The first word I learned in Amharic was thank you, Ameseghinalehu. It was also one of the last words I learned, but it came in quite handy. It is also extremely appropriate for my last blog entry officially from Ethiopia.
My Amharic education began on our way to the REST site with Negash. I quickly realized that “thank you” was a phrase I was constantly using; only I was constantly using it in English. “Thank you” to the driver, to the waitress, to community leaders and I also quickly realized that while some things are universal, such as a smile and a nod, “thank you” in English was pretty much meaningless for the majority of people I was saying it to. So, on the road one day I asked Negash how to say “thank you” in Amharic and he replied, “Ameseghinaehu.”
“Ame-seg-a- what??” I replied.
“Ameseghinaehu,” he stated.
“Is there a shorter word for thank you?” I asked hopefully.
“No,” he answered.
“Hmmm, maybe I won’t learn Amharic,” I sighed with resignation.
A couple days later at the GPSDO site on our way out to the field I was walking and talking with Asefa, the assistant program organizer. And he asked me if I knew any Amharic. I sheepishly admitted that I had tried to learn thank you and had given up. Asefa did not think that that was acceptable, so for the next couple of hills (or small mountains, depending on how you looked at them), Asefa helped me learn Ameseghinalehu. By the end of the day I had forgotten it.
Ameseghinalehu did not leave me alone that easily, however. On our way to Bale, Meron (Mery from entry 1) stated, “when we return to Addis you will be able to speak Amharic.” “Well, you see Meron I tried and I didn’t have a whole lot of luck, maybe we should focus on something else,” I said. “No! You have to speak some Amharic!” Meron insisted. So, with the help of Sandeep we learned to say Ameseghinalehu. For about a day Sandeep would say the first part of the word and I would say the second, together it resembled an Amharic expression of gratitude. Sandeep had the “amesegh” and I had the “inalehu,” but after a day or two we both mastered it. The first couple of times I said it to someone I didn’t even give them a chance to respond before turning to Meron with a frustrated expression and exclaiming, “that was so not right!” But, Meron was very good and reassuring us and after a few more attempts people actually started to understand what I was saying and people were generally very happy that I was being thankful and attempting to speak their language. So, mission accomplished, I now know Amharic. Haha, yea right!
We did pick up a couple of other words along the way, “shai” means tea, “buna” means coffee, and “wuha” means water. “Faranji” means foreigner, so we heard that one a lot too. On accident we learned penis in Amharic, leave it to me. I was trying to remember the name of the wheat kernels we ate on one of the first days, “kolo” Well, if you switch around a couple of letters, you end up talking about male reproductive anatomy. Luckily, Negash corrected me before I got too far.
So, as I get ready for my last day in Addis, I just wanted to take a moment to say Ameseghinalehu for reading my blog. I also wanted to ask you keep reading. Our busy schedule only allowed me to write a few times and I still have a lot of good information and fun stories to share. I often spent our car rides planning and plotting new blog entries and giggling to myself as I recounted our adventures. I am also still beyond grateful to the Sierra Club for this wonderful opportunity and I hope that I can do their program justice through my activism work. In other words, stay tuned for future entries such as, “Filling in the Gaps,” “Baby Sounds are Universal,” “I Need A Donkey Break,” “What Youth Can Teach Us,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and “How Did You Get Here?”
In Peace,
Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
From Dust to Fruit Leather: 6 Lessons from Africa
Tuesday was an epic day….my entry might be epic as well. As I mentioned we were up at the early hour of 4am for our 6am flight to Mekelle. Mekelle is in the north part of Ethiopia and from Mekelle we were driving through Mychew and to the REST site in the Raya Valley.
Lesson 1: Patience
Our very early morning ended up being for a not so early flight due to heavy rain. (We are visiting Ethiopia during the rainy season) First our flight was delayed 45 minutes and then 45 minutes passed and there we were, still sitting in the terminal. But, while we waited we were served a complementary beverage and snack (fried bread). Negash accompanied us on our two day trip and boy were we lucky to have him! This quickly became apparent to us all. Exhibit A: When it did finally come time to board our flight, 2 hours delayed, there was no announcement. It was almost as if everyone in the terminal magically knew that it was time to get on the place, or maybe they just decided it was time. Regardless, Negash pulled us along and off we went.
Lesson 2: Flexibility
Our 2 hour delay also meant that we were 2 hours late for our field site visit. We piled into our land cruiser, 5 passengers & 1 driver, and began our trek. Our drive was very beautiful and very curvy. We drove for about 3 hours through mountains with hair pin turns on paved road and then another 45minutes on gravel, still with the hair pin turns. We also had a couple of un-anticipated stops along the way. At one point, one of our caravan group members became sick from the drive and a stop was very much needed. I did mention that it was very curvy right? We also stopped to check on a van that had flipped, luckily everyone was safe. And, of course, we needed to stop for a snack, so we bought for water and koro. (Koro is a wheat grain that kind of resembles uncooked popcorn kernels) Along our way we passed many people working alongside the road, carrying water, and herding cattle/goats. I quickly learned that animals get the right away; at least they do when they are a large herd heading down the middle of the road.
