I don’t yet know how I will find living back in a rich country I but suspect it is going to throw up a few questions and make me think.
Chris
17th March 2008
Ow do peoples,
Where has all the time gone? I have been out here in Ethiopia for two months now and can’t believe that my time here will be coming to an end soon. I am having an exciting time, learning new skills, building new relationships, and learning a lot about myself. Since my last newsletter I have been kept busy at the youth centre with a variety of construction and maintenance projects. My first major construction project was a new store shed, built out of concrete blocks and corrugated tin for the roof. The purpose of the shed is to store theatre and sports equipment securely and to free up space in the main building for the youth to use for recreation.
The next big project is nearing completion. This is to build an outdoor wash station / shower facility for the kids. This will comprise a double sink built from concrete blocks, for hand washing, and a shower. The shower hose will become particularly useful during the rainy season so that the kids can wash the mud from their feet off the dirt roads. Throughout the construction projects, numerous teenagers have come across asking if they can help. This has been a great opportunity to build relationships and to talk with them about various subjects from sport and their daily lives, to why I’ve come out here and the role of God in each of our lives.
A good proportion of my work involves repairs and maintenance. Over 800 kids come through the gates each day and consequently things become worn out and broken. I have lost count of the number of door handles and locks that I have replaced as a consequence of rough handling. I have discovered that the youth here don’t have a gentle touch (or is that normal worldwide?). Whether it be hitting a nail, flushing a toilet or turning on a tap, it has to be done with maximum force. In fact, when it comes to taps, if you turn it on and there is no water (because it had been cut off) you just turn it harder or hit it, hoping that that will solve the problem. Broken toilets, windows, doors, sinks, down pipes, walls (to name a few) have neccesated many trips down to the construction markets for spares. Unlike in the UK where you can get everything under one roof, here each store is specialised. You will find five plumbing shops next to each other followed by five timber stores and so on. The advantage of them being together is that you can go into each one to compare prices. Last week I managed to get a piece of timber 1Birr cheaper than all the competition. – Bargain I thought, saved a whole five pence! It is funny how I have adjusted to the currency and the nature of the economy here. Money is very valuable, every Birr counts. The average wage is around 100 Birr / month (5 pounds Stirling). Food prices have been rising steadily here, as in the rest of the world. The reason here in Ethiopia is an increase in demand by western countries for traditional African food, worries that this seasons rains may not come, and unscrupulous traders. The result is a doubling of an average family’s food budget to over 200 Birr / month!!!!!
It is fair to say that the majority of Ethiopians are very friendly, hospitable and open. Despite the language barrier I have developed many friendships, both at the youth centre and at the construction supply markets. My number 1 plumbing shop is run by Zeratzion with his shop assistants Marsho, Genet and Zafu. Each time I go to their shop we have a bit of multi lingual banta, me practicing my Tigrinya and Amharic whilst they practice their English. I expect it would be hilarious to be a fly on the wall watching and listening. Part of the deal at many stores when you buy something is that you stop and chat. In many cases, the conversation is far more important than the half inch elbow and gate valve you have just purchased. Last time I went in they sent a young lad out to get tea for us all. The conversations have covered all topics including, my work in England, life in Ethiopia, the quality of Chinese float valves and religion. I am amazed how much religion is at the centre of their minds. We have had some good conversations over the weeks and months.
It’s not all been work. I took a long weekend a couple of weeks back for a road trip with Joel (my house mate), Jon (the youth centre co-ordinator) and his two lads. We rumbled across 800km of dirt roads over four days in the direction of the Ethiopian / Eritreaian border. The vast countryside is so peaceful, although it’s not always the safest place to be as you see troops walking up the road and MIG’S flying over your head towards the war zone with Eritrea! We visited a sixth century monastery on top of a 12,000ft mountain called Debro Damo. The only way to the top was to climb a 15m rope that looked as though it dated back to the sixth Century too. As I climbed the rope, my feet walked up the rock face faster than my hands climbed the rope. I became horizontal at one point, much to the amusement of the priest. Once at the top, the view was outstanding. If I had been a monk here back in the 6th Century it would have been easy to believe that I could see the whole world. Not only was it vast, but quiet and seemingly untouched by humans. As we continued our road trip around Northern Ethiopia, climbing mountains here and there, I became aware of how independent people here were from the rest of the world. The farming and the way of life seemed unchanged for generations. If war broke out in the western world it would be of no concern to these people, if they ever heard about it. They would just carry on as the have always done.
