Garden of Plenty

Not only is Gindo getting a new education center, it is also the site of a new garden being built as part of the BEKA project.   The garden is down the hill from the construction site for the new education center. 

Sign at the entrance of the garden.

The garden is for the BEKA guardians, mostly females, so they can grow vegetables and sell them to the education center.  The education center serves one hot meal a day to the children, and require fresh vegetables every day.  This allows the guardians to generate an income from the sale of the vegetables like carrots, potato, beet root and cabbage. 

Construction of seed beds in the garden.

The men in the community are helping to construct the fence, guard building and the seed beds.  The men are part of a program called "Foresight Fathers" which allows them to help and improve their community.  

The Foresight Fathers hard at work.

The children at BEKA are awesome!  They are very well behaved, and so cute in their green vests and white shirts.  Each child introduced themselves to us and the sang us songs, performed 3 dances and one drama skit.  The BEKA center is oozing with talent!

Half of the students at BEKA - you can see why a new center is required.

Two girls drumming songs for the dancers.

Nicole with BEKA girls Workalem and Ligalem.

Too cute for words!

 I interviewed 14 or so children and many of them said that the best thing that happened to them this year was the day they started at BEKA and got their new clothes (school uniform).  They also said their favorite part of the day is when they get to eat their injera. An interesting perspective into the lives of these precious kids.

Interviewing Dawit with the help of Bisrat and Dawit's teacher.

 Steven taught the kids "Itsy Bitsy Spider" complete with actions and it was a hit.  He showed the students on the map where we are from.  He would say "Calgary" really quietly, almost in a whisper and the kids would whisper back.  Then he would do it again, with the kids responding louder and louder.  Eventually Steven and the kids were yelling "Calgary!"  "Calgary!".  We all laughed, and I felt a tug of homesickness.

Steven playing the "Calgary" game.

Steven brought along his tool belt and hammer knowing he would be assisting with the construction of the new BEKA center.  He spent the remainder of the day with the construction crews, who had very limited tools.  At the end of the day, Steven gave his toolbelt and hammer to one of the workers.  What a creative, loving and generous man.

Tomorrow we return to BEKA to finish the interviews and to start the medical exams for all students.

Rock Star or Freak?

The 30 km drive from Woliso to Gindo was treacherous.  Definitely the most bumpy road I've ever been on.  It was hot and dusty, and there were tons of people and donkeys on the road as it was market day.

Donkeys on their way to the market.

The locals would recognize us as foreigners and were friendly and welcoming, always smiling and waving.  Kids came running out of nowhere yelling "Farengi Farengi!" which means foreigner.  

  

When we arrived in Gindo, as soon as we stepped out of the van the people gathered around us and stared.  Dr. Northcott said this is the closest we will get to feeling like a rock star.  I replied with:  "Yah, a rock star or a freak!".  The kids were eager to say hi, shake your hand, and make a new friend.

Welcome to Gindo!

Faisel and his friends greeting us at the van window.

We attracted quite a crowd.

We visited the site of a water project that will bring fresh water, pressurized, to several kebeles in the area (kebeles are small communities of about 5,000 people that were created in 1975 by Mengistu's Derg).

Base of the water source, still under construction.

In Gindo, the Canadian Humanitarian project is called BEKA.  Originally there were 20 students in the program, and it has since grown to 50 children.  As a result - the BEKA center is too small and a new facility is required.  Canadian Humanitarian is funding and coordinating the construction of a new, much needed education center.

CHOIR:  Canadian Humanitarian Organization for International Relief

The new facility is made of concrete, and the foundation has been poured.  I watched the workers make the pillars that will support the roof.  The foundation had rebar in place for all the pillars.  The workers then built a wooden template around the rebar.  The template was held in place by ladders and supports, also made of wood. 

Foundations and pillars made of concrete and rebar.

They crushed rock on site and mixed it with cement and water in a cement mixer.  The team passed buckets of concrete up to a person at the top of the wooden template, and he poured the cement into the cavity filled with rebar.  Once the entire cavity was filled, they used a long vibrating pole to squish out all the air bubbles and to make the cement settle. 

Hauling the crushed rock.

Assembly line for pouring cement into the top of the pillar template.

They were also digging a 4 meter deep hole for the latrine.  The workers did all the digging by hand with shovel and pick axe.  The soil is so hard and compact, that shoring of the hole was not required.  This latrine is critical as having separated toilets for boys and girls will help keep the girls enrolled in school.

A team of hard working men, in the heat and without footwear.

I cannot wait to watch the progress of the BEKA center construction on the website:  www. canadianhumanitarian.com.  