Lesson 3: Humility
Not surprisingly, our caravan drew many odd looks from those along the road. Many of the kids would run after the car yelling, “China China.” Negash told us that recently the region has seen many Chinese immigrants for jobs in road construction. Naturally, being light skinned it was not a far fetched comparison. On Tuesday, I quickly transformed from feeling like the rich and spoiled American to feeling more like a traveling show. At each of three stops our car was quickly surrounded by people, many of which were children. Some were asking for money and many of them just pointed and laughed. I ended up staying in the car during our pit-stops, partly because they were all very short and partly because I had no clue how to respond to the laughter. So, I just sat there, smiled, and waved (all of which seemed to only draw more giggles).
Somewhere along the gravel road, the need for a bathroom became hard to ignore. As we poured out of the car at our destination that was all a few of us could think about. Two women and a large following of children showed us to the latrines. All I have to say is you try peeing in a hole with a group of children standing just around the corner.
Lesson 4: Dirt is okay
Our first stop at the field site was a water catchment area. In the Raya Valley climate change is causing erratic rain fall and severe droughts. In response, one focus of the REST program is water conservation. This water catchment site (which was completely dried when we visited) had the potential to reach 265 hectares of land and can reach water 250 meters below the surface. In addition to the water catchments, which function as catch points for run off rain water from the mountains, the community, with the support of REST, has built canals and terracing along the mountain sides to support these catchment efforts. This site can benefit 100 families, but can also be expensive infrastructure.
Before I get any further, I should back up. REST stands for Relief Society of Tigray. Tigray is the region that the Raya Valley is in and when REST formed in 1978 it first functioned to help the community mitigate disasters inflicted by a ruthless military dictatorship. After the liberation, when more than hundred thousand refugees returned to the area, the organization shifted their focus to rehabilitation of the community and disaster prevention. Today, REST has shifted again to focus on long term and sustainable development. Their objectives center around improving livelihoods, health & education, women’s empowerment, water conservation, and sustainable natural resource management.
So, where does the dirt part come in? Well, thanks to the drought, the dirt and dust were everywhere. The Raya Valley is also a very sunny and hot area, so in addition to the dirt I was covered in sweat. (an alternative title for this entry was: Putting the Deodorant to the Test) Despite the heat and the dust and the limited green, it was still a very beautiful landscape. The mountains framed the community and as we walked along the plantations sites we met a few camels and they were nice enough to pose for a picture.
We had a very yummy lunch at a hotel/restaurant in town, which we later learned was also a brothel. But good news, several of the workers had shirts with happy condoms that said “Without Condom You Cannot Enter.”
Lesson 5: Don’t Step in Poop (and Lesson 3 revisited)
After lunch we visited the school site as well as the community health center. We learned wonderful things here about their primary school and student involvement programs. The school has three clubs, 1 for HIV/AIDS, 1 for Family Planning, and 1 for Environmental Protection. The clubs work with the health center and the local plant nursery to put on presentations and plays for the community that raise awareness about PHE issues. (Remember, PHE is population, health, environment….and I still owe you a more in-depth entry on PHE!)
Remember how I said that we made good entertainment? Well upon leaving the school and heading to the health site, one of our group members was taking pictures and managed to step in a big pile of cow dung (I swear it wasn’t me). Anyways, as you can imagine it was a pretty funny scene, but unfortunate for the rest of the car ride.
Lesson 6: Don’t give up
After the water catchment, the school, the cow dung, the health clinic and a late night visit to the nursery, we made our way into town to find a hotel for the night. The hotel we stayed at was in Alamata. It was the best hotel in the area, recommended by our REST guides, and next to dinner all I wanted to see was a shower to wash off the layers of dirt and sweat.
I am sad to report that I slightly lost my cool here. No public displays of meltdown, just a little paranoia and irrational thought. I am going to attribute it to the 19 hour day, the heat, and the lack of dinner. Eventually, dinner came (the world cup match seemed to slow our service) and we all made it through dinner in a quiet and spaced out state. That night, we each had our own room and somehow I picked the one next to the roof and the stairs. (Can you hear my paranoia beginning?) My room also didn’t have a dead-bolt that worked and it was so hot that closing the windows was out of the question. I pulled together all of my logical thinking to take a shower, in my very smelly bathroom, put a chair in front of the door, and crawled into bed diagonally. (This way, my head was not directly under the open window.
I know, I sound completely immature and irrational. I woke up the next morning to roosters and a cool breeze. It was the best night sleep I had had yet. Feeling well rested and refreshed, and much more rational, I pulled out breakfast. Breakfast for me was a piece of fruit leather (really it’s called a fruit strip, but my mom always called it fruit leather when I was a kid) and it was perfect. My rooster alarm clock and fruit strip morning was the perfect peaceful end to one day and beginning of a new one.
In Peace,
Enjoy, Explore and Protect the Earth
Lesson 1: Patience
Our very early morning ended up being for a not so early flight due to heavy rain. (We are visiting Ethiopia during the rainy season) First our flight was delayed 45 minutes and then 45 minutes passed and there we were, still sitting in the terminal. But, while we waited we were served a complementary beverage and snack (fried bread). Negash accompanied us on our two day trip and boy were we lucky to have him! This quickly became apparent to us all. Exhibit A: When it did finally come time to board our flight, 2 hours delayed, there was no announcement. It was almost as if everyone in the terminal magically knew that it was time to get on the place, or maybe they just decided it was time. Regardless, Negash pulled us along and off we went.
