Generosity

When I go on outreach to the different villages we work in I am reminded of how rough the toughrain is  here.  I am just blown away when I think about people  the fact that often times patients are carried here on handmade stretchers by anywhere from 40-75 community members.  I think I have mentioned this before, but when someone is really sick and can't walk, they are carried here overland-- in many cases taking up to several hours to a day-- by friends and family as there are no cars or busses and ambulances are unheard of.  Yesterday on the way to the village of Goize we came to walk with a women and her son.  We all began chatting and it turned out she was also going to Goize to visit with her mother.  I asked how far it was from her own village to Goize and she replied three hours. Yup, this woman and her ten year old son were walking six hours in one day just to see her mom for the afternoon.  Can you imagine?  If we had to walk hours up and down mountain sides, would families still exist in America?  Our family times holiday meals around when parking on Lake Shore Drive opens up...walking three hours each way--- I have a feeling there would be a few empty chairs at Thanksgiving if this was the case back home.  Obviously, its a different world here and people's lives don't operate in the same way but it stops to make me think about how much more I can do to be a better sister, daughter, wife and friend. 

On the way we got to a super muddy area and as usual I lost my balance on a rock and my leg sunk deep into the mud.  There was a little stream up ahead where my co-worker Alias convinced me to take off my shoe and wash off my foot.  The woman were were walking with immediately jumped into the creek and began scrubbing my foot and cleaning my pants, shoe and sock.  Even her son helped out.  Now really, can you picture this happening back home?  People don't even stop to help when they see someone fumbling with a map, can you imagine cleaning a stranger's feet?  Also worth mentioning is that her son offered to carry my bag and when I said no he took the backpack filled with a cooler and immunizations from another staff member and carried it for at least two hours. 

Fast forward a few hours....we are in Goize and in the middle of doing vaccines when I notice a woman whose child looks really small.  Since I am not trained to give vaccines I use the time on outreach to check children for malnutrition.  This woman had three kids with her, ten months, two and six years-old and after looking a little closer it was apparent that both younger ones were severely malnourished.  The women herself wasn't in great shape either, she had one of the biggest tumors I've seen so far growing off her neck (possibly a goiter).  We convinced her to come back with us to the health center where we have a malnutrition program and could treat her kids.  While I won't go into it now, hers were just two of the MANY children I saw with severe malnutrition in Goize, something pretty alarming to me.  Honestly, we could have brought back eight more families if we had the room in the car. (You might be asking yourself how I can tell if someone has malnutrition since I am not a doctor or nurse....luckily there is a very easy to use measurement strip for upper arm circumference that I have begun taking to all outreach sites.)

As we began the trek back to the car a random woman invited us all into her home for some coffee, which again made me stop and think.  Have I ever invited a complete stranger into my home?  Sure I am always happy to have friends and family over for shabbat dinner or to hang out, but a complete stranger off the street?....can't say I have.  As we continued  back people stopped to ask the mother why she was with us.  After she explained they were all tremendously concerned and threw their arms in the air to show their sympathy and giving words of encouragement.  At one point it began to rain and we ducked into a hut that is used for selling tela (a fomented barley drink).  Again, the women asked what was going on and immediately hugged the woman, grabbed their chest and poured her a big drink.  In a place where people have so little, giving things away for free can't be easy. You could just tell that these women so cared and felt for the mother, even though I don't know that they had ever met before.  As a co-worker explained to me a while back, people here really feel for one another......this was more then evident on this hot, rainy afternoon. 

As we continued with the walk the woman began to struggle with her two kids, one tied to her front and the other to her back.  My co-worker Sebsibe took matters into his own hands and carried the baby back himself.  Just to set the stage for you, this was no simple walk in the woods.   We were walking basically straight up and down a mountain in the middle of a hot and humid day after going all day without anything to eat and little to drink (the Ethiopians aren't big on drinking water unless it's with a meal).  We made it to the car and eventually back to Lalmba.  As I pulled up I mentioned to the guard that we had a patient in the back of the truck.  He followed me in and halped carry one of the kids to the clinic. 

