Ethiopia

I'm not sure where to start as far as our trip to Ethiopia is concerned. But, I can sum it up by saying, it was an amazing week. Things didn't always go quite as planned, but we so clearly saw God's hand in all the ups and downs.

This past week gave us a wonderful opportunity to explore the needs of the Mt. Entoto community. More than anything, we saw the need for a sustainable income. Mt. Entoto is so close to Addis, yet in terms of resources, it couldn't possibly be more remote. People, especially women, need a way to make money. We know that all around the world, when a woman makes money, you can truly improve the lives of those in her family. Because, when women have an income, they spend it on food, clothes, housing, and education for their children.

Currently, many women in the community make their money by carrying wood. They wake up as early as 3 or 4 in the morning and begin the task of gathering wood from the forest floor. Hyenas and guards (who have been reported to sometimes assault women), make this a dangerous task. After they have collected a HUGE bundle of wood, they carry it on their backs all the way down to the base of the mountain. The bundles are probably 8 feet across and often weigh well over 70 pounds. We saw many, many women carrying these bundles down the mountain and the look on their faces is one of pure anguish. The bundles roughly earn them $2-$3.

While we were there, we had the privilege of spending time with women who use to call wood carrying their primary source of income. Now, because of a wonderful organization, they are employed making beautiful scarves. They have a collection of buildings that includes a shop, a room full of looms, an area for the women to socialize, and a daycare/preschool for their children. We spent a couple of days here, buying scarves, chatting with the women, and having coffee with them. They were so excited when we made copies of the pictures we had taken of them and brought them to them.

This organization will serve as a wonderful model as we begin to brainstorm ideas for generating income for the women of Mt. Entoto.

While we were in ET, Pam received word that we have received our 501c3 number! Connected in Hope Foundation, Inc. is officially recognized by the U.S. government as a non-profit! We are now beginning to work on becoming recognized as an NGO in Ethiopia. Very exciting things are happening!

Well, that's just a small part of our trip, but more will have to come at another time. I can't say enough what a wonderful time I had. It's so hard to explain to people, but Ethiopia is an addictive country. The people are the most gracious, generous, loving, wonderful people you will ever meet. In a week's time, I formed friendships stronger than many I have worked a lifetime on building. I can't begin to describe the pride I feel in knowing that part of my heart is Habesha (Ethiopian).

I will leave you with some pictures of the beautiful, former wood carriers:)