Lesson 2: Flexibility
Our 2 hour delay also meant that we were 2 hours late for our field site visit. We piled into our land cruiser, 5 passengers & 1 driver, and began our trek. Our drive was very beautiful and very curvy. We drove for about 3 hours through mountains with hair pin turns on paved road and then another 45minutes on gravel, still with the hair pin turns. We also had a couple of un-anticipated stops along the way. At one point, one of our caravan group members became sick from the drive and a stop was very much needed. I did mention that it was very curvy right? We also stopped to check on a van that had flipped, luckily everyone was safe. And, of course, we needed to stop for a snack, so we bought for water and koro. (Koro is a wheat grain that kind of resembles uncooked popcorn kernels) Along our way we passed many people working alongside the road, carrying water, and herding cattle/goats. I quickly learned that animals get the right away; at least they do when they are a large herd heading down the middle of the road.
Lesson 3: Humility
Not surprisingly, our caravan drew many odd looks from those along the road. Many of the kids would run after the car yelling, “China China.” Negash told us that recently the region has seen many Chinese immigrants for jobs in road construction. Naturally, being light skinned it was not a far fetched comparison. On Tuesday, I quickly transformed from feeling like the rich and spoiled American to feeling more like a traveling show. At each of three stops our car was quickly surrounded by people, many of which were children. Some were asking for money and many of them just pointed and laughed. I ended up staying in the car during our pit-stops, partly because they were all very short and partly because I had no clue how to respond to the laughter. So, I just sat there, smiled, and waved (all of which seemed to only draw more giggles).
Somewhere along the gravel road, the need for a bathroom became hard to ignore. As we poured out of the car at our destination that was all a few of us could think about. Two women and a large following of children showed us to the latrines. All I have to say is you try peeing in a hole with a group of children standing just around the corner.
Lesson 4: Dirt is okay
Our first stop at the field site was a water catchment area. In the Raya Valley climate change is causing erratic rain fall and severe droughts. In response, one focus of the REST program is water conservation. This water catchment site (which was completely dried when we visited) had the potential to reach 265 hectares of land and can reach water 250 meters below the surface. In addition to the water catchments, which function as catch points for run off rain water from the mountains, the community, with the support of REST, has built canals and terracing along the mountain sides to support these catchment efforts. This site can benefit 100 families, but can also be expensive infrastructure.
Before I get any further, I should back up. REST stands for Relief Society of Tigray. Tigray is the region that the Raya Valley is in and when REST formed in 1978 it first functioned to help the community mitigate disasters inflicted by a ruthless military dictatorship. After the liberation, when more than hundred thousand refugees returned to the area, the organization shifted their focus to rehabilitation of the community and disaster prevention. Today, REST has shifted again to focus on long term and sustainable development. Their objectives center around improving livelihoods, health & education, women’s empowerment, water conservation, and sustainable natural resource management.
So, where does the dirt part come in? Well, thanks to the drought, the dirt and dust were everywhere. The Raya Valley is also a very sunny and hot area, so in addition to the dirt I was covered in sweat. (an alternative title for this entry was: Putting the Deodorant to the Test) Despite the heat and the dust and the limited green, it was still a very beautiful landscape. The mountains framed the community and as we walked along the plantations sites we met a few camels and they were nice enough to pose for a picture.
We had a very yummy lunch at a hotel/restaurant in town, which we later learned was also a brothel. But good news, several of the workers had shirts with happy condoms that said “Without Condom You Cannot Enter.”
Lesson 5: Don’t Step in Poop (and Lesson 3 revisited)
After lunch we visited the school site as well as the community health center. We learned wonderful things here about their primary school and student involvement programs. The school has three clubs, 1 for HIV/AIDS, 1 for Family Planning, and 1 for Environmental Protection. The clubs work with the health center and the local plant nursery to put on presentations and plays for the community that raise awareness about PHE issues. (Remember, PHE is population, health, environment….and I still owe you a more in-depth entry on PHE!)
Remember how I said that we made good entertainment? Well upon leaving the school and heading to the health site, one of our group members was taking pictures and managed to step in a big pile of cow dung (I swear it wasn’t me). Anyways, as you can imagine it was a pretty funny scene, but unfortunate for the rest of the car ride.
Lesson 6: Don’t give up
After the water catchment, the school, the cow dung, the health clinic and a late night visit to the nursery, we made our way into town to find a hotel for the night. The hotel we stayed at was in Alamata. It was the best hotel in the area, recommended by our REST guides, and next to dinner all I wanted to see was a shower to wash off the layers of dirt and sweat.
I am sad to report that I slightly lost my cool here. No public displays of meltdown, just a little paranoia and irrational thought. I am going to attribute it to the 19 hour day, the heat, and the lack of dinner. Eventually, dinner came (the world cup match seemed to slow our service) and we all made it through dinner in a quiet and spaced out state. That night, we each had our own room and somehow I picked the one next to the roof and the stairs. (Can you hear my paranoia beginning?) My room also didn’t have a dead-bolt that worked and it was so hot that closing the windows was out of the question. I pulled together all of my logical thinking to take a shower, in my very smelly bathroom, put a chair in front of the door, and crawled into bed diagonally. (This way, my head was not directly under the open window.
I know, I sound completely immature and irrational. I woke up the next morning to roosters and a cool breeze. It was the best night sleep I had had yet. Feeling well rested and refreshed, and much more rational, I pulled out breakfast. Breakfast for me was a piece of fruit leather (really it’s called a fruit strip, but my mom always called it fruit leather when I was a kid) and it was perfect. My rooster alarm clock and fruit strip morning was the perfect peaceful end to one day and beginning of a new one.
