Newsletter

Kari and Asle's Ethiopia Diary
Kari and Asle are very excited about being in Soddo now and are very thankful that so many are interested in following their work and daily experiences. As the electricity is not stable and they actually only have electricity a few days a week, Kari has decided that the best way to keep in touch is for her to write in the form of a travel journal. She will update the journal as often as possible but they will be short updates that we will post when we receive them from her.

We who are working with them on this project are truly excited and welcome any readers with questions or comments to go to the section Contact Us and you will see how to email us. Enjoy this fantastic trip we are starting on!

Filip, August 18th 2010

This week's update is from Filip, who recently visited with his parents in Ethiopia.

As most of you may know, I was originally planning on joining my sisters this past Christmas break on their trip down to Ethiopia but decided to push my trip back due to a certain big football game (whose resulting score I'd rather not talk about). As a result, I was able to save my trip for this summer. As you're probably expecting me to say, I had an awesome time!

I wanted to share with you all one of the biggest realizations I had during my trip. To some it may seem rather obvious and that I'm preaching to the choir. To the rest of us, however, I think our days are often too busy to give it any more thought than the little that is often sparked by the media.

What I'm getting at is the kind of help Ethiopia needs. Most times when we're shown pictures of Africa in advertisements, news, etc. we're given the idea that anything we can give helps, "just make sure to give". But from what I learned from own observations and long discussions with my dad, this is not necessarily the case. In fact, in certain areas, the idea of just giving freely has hurt more than helped.

Take for example some local kids my friend Graeme and I met playing Playstation 2 at the local "sports bar" in Soddo. We were only planning on checking the place out but ended up joining in fun and taking pictures with them. As we were heading out with the kids still crowding around us smiling, one of the kids turned to me, changed his expression to a frown and put his hand out to ask for money; basically a complete change in character. When I shook my head to indicate I didn't have any money on me, all his friends around started laughing and the kid gave in and smiled again... I guess for him it was worth a shot to get an extra five minutes on the Playstation (1 birr = 5 minutes of Playstation).

This kid was definitely worse off than I was and could have used some financial help. However, his situation wasn't a struggle for survival. He has grown up in a society where they are used to foreigners handing out money, and probably figures it's worth a try asking for some every time he meets one. I know this is a very specific example, but sadly this child's mentality is one that many Ethiopians share and depend on.

All this is not to say that we shouldn't be helping, but it's to emphasize that we need to be cautious to just giving blindly. There is a greater need to make sure we're trying to help with long-term needs of the country, for example building an economy by educating, industrializing, providing jobs, etc.

Now, I didn't travel across all of Africa or even all of Ethiopia, and I know that the type of help needed in different areas around Africa vary extremely. My point, however, is to not only give, but to research and give. We need to ask ourselves questions, like in Ethiopia's case, how does free food help the local butcher, farmer, mill workers, or even the local markets? Does it provide more than just a temporary fix that may actually hurt in the long run? Let's research and give for results.

Filip

Other pictures from my trip:

My crazy travel companions Graeme and Deborah

Long layover in London on our way to Ethiopia allowed for a little sightseeing

Lunch break with spectators on our way to Arba Minch

Kids waving as we drove by

Ethiopian Wildlife

Asle, August 30th 2010 Soddo

Tuesday almost two weeks ago at seven o'clock in the morning our night guard came knocking on our door. "It's here," he said. I knew exactly what he was talking about but was in the middle of my morning coffee, so I hurried up to the hospital with my coffee mug in hand.

Our agent in Addis Ababa had called me the night before to tell me that he had successfully navigated our new anesthesia machines through Ethiopian customs. He informed us that they had been loaded on a truck (these trucks you can see all over Ethiopia and are called "al Qaida" because they kill so many on the roads) and should be in Soddo by the next morning. As I came up to the hospital I saw the truck with the new machines parked right outside of the Out Patient Clinic. A team of helpers was already busy unloading. It was a misty and cold morning but that couldn't put a damper on the joy I felt.

