As I had anticipated in the first week’s blog, I’ve received my first assignment here at MVP after a briefing from Alem, the Director of MDE. The assignment is this: compile an extensive and detailed manual for procurement and supply chain management at MVP Ethiopia at both the Addis Ababa and Cluster levels. Okay…? So, what does that entail? It entails everything. There has never been a manual written for the procurement process, so, needless to say, there are a few gaps that need to be filled and some details that need to be regimented. This is how it went last week.
On Monday Birkti returned. I met with her in the morning, when she gave me a new manual issued by Millennium Promise, the overarching organization that will now be headquartered at Columbia University in New York. She also gave me an electronic version of the Ethiopian government Proclamation on Procurement processes to be carried out by businesses. Then in the afternoon (at about 5:30), Alem called me to his office to plot out the current process from Cluster level, or the village level, ordering then through procurement in Addis and then back to supply delivery and processing back in the village. He then informed me that he hoped for a draft in two weeks.
Oh okay. ‘Nova Flashback! I now felt as though I was back in graduate school cramming three 25-page papers into the final two weeks of the semester. I began scrambling to read and gather as much information as possible while also tapping Birkti here and there for clarification on what exactly happens at each one of these steps. She was ultra helpful. Every time I saw her, she gave me a new bit of paper describing the process. This was good, but it just kept adding to my materials to compile. Great. This will certainly allow me to create as extensive manual as possible, which is exactly what I intend on producing. It will be a challenge, but I am definitely up to it.
I asked Elisabeth - Elsa or Elsie for short - the Executive Secretary at MVP, if it were at all possible to meet with Dr. Awash, National Director of MVP Ethiopia. She is so awesome. Dr. Awash met with Birkti and I on Wednesday morning to inform me exactly what was expected of me in terms of this manual – troubleshoot the problems, identify and fill the gaps. That wasn’t the end of my meetings with Dr. Awash, however. On Thursday morning he called for me again to talk about hierarchy and role specifications a bit since my next project following the procurement manual will be the HR manual.
Just a bit about Dr. Awash Teklehaimanot. I’ve never met this guy before, but he is absolutely amazing. A quick glance at his resume shows that he is a current Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia while serving as National Director for MVP Ethiopia. He has worked with the CDC and the World Health Organization on malaria projects. Holy cow. Sitting across the desk from him was rather humbling to say the least. And yet he still expressed his confidence that I would do well with these projects that have been bestowed upon me and that I would be a huge help to MVP Ethiopia both now and for the future of the organization. That was simply staggering. I think that he may have more faith in me than I have in myself.
All of this has caused me to revisit my whole presence on this assignment. The PULSE folks from GSK and from the Earth Institute have found me to be a fit for this project. They have brought me here to do a bit for this country that I would have never imagined for myself. But, our lives are more than whom or what we are. There are forces at work that cannot be fathomed, and for that uncertainty I will always be thankful. It is because of those forces that I am present here, surrounded by the people both in Addis and at home who have given me this opportunity and have supported me through all of it. I will never be able to thank them enough.
After making as much progress as possible on the manual for the week, I joined Yihenew and his girlfriend, Rosa, for some relaxing on Friday night at the Jupiter Hotel. Of all events to be taking place, it was Open Mic Night. Open Mic Night!? In Ethiopia!? I couldn’t imagine how this was going to turn out, but I was super impressed. Most of the songs were American songs, which included songs by Colby Caillat, Guns ‘n Roses, and Rihanna amongst others. These people can sing! Maybe record companies should recruit from the Addis Ababa Jupiter Hotel lounge on Friday evenings. I’ve placed a very dark picture of one of the performers at the event along with a picture of Yihenew and Rosa below.
We went out to also celebrate Yihenew passing his driving test. In the U.S., it’s a big deal for 16-year olds because they’ve passed the normal right-of-passage into semi-adulthood by being able to drive around and wreak havoc in the streets of their choosing with their kindred teenagers. But, in Ethiopia, it is kind of rare to have a driver’s license since the public transportation system here works well for the cities and the villages typically utilize non-automotive means of transport. So licenses are usually acquired later than the teenage years, and it’s an exciting feat to become a legal driver. Congratulations, Yihenew!
Saturday, Laura finally arrived. She was the last volunteer to join us here in Addis in this round of PULSE volunteers. Richard and Delphine will be joining us in Ethiopia in a couple months, but will be stationed mainly in the village cluster. We are all awaiting their arrivals, too! I was really happy to finally meet her after some Skyping and teleconferences with her and Sarah while we were still back in the States. There was even more joy in her arrival since I was alone in the house since Sarah had gone to the village cluster on Wednesday. Company is nice in a city that’s still a bit foreign to me.
She had to hit the ground running on Saturday. I retrieved her at about 9:30-10AM at the airport and took her straight to the Ethiopian Telecommunications office to have her set up for phone and internet services before they closed at noon. What a rush! And, of course, it didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped. Laura showed up with everything that she could possibly need to receive these services, but there was some kind of mix-up with the TC people that prolonged the process. But, in the end, she received all of her services and currently has internet and cell phone service … when they’re available. Afterward, she did some time zone adjusting by sleeping a bit here and there. She’s been doing great with the changes so far, so hopefully she’ll continue to adapt to Addis Ababa this well throughout her entire time here.
I've also attached a picture of "The Big Church" that is about two blocks from our house. The proper name of it is Holy Savior Orthodox Church. It is the biggest church in Ethiopia. After that is a photo of a donkey who found his oasis on the median of one of the busiest roads in Addis Ababa. Whereever there is grass, there will be animals. Cheers!
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