In Peace,
Enjoy, Explore and Protect the Earth
Happy World Population Day!!!
Did you even know that such a day existed? Well, it does and now you can shout it from your roof top and share it with all of your facebook friends! The theme of this year’s World Population Day (July 11) is, Everyone Counts. Since our study-tour focuses on PHE (population, health, and environment) issues, World Population Day is one of our favorite holidays! In addition to understanding and embracing PHE issues World Population Day can remind us all that we share one earth and we can all work together to improve population, health, and environment issues
Everyone counts addresses the need for comprehensive and accurate demographic data. Data is crucial for planning and development in all parts of the world. Reliable data can illuminate trends and drive public policy. These are all reasons why this year’s World Population Day is dedicated to the collection of such data and its analysis. You can read more about this year’s theme at http://www.unfpa.org/public/world-population-day/
What else can you do in celebration? You can also visit the Sierra Club’s website (see link below) and urge congress to support an increase in international family planning funding for the 2010 fiscal year. You can also help by getting involved with the Sierra Club’s Global Population and Environment program. I recommend you start by finding them on Facebook to learn more about their programs and events!
Link to urge congress for increased International Family Planning Funding for FY 2010: https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=229
Link to become friends with Sierra Club GPE:
http://www.facebook.com/search/?post_form_id=c05161da052d5e8998b3cbd36e220f56&q=kim+lovell&init=quick&sid=0.9218718395577244#!/pages/Sierra-Club-Global-Population-and-Environment-Program/111250022258267?ref=search
So, what did I do to celebrate World Population Day? Well, of course I wore my fabulous Sierra Club tee-shirt, “The Fate of the World is in Your Hands and In Your Pants.” And, lucky us ran into a wedding today. The groom wanted us to join the wedding party for pictures….so now my fabulous shirt will be captured forever in someone’s wedding album. I am pretty sure that years from now they will wonder, “Who are these crazy looking people??”
Much Love!!
In Peace,
Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet
Everyone counts addresses the need for comprehensive and accurate demographic data. Data is crucial for planning and development in all parts of the world. Reliable data can illuminate trends and drive public policy. These are all reasons why this year’s World Population Day is dedicated to the collection of such data and its analysis. You can read more about this year’s theme at http://www.unfpa.org/public/world-population-day/
What else can you do in celebration? You can also visit the Sierra Club’s website (see link below) and urge congress to support an increase in international family planning funding for the 2010 fiscal year. You can also help by getting involved with the Sierra Club’s Global Population and Environment program. I recommend you start by finding them on Facebook to learn more about their programs and events!
Link to urge congress for increased International Family Planning Funding for FY 2010: https://secure2.convio.net/sierra/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=229
Link to become friends with Sierra Club GPE:
http://www.facebook.com/search/?post_form_id=c05161da052d5e8998b3cbd36e220f56&q=kim+lovell&init=quick&sid=0.9218718395577244#!/pages/Sierra-Club-Global-Population-and-Environment-Program/111250022258267?ref=search
So, what did I do to celebrate World Population Day? Well, of course I wore my fabulous Sierra Club tee-shirt, “The Fate of the World is in Your Hands and In Your Pants.” And, lucky us ran into a wedding today. The groom wanted us to join the wedding party for pictures….so now my fabulous shirt will be captured forever in someone’s wedding album. I am pretty sure that years from now they will wonder, “Who are these crazy looking people??”
Much Love!!
In Peace,
Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet
Water, Water, Everywhere
Water has quickly become a reoccurring theme on our study tour. In the Raya Valley there is not enough water, in Addis there is more water than every before, and in Gauraghe the water is causing high levels of damaging land degradation.
All of these water worries can be detrimental to an agrarian community. In the Raya Valley, at the REST site, water conservation is one of the organization’s top priorities. As I mentioned in my last entry, the dams catch run off rain water that can be used for irrigation and livestock. At the REST site, the community is deeply invested in this management of natural resource conservation. While REST supports the community through infrastructure construction and advanced skills trainings, they are committed to community ownership and sustainability. The community organizes using committees, for example, a water conservation committee, a sanitation committee, etc. The water conservation committee collects community member annual fees in addition to ensuring that water is fairly distributed and that general maintenance concerns are addressed.
In Gauraghe we visited the GPSDO site where the landscape is drastically different from the Raya Valley. The rolling green hills of Gauraghe were ideal for productive crops and differed dramatically from the dry and dusty Raya Valley. GPSDO, one of Ethiopia’s oldest indigenous NGOs, stands for the Gauraghe People’s Self-help Development Organization. Here, one of the largest environmental concerns is land degradation. As we walked through the town to the field site the landscape changed once again from abundant green vegetation to naked red clay dirt hills. The increase in precipitation, mixed with deforestation caused largely by the rapidly growing population, has caused high levels of soil erosion. To curb these effects, GPSDO has helped the community organize a youth group that works to respond to the vast amounts of land degradation. GPSDO provides the group with trainings in resource conservation, advanced farming techniques, and soil and waste management in addition to providing supplies for their projects. At the time of our visit, the youth group was working to plant vetiver grass and fruit trees, as well as constructing medium sized barrier structures to prevent soil erosion. Vetiver grass grows far reaching roots that can reach up to 6 meters and help prevent soil erosion. One obvious effect of the soil erosion was its impact on the water at Gauraghe, which had turned clay red from the eroding soil. While this water is mainly used for irrigation and livestock, we saw many of the Gauraghe people collecting this water for personal consumption. This is most definitely an example of the health-environment interaction.