I am not sure if these stories will do justice for what I experienced today or be able to convey how telling each instance was to me.  I feel like I have so much to learn from the people I meet here.  I hope that one day I can do for others what I have seen others do so selflessly.  I hope that I can feel for others the way people here do.  After thinking about this I realize just how much I have a lot to learn about life and generosity....and luckily for me I have a seemingly endless supply of teachers all around

PS- for those of you who are follow the weekly Torah portion you will share in my amazement at the similarities with my experiences on Friday and what you read this Shabbat about Avraham's generosity towards strangers......beshert, coincidence.....???

Over the past 24 hour I have experienced several moments of immense generosity, directed both at myself and to complete strangers.  In a place where people have so little I am always amazed at the things people do for each other. 

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Some of My Favorite Photos...So Far

Humble Pie

Not surprisingly, there have been many times that I have found myself feeling quite humbled here in Ethiopia.  Life is so different then back home, and in many instances these differences really make me stop and think.  Recently, this has happened several times and I thought I would share them here.  Two have to do with one of our RCAR (Reaching Children At Risk) students, Adnafu, and the other with a security guard, Demeke.

                                              (Adnafu is all the way to the left)

RCAR is a program that aims to help kids who come from very poor families be able to succeed in school….helping with school fees, food, extra tutoring, scholarships, etc.  It’s not a huge program (maybe 20 kids) as Lalmba is a pretty small NGO with an even smaller budget.  This has allowed me to get to know several of the students in my short time here. Adnafu is one of these kids, and I cannot say enough about what a great guy he is.  Adnafu is 18 years old and attends a technical school in Bonga for plumbing.  He has been at our health clinic working all summer with the maintenance guys, always willing to do whatever needs done, always happy with a big smile on his face, and always eager to learn.  He is usually the first person to say hello in the mornings, he is happy to help translate (his English is pretty good) for me and lend a hand whenever I need him. 

A few weeks ago Ethiopians celebrated the holiday of Meskel, commemorating the finding of Jesus' cross.  Everyone gathers wood and makes a huge bonfire at their church.  This is a really big deal here, up there with Easter and Christmas and everyone in town did something for it (we closed the clinic, which they don't even do for Christmas). Anyway, the following day at work I saw Adnafu and asked him how the holiday was and which church celebration he attended.  To my surprise he replied that he didn't go anywhere.  I thought that it was something that everyone did, so I asked why not.   I assumed that maybe he was sick or was visiting family perhaps in another town.  Nope, not even close.  Turns out, he had washed his clothes over the weekend and they hadn't dried yet.  He couldn't go because he didn't have anything to wear.  People here have very little, maybe two or three outfits makes up an entire wardrobe, so when people do laundry, it can easily be their entire wardrobe.  Several things struck me as I thought about what he had just said.  First, I felt bad that he missed such a fun and joyful celebration.  It's not like there is something big like that everyday here, so I am sure it was a real bummer for him.  Second, I realized just how much I take for granted all that I have-- esp. clothes wise.  As Daniel, or anyone else that has seen how large my dirty laundry pile can get, knows-- I have a ton of clothes.  So much so in fact, that even here I have more clothes then I know what to do with and haven't even unpacked all of them yet.

When I think about "not having anything to wear" in my life it generally means that I want a new dress for a wedding or new pair of jeans to go out with....not that I don't literally have anything to wear, but that I want something new to wear.  I can only imagine what Adnafu or anyone else I know here would think if they saw my closet back home.  I'm not saying that I am planning on throwing away all my possessions or trying to guilt you into only having two outfits.,--but it does make you think....