Just Tree It

We packed up at 7:00 am and checked out of the Tazina Guest House, loaded up 2 vans and headed for Gindo.  There is no "Zanner Friendly" hotel in Gindo so we are staying in Woliso which is 30 kilometers from Gindo.

The hiway out of Addis was paved but there are no dividing lines so the drivers are free to pick a lane.  Lanes of choice was a good thing because there was a constant stream of people, donkeys, carts, goats etc. randomly along the hiway.  For 3 hours we did not lose site of humanity.  As we approached the countryside, the air quality was noticeably improved - less smog.  Along the highway, the smart donkeys walk in the middle of the road, in between the traffic, as the zooming traffic keeps the flies away.

The rural farmers grow crops like tef (the grain used to make injera), corn, barley, wheat and even sunflowers. 

Crops and captivating countryside.

The farm houses are all made of clay/mud and sticks.  Some of the homes, called a Gojo, are round and have a peaked thatch roof.

Rural building made of sticks.

Gojo.

En route, I learned about the large warka trees.  These trees are the pillar of the rural Ethiopian community as they hold meetings, celebrations and get-togethers under the warka tree.  I was mesmerized by these warka trees - and in awe at how life throws you a curve ball every now and then.

Warka Tree in rural Ethiopia.

When I was about fourteen, I played fastball and Mr. Trottier was my coach.  Mr. Trottier taught us about an African community that had a connection with a specific type of tree.  When they had troubles they would put their hand on the tree, and channel their troubles into the tree.  The strength of the tree would take on the burden on behalf of the community.  It was a cleansing and healing ritual.  Using this analogy, when the team was frustrated or upset, if you made an error or struck out, Mr. Trottier used the term "Tree It".  

THE DIAMOND GRYPHONS
Back (L to R):  Bob, Jan, Rennay, Jenny, Tanya, Marsha, Tanya, Zanner, Mr. Trottier
Front (L to R):  Tanis, Alison, Melanie, Jen, Taralea, Kim, Brenda (Missing:  Verna)

"Tree It" meant that we could give up our troubles, let it go, and move on.  The term "Tree It" became part of our team's vocabulary and very much a tool used to deal with the frustrations of playing fastball, and being a teenager.  In fact, I still use the term "Tree It" as an adult - the story had quite an impact on me.

I cannot believe that 24 years later, I found THE TREE!  Needless to say, it was an emotional experience (which I gave back to the tree!).

Thanks to Mr. Trottier, I was finally able to "Tree It" - literally!

The gang under the warka tree shows you how big it really is!

Dance Fever and Donald Duck

I woke up this morning to a nice phone call from Greg.  Today is his birthday (October 18, 2011) so I was excited to chat with him all the way from Africa.

The team went to PATH this morning .  At PATH the guardians of the children in our program have a workshop where they weave traditional blankets and make shopping bags out of old sugar sacks.  This helps the guardians generate an income.  It is very cool:  helping children, helping guardians, helping the community = the Canadian Humanitarian impact. 

Shopping bags made by the PATH guardians.

Meeting the PATH guardians.

We handed out the flour, cooking oil and laundry soap to the PATH guardians.  We were introduced to all the women receiving the household goods and they were very grateful and appreciative.

Prepping the flour, oil and soap.

Abeneezer, Deb, Nicole and I were the distribution team.

There was a large age range among the guardians, some with young children and babies.  I loved watching the women use their blankets to load everything onto their back for the long haul home.

Another task for the day was to sort through all the donated medication.  Any expired meds had to be thrown away.  Dr. Northcott took them to the local hospital for incineration.  We prepped the suitcases full of scrubs, swabs, syringes, cotton balls, gauze pads etc.  They thought of everything!    I am really looking forward to learning from Dr. Northcott and helping with medical exams.

Once school was out, we made our way to YTH Alemgena - another Canadian Humanitarian project.  The team interviewed the children at the education center to monitor their progress.  Once the interviews were done, we played soccer, sang songs, danced and the kids were very excited and lively.  When Dr. Northcott walked in - they all cheered!

In case you are wondering, no, I cannot bend it like Beckham.

The Alemgena gang.

The kids would all dance in a large circle - and it donned on me that the songs and dance were like the chants I heard at the soccer game.  I guess they learn them at a very young age!  They pulled each one of us one-by-one into the middle of the circle.  I learned some basic Ethiopian dance moves.  We danced hand -in-hand and then with one child at a time.  They loved it (and so did I) - especially twirling. 

Steven is amazing with the kids - he spoke like Donald Duck and they all broke out into big laughs.  He then taught them the classic dance move where you put your hands on  your knees and move your knees in and out and cross your palms over your knees.  They practiced their new moves for the rest of the night!