These two sites really offered unique perspectives on water conservation. In both cases we asked about environmental changes specific to their region and at both sites we heard stories about how the changes in rainfall have had a significant impact on the community. While these efforts seems small they have potential to have a very large impact for both the well being of the community and the region.
In Peace,
Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet
All of these water worries can be detrimental to an agrarian community. In the Raya Valley, at the REST site, water conservation is one of the organization’s top priorities. As I mentioned in my last entry, the dams catch run off rain water that can be used for irrigation and livestock. At the REST site, the community is deeply invested in this management of natural resource conservation. While REST supports the community through infrastructure construction and advanced skills trainings, they are committed to community ownership and sustainability. The community organizes using committees, for example, a water conservation committee, a sanitation committee, etc. The water conservation committee collects community member annual fees in addition to ensuring that water is fairly distributed and that general maintenance concerns are addressed.
In Gauraghe we visited the GPSDO site where the landscape is drastically different from the Raya Valley. The rolling green hills of Gauraghe were ideal for productive crops and differed dramatically from the dry and dusty Raya Valley. GPSDO, one of Ethiopia’s oldest indigenous NGOs, stands for the Gauraghe People’s Self-help Development Organization. Here, one of the largest environmental concerns is land degradation. As we walked through the town to the field site the landscape changed once again from abundant green vegetation to naked red clay dirt hills. The increase in precipitation, mixed with deforestation caused largely by the rapidly growing population, has caused high levels of soil erosion. To curb these effects, GPSDO has helped the community organize a youth group that works to respond to the vast amounts of land degradation. GPSDO provides the group with trainings in resource conservation, advanced farming techniques, and soil and waste management in addition to providing supplies for their projects. At the time of our visit, the youth group was working to plant vetiver grass and fruit trees, as well as constructing medium sized barrier structures to prevent soil erosion. Vetiver grass grows far reaching roots that can reach up to 6 meters and help prevent soil erosion. One obvious effect of the soil erosion was its impact on the water at Gauraghe, which had turned clay red from the eroding soil. While this water is mainly used for irrigation and livestock, we saw many of the Gauraghe people collecting this water for personal consumption. This is most definitely an example of the health-environment interaction.
These two sites really offered unique perspectives on water conservation. In both cases we asked about environmental changes specific to their region and at both sites we heard stories about how the changes in rainfall have had a significant impact on the community. While these efforts seems small they have potential to have a very large impact for both the well being of the community and the region.
In Peace,
Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the Planet
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Much Love From Addis!
We arrived safely in Ethiopia last night, around 7pm Addis time (noon EDT). After our remarkably smooth flight we breezed through customs and collected our bags. I am happy to report that everyone’s luggage also arrived safely in Ethiopia last night around 7pm! The dark night welcomed us with a powerful and breathtaking lighting show, or as I liked to think of it, 4th of July fireworks, Ethiopian style.
I can not imagine a more perfect first day! We enjoyed made-to-order omelets before heading off to meet our wonderful tour guide, PHE intern, Mery. Mery took us on a driving tour around Addis before meeting Negash, PHE Ethiopia Consortium Executive Director, at a coffee house around noon. Driving in Addis is an impressive and very large scale game of chicken. Let’s just say that I was happy to be a passenger in the back and not behind the wheel! I don’t think that there were always lanes and I know that several of the traffic signals were not operating. Aside from navigating through a mosh pit of cars, donkeys, and goats, there are people everywhere. Not surprisingly, the second we stepped out of our van near the PHE offices I felt like a rich and spoiled American. I don’t want to dwell on this because western guilt is not that productive and because I fully expected this feeling, and I highly doubt that it will ever really leave me.
Our afternoon was reserved for a variety of meetings, each with one inspiring person after another. We had lunch with Negash, Mery, and two other PHE Ethiopia Consortium staff members. Negash filled us in on the history of PHE as well as their current projects and future goals. (for time sake and the sake of Sandeep’s laptop battery I will return to this in another entry!) After lunch we visited the Packard Foundation offices where we met with Yemeserach, country advisor for Population and Reproductive Health Programs for Packard, and Annie, Population Health and Environment Technical Advisor and USAID Global Health Fellow. (again, more details on all of these meetings to come!!) Our final meeting was a panel of wonderful guests from various Ethiopian projects with PHE initiatives including EWNRA (Ethio Wetlands and Natural Resources Association, LEM Ethiopia, and from MELCA. We will be visiting the LEM and MELCA sites later on the study tour, so I can fill you in on their programs then.
I was incredibly struck by how strongly PHE resonated with each one of our speakers today. Population, health, and environment (PHE) is a hard connection for many people in the United States to make, even for me. I know that I have had particular difficulty putting PHE into words or into a meaningful explanation. But, it was like the moment we stepped foot in Ethiopia everyone just got it. This is not surprising. Ethiopia is feeling the effects of climate of change much more rapidly than we are in the United States. Sporadic cycles of drought and heavy rain have harsh impacts on agricultural communities and the rapidly growing population has a visible impact on already scarce natural resources. I am truly in a very inspiring place for PHE efforts.