Half a year had passed since our generous donors in Norway (who still prefer to be anonymous) had promised us the money to purchase the new anesthesia equipment. Deciding on the right equipment took some time. We ended up ordering machines from a British company called Diamedica, who it has been a delight working with. The Glostavent machines they produce are specifically developed for our kind of environment; they are simple, robust and almost "self sustainable". Now that all the workstations have brand new monitors to look after vital signs of patients during their sleep, pretty much all the work the anesthesia staff needs to do is provide the anesthesia gas. These screens have perhaps been the greatest improvement of all the equipment. It is a great relief to be able to take care of a sick patient with monitors that are actually functioning, especially small kids.

So the last week has been one big celebration as we have unpacked the seven machines one by one and started using them. Two of the machines will be used in the ICU for critical care. All the staff is happy and proud. Friday lunch called for festivities. Soft drinks were served to all the staff in the OR and ICU with chocolate all the way from Addis Ababa for desert.

From all of us, THANK YOU to our generous friends in Norway!

Asle.

The new anesthesia machines arrive in Soddo early one morning

Unloading the new anesthesia machines from the truck

The first test run of the new anesthesia machines - with the old machine as a backup in the background!

The first test went well, and a critically ill patient benefits from the new machine

After the new machines were installed, it's time to celebrate!

... and more celebration!

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Kari, September 4, 2010 Addis Abeba

Hello again! It feels like a long time since I last wrote. I have been in Addis Abeba for the past 3 weeks attending language classes. Happily I can say it has been great.


The "fidels" that we are supposed to learn

About a year ago I attended a one week course at the same language school and at that time I was very frustrated. How in the world was I going to learn this language which is amongst the three most difficult in the world??? But this time is different. I really feel I am starting to get just a little bit of understanding of the language. How the sentences are structured and built for example and not just memorizing grammar. We sat and listened to and recorded the teacher for two weeks and developed our vocabulary picking up new words and phrases. After the class we go home to listen to the recordings. We have homework for our classes practicing phrases and after two weeks we start to use the language. It really is fantastic.


We are only 4 students and amongst them is an American couple by the name of Alison and Mark. He is an OB/GYN doctor and they will be our closest neighbors after Christmas. That is right; we will be living wall to wall with them in Soddo. There is also one more American girl in the class and her name is Elisabeth. She married an Ethiopian 2 months ago and she and her husband have an orphanage here in Addis. You can see us all in the above picture. Our teacher is Hanna and does just a wonderful job.


Tea break in the courtyard og the language school

I have also become an experienced driver here in Addis. You just must be aggressive here or you will never get anywhere. The toughest driver is the one that does best. In the roundabouts that are built for two lanes of cars, quickly fill with five cars! And at red-lights, if there are no cars, well you just do not stop and this is frightening but if there is no light at an intersection... well, you just drive straight in with cars coming at you from at least 8 different directions and.... hope for the best. Incredible!

Today the 19 year old who is here for a year with the NLM (Norwegian Lutheran Mission) got her driver's license. Guess who was asked to accompany her on her first drive here in Addis?....yes, no other but me. It became a nightmare for her. She panicked when the cars started honking at her from all directions. She was exhausted after 15 minutes, stopped the car, asked if I had my license with me and would I please take over. Luckily I did, but no way around it, she has to get behind the wheel again soon and try, try again. After all; practice makes perfect.


The weather can also be very challenging. One day when I was driving home from the language school, the rain came down in buckets. The roads became rivers and small cars in parking lots filled with water. I tried to take some pictures but it was impossible to capture the true chaos on camera.

Another new experience/challenge this week was when we decide we would take a minibus/taxi. We wanted to take it to school one day and knew that we had to transfer on the way. But how to find the correct taxi in the total chaos (must use that word again) of taxis. A boy hanging out of a bus window called out and pointed in the direction to where we should go. Our language skills are not that advanced yet but we managed to use our senses and instincts and found a taxi by forcing our way through the hordes of people and believe it or not, decided we want to do this again and more often.


The minibus/taxi with the shouting boy hanging out the window


Inside the minibus


We sat all the way in the back


In a few weeks I will be writing again about life in Addis. New experiences are constantly presenting themselves. I am becoming more independent as I cannot expect Asle to take care of everything for me. He will be writing the next update. So until next time I remain always happy to share my experiences and thoughts with all of you, my friends of the Soddo Project.

Kari

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