Reunion in Ethiopia

Four days without water in Addis Ababa accompanied by electricity cuts – and in the country side many days without water as their was no evening rain falls in the small rain season of March. Our 200 planted trees needed water to survive. For the time being the small water source of the dried out river bed is still giving some water … Daily our donkey “Hagos” (the happy one) has to climb the steep mountain with filled canisters so that we may fill our 2000 litre water tank and give life giving wetness to our 200 diverse trees.

The water tanks also supplies the sanitary blocks in case of emergencies, in order to maintain fairly hygienic conditions. For drinking water we have very expensive bottled mineral water (ten 1,5 litres costs 22 bir – in relation that means about 22 euro). We are currently in discussion about drilling a water well!

Poverty and the destruction of nature

At the weekly market one always finds a vegetable type that is currently ripened: either only spinach, or only carrots or only cabbage. Onions, garlic, tomatoes and potatoes are always available like bananas and lemons. And so some kind of basic need is covered although the infrastructure is poor. Between Timkat and Easter (about 50 days) fasting is done, so there is no meat and only one meal at evening times. The much needed grains don’t always suffice and is mostly substituted by developmental aid, but this dependency from those donating countries makes the people unhappy and inactive.

A new wave of exploitation of resources by the western countries is continuing and a rapid destruction of nature is happening. Normally the thin layer of humus in the rocky highland supplies the plants with the much needed minerals through their stony underground, so that with sufficient rainfall one could have up to three harvests in a year – ideal for planting healing herbs! But new growing with chemical fertilisers and pesticides is making the soil barren and dependent on chemical fertilisers that have to be bought!

In an elephant protection area in the rural areas near Babile 13000 ha of land was cleared and claimed for planting of the castor oil plant for “bio diesel”. The elephants were exiled from this region…. At the same time a 400 000 ha bamboo forest – the biggest in Africa is under threat by the paper industry: There is a usage contract between the USA and Ethiopia. Chinese businesses are planning a paper factory that is energised by bamboo, already their gigantic bulldozers are clearing land for new streets. Every hut that stands in its way is being flattened, as we saw with our own eyes on our journey to the North.

The introduction of electricity in Hawzien has the result that unfortunately television has moved into the local bars. The programmes were up until now almost exclusively American horror and kitsch movies. With the result that the youth are sitting from early in the morning completely gripped and fascinated and pleads with us Germans to please take them to that rich country. Who then wants to go and work?

Great interest in kinder garden

On our daily route to kinder garden (1,5 km) on the main road of Hawzien we one day met a man in a dark suite who was looking for an opportunity to address us:

“Are you the donator of the kinder garden?” – “yes we are!” – “so I have to inform you that I was given the task from the school administration in Woreda to inspect your. It is an exemplary kinder garden, lovely building, very good hygienic conditions and exceptional supervision. The children love it here and can hardly wait to go there in the mornings. We are very proud of this institution – it is the first of its kind. Our district institution is more of an emergency accommodation with few children and has insufficient supervision. Thus your kinder garden is of great value in our district of Woreda! I have one more wish, could you perhaps build on the big property a playground with a swing, a sea saw and other equipment? Then we will be able to recognise the kinder garden externally. Off course a school will also be needed in a few years – that should also be so exceptionally run. The state supervision is not to be recommended…”

“But who will pay the teachers” I asked. “That has to be bargained for”, was the answer. Everything we do is closely and interestingly being followed by the authorities and the inhabitant! And Atsbaha (the main organiser on site) told us of a moving moment: at the first parent evening a mother placed her meagre earned salary on the table as a thank you that she is able to bring her child to the school – with the words “we want a better education for our children!”

I personally was able to experience and be part of a trustees meeting of the organisations Finks (“Phoenix”), and see how hard people were prepared to work together and take on responsibility. The topic was the appointment of a new kinder garden teacher. Contact person for us and the parents is our big farmer Haleka Gebremichael Gebreselassie. He has a very watchful eye, knows exactly who is doing what and is also present when new children come into the school.

Happy children and competent teachers

The way across the property with its planed tree alley leading up to the building of the kinder garden has always filled us with joyous expectations – from a distance one can hear the children singing and clapping with such fervour it shows what forces truly lives in them.

On the first day we were met by in a big circle of about 100 children who greeted us with great expectation, and in the end I had to play the well known game of “show me your feet”. Thereafter each child greeted me with a handshake and said their name. For me an opportunity to look in the eyes of the children – and to see how beautifully in each one a little personality was starting to show.

The daily routine followed – I could clearly follow the first practiced and applied programme now a deeper spiritual proposal had to be deepened. Every afternoon between 14h00and 17h00 I worked intensively with the kinder garden teachers. Suggestions made in the afternoon were already being practiced the next day. They soaked in everything that was done and daily one saw how theory and practice complemented each other.

And so even this visit was a beautiful one! The kinder garden radiated a harmonious atmosphere, the teachers brought great educational skills along, are adaptive and are loved by the children. Thus there are many happy children in Hawzien. And everybody is awaiting with joy the new hut that will be used as a baking house for baking fresh bread daily.

How it will continue

For further training courses we need good skilled persons. As it is not allowed to have people sleeping in the school, Atsbaha suggests that we urgently need a little guest house with two rooms, a toilet, shower, little kitchen and an office. – This we can only confirm through personal experience with deficient hygiene and food: what we have experienced only an Ethiopian – initiate is able to deal with …

The good thing about it is that since the beginning of our project Atsbaha had a piece of property enclosed and officially registered – this too is now to be leased property and is available without cost. From here Atsbaha wishes to develop other projects later like a healing herb distribution house and supervise other extended development projects.

In the autumn holidays Angelica Wagner and another teacher will be travelling to Hawzien. For December a Vienna kinder garden seminar has registered a student. These experienced teachers will surely bring further impulses.

A visit at the Austrian embassy brought a donation for 1000 euro for a cow shed that we will be getting at the beginning of the Ethiopian year start on the 11^th of September. Two kinder gardens in Hamburg are donating 800 euro for a milk cow! And we need a second to the first company.

We are happy that we have managed up until now, to pay the monthly costs – many nights we have had sleepless nights about it… but there were always again and again people that were enthused by the project and helped us out of tight spots. For this we say: Thank you!

H. Dorothea Roenpage

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