I will most definitely talk about this more as we visit sites that are on the ground working with PHE goals, but for now … bed! Our flight leaves at 6am for Mekelle and we are getting up at 4am (just 4 short hours from now). I would much rather stay and tell you all about our wonderful cultural dinner with tej and dancing … but Sandeep is right, I need to sleep!
In Peace,
Enjoy, Explore and Protect the Earth!
Side Note - Yes, I ate eggs for breakfast. For those of you who don’t know me, I recently underwent testing for food allergies. Among my many newly discovered and somewhat inconvenient allergies and I am allergic to eggs, as well as dairy and baker’s yeast. Anyways, I resolved to give up on eating “allergy free” somewhere over Italy. Partly because our airplane breakfast consisted of two types of bread and yogurt and partly because I didn’t want to miss out on anything while in Africa, especially the food!
I can not imagine a more perfect first day! We enjoyed made-to-order omelets before heading off to meet our wonderful tour guide, PHE intern, Mery. Mery took us on a driving tour around Addis before meeting Negash, PHE Ethiopia Consortium Executive Director, at a coffee house around noon. Driving in Addis is an impressive and very large scale game of chicken. Let’s just say that I was happy to be a passenger in the back and not behind the wheel! I don’t think that there were always lanes and I know that several of the traffic signals were not operating. Aside from navigating through a mosh pit of cars, donkeys, and goats, there are people everywhere. Not surprisingly, the second we stepped out of our van near the PHE offices I felt like a rich and spoiled American. I don’t want to dwell on this because western guilt is not that productive and because I fully expected this feeling, and I highly doubt that it will ever really leave me.
Our afternoon was reserved for a variety of meetings, each with one inspiring person after another. We had lunch with Negash, Mery, and two other PHE Ethiopia Consortium staff members. Negash filled us in on the history of PHE as well as their current projects and future goals. (for time sake and the sake of Sandeep’s laptop battery I will return to this in another entry!) After lunch we visited the Packard Foundation offices where we met with Yemeserach, country advisor for Population and Reproductive Health Programs for Packard, and Annie, Population Health and Environment Technical Advisor and USAID Global Health Fellow. (again, more details on all of these meetings to come!!) Our final meeting was a panel of wonderful guests from various Ethiopian projects with PHE initiatives including EWNRA (Ethio Wetlands and Natural Resources Association, LEM Ethiopia, and from MELCA. We will be visiting the LEM and MELCA sites later on the study tour, so I can fill you in on their programs then.
I was incredibly struck by how strongly PHE resonated with each one of our speakers today. Population, health, and environment (PHE) is a hard connection for many people in the United States to make, even for me. I know that I have had particular difficulty putting PHE into words or into a meaningful explanation. But, it was like the moment we stepped foot in Ethiopia everyone just got it. This is not surprising. Ethiopia is feeling the effects of climate of change much more rapidly than we are in the United States. Sporadic cycles of drought and heavy rain have harsh impacts on agricultural communities and the rapidly growing population has a visible impact on already scarce natural resources. I am truly in a very inspiring place for PHE efforts.
I will most definitely talk about this more as we visit sites that are on the ground working with PHE goals, but for now … bed! Our flight leaves at 6am for Mekelle and we are getting up at 4am (just 4 short hours from now). I would much rather stay and tell you all about our wonderful cultural dinner with tej and dancing … but Sandeep is right, I need to sleep!
In Peace,
Enjoy, Explore and Protect the Earth!
Side Note - Yes, I ate eggs for breakfast. For those of you who don’t know me, I recently underwent testing for food allergies. Among my many newly discovered and somewhat inconvenient allergies and I am allergic to eggs, as well as dairy and baker’s yeast. Anyways, I resolved to give up on eating “allergy free” somewhere over Italy. Partly because our airplane breakfast consisted of two types of bread and yogurt and partly because I didn’t want to miss out on anything while in Africa, especially the food!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Checking in from Dulles Airport
As promised, 1 more entry before leaving the states! Apologies in advance, this entry will not include pictures or be particularly lengthy as I am writing on my iPhone from the Dulles airport.
There is about an hour before boarding begins and I feel very confident that I have everything I need (and I only packed 4 pairs of shoes!). All that is left now is this blog entry, a couple of phone calls, and a trip to the bathroom.
I brainstormed blog entry ideas on my first flight and it only makes since to fill you in on our itinerary. We land in Addis Sunday evening.....just in time for dinner and a real night sleep! Our adventure really begins on Monday. For time's sake I am going to refrain from writing in paragraph form ......
Monday: Meetings in Addis at the PHE - Ethiopia Consortium. We will be meeting with USAID, UNFPA, and Packard among others.
Tuesday: Travel to Mekelle and Mychew to visit REST site.
Wednesday: Visit REST offices and travel back to Addis.
Thursday: Travel to Wolkite and visit GPSDO site. Travel back to Addis.
Friday: Travel to Bale Goba
Saturday: Visit Melca Dinsho PHE site in Bale
Sunday: Travel to Wondogent for lunch and some down time. Visit Yirgalem Fistula Hospital
Monday: Travel to Gedeo and visit LEM Ethiopia PHE site.
Tuesday: Travel to Addis. Visit Rift Valley Lakes.
Wednesday: wind up meeting with PHE Ethiopia Consortium and depart for US.
I get tired just typing it! As you can see we have lots to do, lots to see, and some time for play too :)
I realize that it looks a little like alphabet soup right now, but I will fill you in as we reach each site. I am also going to try and update the links section of my blog so feel free and look there for more information about various organizations.