It was great to have some time off to see part of the country and refresh myself ready for life and work back at the youth centre. There is a never ending supply of maintenance work to do. For those of you who pray, thank God for continuing to keep me safe and healthy, and for helping me to build up relationships and friendships with the local people. Please pray that God will continue to give me physical strength for my work and that I may be a good Christian witness through it. I have recently started a weekly, one to one bible study for a young lad at the youth centre. Please pray that I may be able to clearly explain the Gospel of Luke to him, and that through it he will learn of Gods love for us all.
23rd February 2008
Hello from Ethiopia
Would you Adam and Eve it…I’ve been in Ethiopia for over a month! What a vast and exciting country to spend time in. I am living in the town of Mekelle, in Northern Ethiopia, and working at Mekelle Youth Centre. This is a Christian led youth centre that provides English, IT and HIV / aids awareness classes for children from the age of about 6. It also has a range of sporting facilities such as football, basketball, volleyball and table tennis. The centre provides a safe environment for the kids and regularly has over 800 children per day coming through the gates.
My primary role whilst here as a volunteer is to maintain the buildings and build some new facilities for the centre. For example, my first job was to erect mesh screens on all the windows to stop the pigeons flying around in the main hall. Was glad of my climbing skills as I balanced on a six-inch wide window ledge fifteen foot off the ground – nice! Since then I’ve been kept busy with a variety of jobs, many of which have left me looking and smelling like something the cat dragged in! This has created quite a stir with Ethiopians. Why would a ferengi (foreigner) travel half way round the world and volunteer for hard, manual labour? Many Ethiopians see manual work as degrading. This is primarily a Christian Orthodox culture and many believe the only reason to do hard work is to gain brownie points with God in order to get to heaven. I try to explain my belief that God has given me these practical gifts in order to help others.
At the end of a hard day with temperatures in the mid 40’s there is nothing better than coming home to a nice shower. – yeah, in my dreams! A watering can would be more useful than the rusted up colander of a shower I’ve got! It also relies on a supply of water which is regularly turned off without warning as a means of rationing during this, the dry season. O, and then there’s the lizard to take out the bath first. It’s fair to say we have plenty of wildlife, be that the ant colony that lives at the back of the sink or the cockroach that runs across your plate in a restaurant.
I am living with another short-term guy, called Joel, in a rented house five minutes walk from the youth centre. Joel is a good laugh despite being a Manchester United Supporter! We have recently acquired use of a moped, which we have named ‘The hogg’. This has allowed us to travel a little further into the expanses of Ethiopia. Unfortunately it doesn’t take kindly to two northerners trying to force it up a hill - We have to jump off and push. O for the day we break out of the valley!
We have a guard at the house called Legesa who lives on site with his dog and her four week old puppies. He’s a great guy and we have a laugh despite the fact that most of the time I havn’t a clue what he’s talking about. Not sure about his guarding skills – anyone within half a mile of the house can hear his snoring. The other night Joel and I went out for a cheeky beer to find that we had been locked out of our house when we got back. Nothing for it but to give Joel a leg up over the ten foot wall to open the gate from the inside. A bit precarious over the spikes on the wall but Joel made it and we got into the house before the guard woke up – good skills Legesa!
The food is very tasty and ideal for a Yorkshire man with short arms and long pockets! It is based on fermented pancake dough called injera which is made from grass seed. Onto this your selected stew type meal is served. Most of these dishes are based on chickpeas, lentils, onions and spices, with or without meat. The injera is then torn off with your right hand and used to mop up the stew. In this culture your left had is dirty and never used for eating. As part of the Orthodox culture everyone fasts on a Wednesday and a Friday. This requires no meat, eggs of dairy products to be eaten in public. However, from Monday we start a 40 day fast for lent……..will of turned into a vegi by the time this is all over!
Walking into town to do some shopping is quite an experience. I don’t realise it but apparently I stick out like a giraffe in the Antarctic! Everyone under the age of 10 spots you at 100 yards and comes running up shouting ferengi, ferengi. The next phrase is ‘money, money, money’. It is true that there is a lot of poverty out here and many people are living from hand to mouth. Despite this, I have met some really genuine and generous people through the youth centre who have invited me into their homes for a meal. This is when the reality of the poverty sinks in. I visited one home where the mother, 2 brothers and 2 sisters lived in a single room measuring 9 ft by 8 ft with a tin roof. Into this space was squeezed two beds and a table. They cooked me a meal of scrambled egg and bread, but as I ate with one of the brothers I couldn’t help but think that the rest of the family may not eat that day….a very sobering and humbling experience.
For those of you who pray, thank God for keeping me safe and healthy, and that He would continue to do so, despite the poor hygiene and high incidence of stomach infections out here. I would also value prayer for the friendships I am developing at the youth centre. - That I may be supportive and encouraging to the kids and reflect Gods love for me towards them.