I will bear your suffering. I have never used a greeting with greater meaning in any of my personal correspondence. This the phrase that the Sidamo people use to greet one another. It is a privilege to expropriate something as simple as
It is November and once again our bags are packed and we are off to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa and then onward to the city of Soddo.On this trip there are five of us. Over the passing years
Just today, while celebrating Estonia`s birthday, my heart is filled with great gratitude. Gratitude for having been born in Estonia. We arrived in Ethiopia early morning on 28th December 2020. Leaving airport, we were confronted with crisp and cool air
In the middle of March when Covid-19 attacked the world, we flew to Addis Abeba. Reaching Ethiopia, there was no sign of the deadly virus yet but all the arrivers were measured temperature at the airport and the handwash was
9 years ago in Soddo fair skin was a great rarity. Much was different from today. Long distance travel was done in buses laden with people. Besides passengers buses were filled with chickens, rooftop was loaded with life stuff: matresses,
It has been seven years since we were handed a list from the Soddo social department with the first children. These were the children whose parent or guardian did not possess the economic means to send the kid to school.
Last year there were 12 volunteers in Ethiopia. Four of them participated in the Estonian Foreign Ministry’s program “Puuetega naiste toimetuleku parandamine läbi tööhõive võimaluste” which in translation is aid for promoting employment amongst disabled women in purpose to promote general wellbeing
There was no significant positive changes to notice in the streets of Sodo before 2017. The most joyful one was that the children from the streets and the sewer ditches were gone. There were freshly painted “zebras” on the roads accompanied
The volunteers of year 2015/2016 Activities of NGO Damota in Ethiopia during the 2015/2016 academic year. The developmental cooperation project “Voluntary work in Soddo Ethiopia to alleviate developmental and humanitarian problems and raising awareness in Estonia about Ethiopan developmental problems”
Two years of drought – famine In Estonia we live in the anticipation of summer or spring. We know that autumn is followed by winter and we are prepared to take it wih or without snow. Every way is good.
School year in Ethiopia Ethiopian economy is in growth, therefore there is a constant price rise. The costs to attend scool are also unfortunately rising every year. 2015/2016 costs are as follows. Tuition fee grade 1.-4. 75€ (170 birr) grade
As always in Africa there is a situation in every day that I cannot foresee even when I had tried my best. If a five hour trip from one city to another has been planned then it is always good
Orthodox music is for the background waking up every morning in Ethiopia. Though when the morning starts with silence it is certain that besides the absence of music the day also starts without electricity. With the loss of electricity the
In the beginning of January we arrived in Soddo once again to help out at the school with our knowledge. My and Maarja’s assignment was to hold the music lessons. There isn’t a respective lesson on the curriculum, but musical
It was the afternoon when we were walking to the market. It is clear from a distance by the selection of goods that the main exporter is China. Cheapest plastic shoes, kitchenware and second hand clothes are buried under a