Okay, well I better sign off now and head toward my gate! Haha!! I did it! As promised, one last entry before I left the states! Happy 4th!
In peace,
Enjoy, Explore, Protect the Earth
<3
There is about an hour before boarding begins and I feel very confident that I have everything I need (and I only packed 4 pairs of shoes!). All that is left now is this blog entry, a couple of phone calls, and a trip to the bathroom.
I brainstormed blog entry ideas on my first flight and it only makes since to fill you in on our itinerary. We land in Addis Sunday evening.....just in time for dinner and a real night sleep! Our adventure really begins on Monday. For time's sake I am going to refrain from writing in paragraph form ......
Monday: Meetings in Addis at the PHE - Ethiopia Consortium. We will be meeting with USAID, UNFPA, and Packard among others.
Tuesday: Travel to Mekelle and Mychew to visit REST site.
Wednesday: Visit REST offices and travel back to Addis.
Thursday: Travel to Wolkite and visit GPSDO site. Travel back to Addis.
Friday: Travel to Bale Goba
Saturday: Visit Melca Dinsho PHE site in Bale
Sunday: Travel to Wondogent for lunch and some down time. Visit Yirgalem Fistula Hospital
Monday: Travel to Gedeo and visit LEM Ethiopia PHE site.
Tuesday: Travel to Addis. Visit Rift Valley Lakes.
Wednesday: wind up meeting with PHE Ethiopia Consortium and depart for US.
I get tired just typing it! As you can see we have lots to do, lots to see, and some time for play too :)
I realize that it looks a little like alphabet soup right now, but I will fill you in as we reach each site. I am also going to try and update the links section of my blog so feel free and look there for more information about various organizations.
Okay, well I better sign off now and head toward my gate! Haha!! I did it! As promised, one last entry before I left the states! Happy 4th!
In peace,
Enjoy, Explore, Protect the Earth
<3
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Four Days and Counting!
This entry has given me a bit of a hard time. With only four days left before I depart, there are still a million things I want to write about. At first, I thought that I would tell you everything I have learned about Ethiopia so far. I envisioned that it would serve as an “Ethiopia Travel Tour: From My Travel Books To Your Computer.” I could give you interesting tidbits such as:
The size of Ethiopia is roughly the size of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico combined.
Ethiopia’s population is roughly 80 million and is growing at 3.2% annually.
This is Ethiopia’s Flag.
Since these fast facts would most likely only come in handy if you one day find yourself on jeopardy, my “Regurgitated Travel Book Blog Entry” would have continued with information that is a bit more relevant to impending trip. For example, based on a 2005 Demographic and Health Survey, an Ethiopian woman will have an average of 5.4 children in her lifetime. While current fertility levels in Ethiopia have declined (down from 6.4 children in 1990), Ethiopia’s unmet need for family planning services remains high. Unmet need for family planning services describes the percentage of currently married women who either want to space their next birth or stop childbearing entirely, but are not using contraception. In 2005, one in three married women in Ethiopia had an unmet need for family planning services.
Now if you let me, I could talk for days about women’s health issues, partly because it is such a HUGE field, but mostly because I adore women’s health. I would, without hesitation, say that women’s health is the MOST important social justice and public health issue of our nation and our earth (with environmental health running a very close second, of course).
This brings me to what I really want to write about, I want to write about me. Not in a gloating or self-serving manner, but I think that if you are going to travel with me to Africa and back, then you should know a little more about me. Since it is my goal to take you with me, in a sense, I plan on being very honest in my blog. You will get a close glimpse into my personal reactions and feelings as I experience a country that is completely new to me. This is both daunting and exhilarating all wrapped up together. Since I am a glass half full kind of gal, I am choosing to focus on the exhilarating aspects for now.
Basically, I am SO EXCITED!
On our first conference call we, 4 work-study tour participants, were asked to share what we were most excited about. I couldn’t pick just one, so I picked four.
My excitement has not dwindled. . . .
This is me when I received my “Congratulations, you have been selected” email . . . . .
And this is me when my briefing notebook arrived in the mail . . . . .
Me at the outdoor store buying mosquito repellent . . . . .
Me in yoga . . . . .
And me after getting my shots . . . . .
I know my examples seem silly, but in all honestly I really did jump up and down in the elevator after getting my yellow fever vaccine. Going to Africa is the trip of a lifetime, for me at least. Now, as if getting to finally visit the continent of my dreams isn’t enough, I have the honor and the privilege of traveling with some very cool people AND learning more about my favorite subject, women’s health (and the environment, of course!). Not to mention, our itinerary is basically a “whos who” list of NGO celebrities. (Hence Reason #3 of “Why I am Excited”)
With all of this excitement it is very hard to even imagine the daunting aspects of traveling, but they are there. I remain optimistic that I will not encounter any unpleasant illness or infections, I will not have crazy side effects from my malaria medication, I will not (or the airline will not) loose any luggage, my eczema will not flair up uncontrollably, I will not become a magnet for mosquitoes like I am in the U.S., and I will not pack too many pairs of shoes and look like that obnoxious twenty something American girl that I fear so much. Luckily, I have the most control over the shoe-packing dilemma.
In Peace, Explore, Enjoy, Protect the Planet
The size of Ethiopia is roughly the size of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico combined.
Ethiopia’s population is roughly 80 million and is growing at 3.2% annually.