Steven playing with the kids.

I had so much fun laughing, singing and dancing.  I left energized and extremely thankful for this amazing opportunity.

Tomorrow we leave Addis Ababa for Gindo to visit the BEKA project, about 3 hours away.

Served on Fire

Our team went to Merkato today - Africa's largest outdoor market.  It was HUGE - the size of a small city!  Merkato was a maze teaming with cars, people and donkeys.  You can buy anything here:  "From false teeth to a camel".  If you can drive your vehicle through Merkato - you can drive anywhere!  Our driver Mesfin did an awesome job of navigating.  He also negotiated our purchases for us.

Merkato stall.

Bulk grains for sale.

 There are 62 families we are helping so we bought 62 bags of wheat flour, 186 liters of palm or vegetable oil and 62 bars of laundry soap.  It was interesting that some small shops did not want to sell this amount to us - likely this is because we would clean out their entire inventory but perhaps it was because we are foreigners?

This stall would not sell us soap...at least they didn't string us along!

In the shop that we bought the flour, the shop owner brought us stools to sit on which was quite a courtesy.  You can imagine the looks when a tiny little shop had 4 foreigners sitting out front!  The shop owners also kept the beggars at bay while we waited for our goods to be loaded into our van.  They were fantastic hosts.

Stacks of flour and the helpers who hauled our purchases to the van for us.

 The merkato is a once in a lifetime experience.  Where else can you see vendors walking around with twenty mattresses or 15 barrels on their head?

Try and top this Sleep Country Canada!

I bet this guy is a barrel of laughs.

After our purchases were stored back at Tazina, we visited SSCM.  SSCM stands for "Support Street Children & Mothers" and it is now a vocational training center.  They teach metal work, wood working and hair dressing.  

Wood working samples of different joining techniques.

Metal work trainees hard at work.

Hair dressing school.

Canadian Humanitarian sponsors this organization which was originally started by Japanese and German NGO's from which the funding was pulled.  It's a good thing Canadian Humanitarian is helping because many good things are happening at SSCM.  They have a 98% job placement rating.

After SSCM we stopped at YTH Kid's Hope Guelele.  This project supports an education center where the Canadian Humanitarian sponsored kids gather after school for tutoring and club activities like music, art and circus (gymnastics). 

YTH Guelele education centre, the kids and Deb, Dr. Northcott and Bryce.

The kids range in age from 7 to 17 and we each got to interview 10 to 15 kids.  I love chatting one-on-one with these amazing young people, some through an interpreter.  The kids were excited to have their interview, I think it helped make them feel special. 

Bryce and Zanner with some special Guelele kids.

Their favorite subjects are biology, math, physics and English.   They want to be engineers, doctors, pilots, professional soccer players and musicians.  What an awesome group of kids!

Dr. Northcott has inspired many kids who now want to become doctors.

After a long day, we decided to top it off with a traditional Ethiopian meal at a restaurant called Yod Abyssinia.  We entered through a metal detector and two guards at the entrance.  When we entered, I noticed it was quite smoky and filled with low tables surrounded by small wooden chairs covered in goat or cow hide.  There was a stage with dancing and 5 musicians playing traditional Ethiopian instruments.

Yod Abyssinia restaurant.



Traditional table, similar to a weaved basket.

  

The singing and dancing was fantastic!



Before the meal was served a gentleman stopped by our table with a unique jug and basin .  I had no idea what it was or what to do!  It turns out that it was to wash our hands before the meal - a very nice touch since Ethiopian meals are traditionally eaten with your fingers.

Deb washing her hands prior to the meal. 
Such a nice touch - more Canadian restaurants should offer this!

We had a traditional meal with vegetables dishes made with chick peas, lentils, spinach, cabbage and potato (referred to as "fasting food").  We shared one non-fasting meat dish called  tibs which was tender spicy beef.  And I mean tender, it almost melts in your mouth!  A  new favorite of mine for sure.  Many dishes were served on a small charcoal barbecue - hence the smoke in the restaurant.  I laughed because the menu described this as "served on fire".

Traditional Ethiopian meal - check out the size of that spicy pepper!
Everyone at your table eats off of the same platter.

The staple of the Ethiopian diet is injera - a flat bread made from a grain called tef.  The bread is similar to a crepe or pancake and is served rolled up.  To enjoy your meal you tear off a piece of injera and use it to scoop up the slow cooked dishes that are similar to a stew and are referred to at "wot".   Yummy!

One of our team members, Nicole, finally made it to Addis after several delayed flights and missed connections.  I was happy to finally meet her and know that she was safe.



Nicole and Zanner - practically twins!