Today I was given the task of driving to Bonga to do errands.  We had to drop off blood to get CD4 counts on a few HIV patients, buy a new faucet for the kitchen sink, go to the bank......etc. As Andrew, the Project Director, went through the list he mentioned that I would be taking Adnafu as well. School started this week and he is moving there for the year (even though Bonga is 45 minutes away in a car, its a very far distance to commute each day).  I went to his house to pick him up and load up all his stuff.  Needless to say, it wasn't much.  One big plastic bag, a small backpack, an old tape player and a basket to keep bread in (at least that’s what I think its for).  We drove I asked how he was feeling about going back to Bonga.  We had spoken previously about how he prefers Chiri as Bonga is a big city and all his friends are here. This time there was a difference in his outlook as he replied, "Oh yes, very excited!"  When I asked him what caused the change of heart and he explained, "I am very excited to start learning again and be in school."  People here take education very seriously, and Adnafu is no exception.  For him, going to school is a really big deal and not something taken for granted or just expected. When we made it to Bonga we found the place he would be living, a small room probably no bigger then eight feet by ten feet with nothing but a bed on the floor.  We unpacked his stuff and it was time to say goodbye.  I honestly felt like a mother dropping off her child at college for the first time and almost cried.  The other staff member I was with just shook his hand and was ready to be off on begin our morning's errands.  I gave him a hug and reminded him to study a lot (which I am sure he will do way more of then I ever did), not to drink beer (not that he would have the money to do that even if he wanted to) and to take care of himself (which I am sure he will do as he is one of the most capable kids I know). 

Two thoughts are running through my head at this point. One is about just how different my college drop off to his.  LIke most of my peers, I can remember getting new sheets (only t-shirt sheets would due for me) at Bed Bath & Beyond and stocking up everything from school supplies to the essential shower caddy at Target.  My dad flew out with me and made sure I was all set-up and prepared for this new sage in life.  He bought me a brand new bike, we ate at nice restaurants, and made sure I had all my books ready for the first day of class.  In all fairness, this isn't Adnafu's first year--- yet I can't imagine it was much different, and for sure it was no where close to what I experienced going away to school. Second, I was really taken aback by how earnest and excited he was to begin learning again.  Going away to school isn't about frat parties, drinking or football games. Nope, not even close...for Adnafu it is all about making a better life for himself. When U of M begins each year all of Ann Arbor has to brace itself for the loud, annoying and entitled kids to take over, blackberries and their parent's credit card in tow.  Yes, living across the street from two fraternities does make me a little biased....but yet again the differences are striking. 

(Demeke with his new notebooks for school)

My last humbling moment of the day happened when I returned to Chiri.  When you take out a car you have to wait to be let in by the security guard.  Today it was Demike.  As always I asked how he was doing, how was his family.  He is also a super nice man (There actually isn't anyone on staff that I have found to be anything less then warm, welcoming and nice) who constantly practices his English with me and reminds me a bit of my own Dad-- mostly because he also has 5 daughters and one son.  I remember once a few weeks back he looked really pensive.  When asked what was wrong he replied that he "had a lot to think about."  I didn't press any further but a few days later we were back talking and he explained that he had to figure out what to do about sending a daughter to school in Bonga.  Like others here, continuing after high school is very expensive unless you qualify for a government scholarship. He explained that it would cost him a lot of money for housing, books, food and tuition.  You could tell that this was really hard for him and that he wanted more then anything to be able to afford to do it.  Okay, fast forward to today.....after our usual greetings he told me that he had been to school this morning. Now Demike must be in his fifties and I couldn't imagine what type of school he was talking about.  He explained that today was his first day and that he had worked out his schedule so that he can go in the mornings and work in the afternoons at the clinic.  He was very excited and had a huge smile on his face as he told me how important learning is.  When I went back to the office I mentioned this to Andrew who explained that Demeke was going back to school to finish tenth grade.  They don't have GED programs here, so Demeke was in a regular high school with kids more then half his age.  Andrew continued to tell me that this was actually pretty common and another one of the security staff members had finished high school just last year too.  There have been others who went back to school and were then able to move up in the organization which was likely Demeke's thinking.  I sat at my desk and thought about this for a while.  How incredible it was to me that this grown man was going back to school, sitting in classes with teenagers, all before heading to work for the day.  I am sure that the culture here is much different from home, making this not so out of the norm, but still.  I took going to college, and even graduate school for that matter, for granted.  I wasn't doing it to better my life or to in the hopes that I would be able to give a better life to my kids, it was just something assumed I would do.  Sure I enjoyed classes and the work, but did I give it my all?  Did I appreciate each professor and every assignment given to me the way Demeke probably would...no way.  Would I have done it if it meant working full time and sticking out from the other students? I hate to admit it, but probably not.  I only wish I had the drive and motivation that Demeke has, and I hope that in the future when I am taking all the experiences and opportunities I have in my own life for granted that I remember Demeke and Adnafu.