This is Ethiopia’s Flag.
Since these fast facts would most likely only come in handy if you one day find yourself on jeopardy, my “Regurgitated Travel Book Blog Entry” would have continued with information that is a bit more relevant to impending trip. For example, based on a 2005 Demographic and Health Survey, an Ethiopian woman will have an average of 5.4 children in her lifetime. While current fertility levels in Ethiopia have declined (down from 6.4 children in 1990), Ethiopia’s unmet need for family planning services remains high. Unmet need for family planning services describes the percentage of currently married women who either want to space their next birth or stop childbearing entirely, but are not using contraception. In 2005, one in three married women in Ethiopia had an unmet need for family planning services.
Now if you let me, I could talk for days about women’s health issues, partly because it is such a HUGE field, but mostly because I adore women’s health. I would, without hesitation, say that women’s health is the MOST important social justice and public health issue of our nation and our earth (with environmental health running a very close second, of course).
This brings me to what I really want to write about, I want to write about me. Not in a gloating or self-serving manner, but I think that if you are going to travel with me to Africa and back, then you should know a little more about me. Since it is my goal to take you with me, in a sense, I plan on being very honest in my blog. You will get a close glimpse into my personal reactions and feelings as I experience a country that is completely new to me. This is both daunting and exhilarating all wrapped up together. Since I am a glass half full kind of gal, I am choosing to focus on the exhilarating aspects for now.
Basically, I am SO EXCITED!
On our first conference call we, 4 work-study tour participants, were asked to share what we were most excited about. I couldn’t pick just one, so I picked four.
My excitement has not dwindled. . . .
This is me when I received my “Congratulations, you have been selected” email . . . . .And this is me when my briefing notebook arrived in the mail . . . . .
Me at the outdoor store buying mosquito repellent . . . . .
Me in yoga . . . . .
And me after getting my shots . . . . .
I know my examples seem silly, but in all honestly I really did jump up and down in the elevator after getting my yellow fever vaccine. Going to Africa is the trip of a lifetime, for me at least. Now, as if getting to finally visit the continent of my dreams isn’t enough, I have the honor and the privilege of traveling with some very cool people AND learning more about my favorite subject, women’s health (and the environment, of course!). Not to mention, our itinerary is basically a “whos who” list of NGO celebrities. (Hence Reason #3 of “Why I am Excited”)
With all of this excitement it is very hard to even imagine the daunting aspects of traveling, but they are there. I remain optimistic that I will not encounter any unpleasant illness or infections, I will not have crazy side effects from my malaria medication, I will not (or the airline will not) loose any luggage, my eczema will not flair up uncontrollably, I will not become a magnet for mosquitoes like I am in the U.S., and I will not pack too many pairs of shoes and look like that obnoxious twenty something American girl that I fear so much. Luckily, I have the most control over the shoe-packing dilemma.
In Peace, Explore, Enjoy, Protect the Planet
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
STAY TUNED!
Entries to follow soon!! Check back Friday (6/26)
....which, for the record is Madagascar's Independence Day
....which, for the record is Madagascar's Independence Day
Sierra Club Global Population & Environment Program + Me = LOVE
I stumbled across the Sierra Club’s Global Population and Environment Program last summer after meeting an inspiring Sierra Club activist at a women’s health conference. I was immediately curious about the Club’s work. I have always liked the idea of “going green” and I certainly understand the importance of preserving our natural resources for future generations, but how did I fit into this picture? How could I help save our earth?
All of my passion for activist work had, in the past, been directed toward women’s health issues such as reproductive freedom and comprehensive sexuality education. But, you could say that the Sierra Club’s Global Population and Environment Program “had me at hello.”
It was the answer to my question, how could I help save our earth? The program’s mission spoke directly to me and provided me with a connection between health and the environment. In the Fall of 2009 I applied for a Sierra Club Global Population Environment Program Fellowship and was invited to participate in the Fellowship Program. The program included a weekend retreat in Washington DC where I met other young activists and learned more about the intersections between population and the environment. (More fun and interesting retreat tidbits in my next entry!)
At the retreat I also learned about the Sierra Club Global Population and Environment Program Study Tours, in which a select group of committed activists travel with Sierra Club staff to gain a very special look first hand at programs that are working on the ground to address population, health, and the environment. I knew that this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I would be able to bring back the real-life stories of those affected by international projects to my community and help others make the connections between population and the environment.
I am beyond thrilled that the Sierra Club has invited me to join Sierra Club staff and two other activists on their upcoming Ethiopian Study Tour. For ten days in July I will volunteer for the Consortium for Integration of Population, Health, and Environment (CIPHE) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. While in Ethiopia I will have the opportunity to meet with directors and benefactors of international organizations as well as local project sites and will further explore issues around sustainable development and the environment.
I also can not think of a more perfect way to kick off my blogging adventures! I hope that you will follow my blog and me as I prepare to travel to Ethiopia. I will do my very best to answer the question, what does population have to do with the environment? And as I learn more about Ethiopia and my upcoming work-study tour I will definitely share! Internet cafés permitting I will also blog while I am in Ethiopia … and look for pictures and home-made movies upon my return!! Please feel free to post comments and questions. I may have an enlightening answer or if all else fails you can also check out my “Link List” for more resources and information about the Sierra Club Global Population and Environment Program as well as other related activist resources.
In Peace,
Explore, Enjoy, Protect the Planet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)