  

A Good Day

After several posts highlighting the difficulties of life I thought it would be nice to write about today...nothing less then an amazing day here in Ethiopia.  I am finally coming out of my homesick rut and feeling in the grove of things, both at work and in life in general.  Today I had the opportunity to attend one of the women's groups meeting in the village of Sheda.  Four of our outreach sites were selected last year to be part of a new project for the public health department.  Each choose two male and two female community representatives to be trained as health leaders. These leaders come together once a month to learn about a topic (TB, sanitation, women's health, malnutrition, etc.) and then run a separate meeting in their hometown for the men and women about that topic.

            When I looked at my planner this morning I was pleasantly surprised to see that today was Sheda's female meeting.  I got permission to bring Sebsibie, the clinic translator, with me (the one real bummer about being here is having to use a translator if I really want to know what's going on) and at 11:30am we were off to Sheda. After a great drive-- no stalling, no muddy roads, interesting conversation about life both here and at home with Sebsibie--we arrived in Sheda.  We walked to the health post and there waiting were about 60 women and my field counterpart, Andarge.  Taking up almost every inch of wall sat women of all ages and their children

After the teaching concluded I was asked to introduce myself to the group.  I did so, mostly explaining how excited I was to be there and working with them, esp. as I know that women like them are the key to creating change in any community.  I was able to ask them a few questions I had been wondering about; are the meetings helpful?  What are the biggest health problems in their community? What more can we do to serve them? What ways can we work to combat malnutrition? I also had the chance to talk with them about two ideas I had been playing around with.  One, to come to their village once a month (currently its on a random rotation) on the same day to do both vaccination and to begin growth monitoring for babies up to two years old. Second, to provide training on permaculture techniques (Andarge had recently been trained and I hope to do so in December) so that they can grow and eat a more diverse diet in order to avoid malnutrition. 

            The women were all very excited about both ideas and seemed to appreciate my being there with them.  Afterwards, we meet quickly with the village chairman who was equally as happy with the meeting and in full support of these two ideas.  Leaving Sheda we brought back two patients who needed to come to the health center....something that always makes me happy (that must sound odd).  Sheda is probably at least a three-hour, mountainous walk from Chiri...so helping someone avoid this always makes me feel good.

            By the time we got back the work day was almost over.  I had just enough time to get all the papers in order for the upcoming drama I am doing with the kids from the orphanage/kid's home.  When the community leaders come for their next training the kids will perform a little skit about a sick child as an example to the different ways to be creative in teaching  about health.  The children from the kid's home are all amazing and I love being able to spend time with them, making this project very appealing to me.  I gave the scripts to one of the kids who will be my "assistant" and ended the workday feeling great. 

             It was sunny and beautiful out so I went straight to the hammock to read. Naomi sent me a terrific package last week with a book that I can't put down....I was in heaven.  After an hour or so I went on a run with Faith, one of the ex-pats.  It was just perfect outside and we had a nice time talking about everything from life here to food, exercise and even farmer's markets.  We got back to find out that one of our guards who has been sick had returned from the hospital in Bonga.  We went to say hello and see how he was doing.  The hospital had a few patients and several visitors (its all one room), and I ended up spending a while in there chatting with the nurses, patients and families.  As mentioned in an earlier post, I love being able to make patients laugh and smile a bit my being silly.  This was a great group...they especially loved when I picked up a two year-old and flipped him upside down.  

            After that I returned to find a delish meal had been prepared by Andrew, couscous and veggies in a peanut sauce-- yum!  I was able to get online in one try and cha for a while with Naomi and my mom on skype, which is always a bonus.  I took a super hot shower and now am in bed, listening to the crickets and bugs make all sorts of noise....I mean really, what more could you want??