In order to finish the procurement manual, I needed to make one last trip to the MVP Cluster office to meet with Aklile, the Administration and Operations Manager, to clarify some procurement processes that occur at the Cluster level of the organization.
I spent two days working with Aklile, and thank goodness for that. That time was very invaluable and helped me to define processes and standardize them even further for the organization moving forward.
While I was there, Dr. Aregawi, the Cluster Team Leader, and Alem, the MDE Director who is usually stationed in Addis, were giving training to some 30 health extension workers one day on a program that teaches women in the villages how to increase nutritional value to the foods that they feed kids between the ages of 6 and 24 months of age. Alem explained to me that they are focusing on the kids of this age because this is the time where they eat porridge, but it does not contain enough essential nutrients for many kids to survive or to develop normally. Child mortality and developmental retardation roots itself in these ages due to such poor nutrition. MVP is trying to prevent death and developmental difficulties that may be caused by such lack of nourishment by educating mothers on how to maintain more nutrients in the foods that they are already feeding these kids. Very cool.
I did not stay at the Gheralta Lodge this time out. Instead, I found accommodations elsewhere in town at the Adulis Hotel. It was much cheaper than the Lodge and is situated in town, which means that it's much closer to the office. The single and double rooms are brand new, so they're very clean. This hotel is anything but luxurious, but I actually enjoyed staying there more so than at the Lodge. The rooms there are very basic, but the water is hot and has pressure, and the service is really good. Alem, the manager, is really great. He is very pleasant and helpful.
Since the Adulis does not have a restaurant, I ate meals at the Lalibela Hotel, which is just around the corner from where I stayed. I loved the ladies who worked there. I don't speak Tigrigna, so the fact that the manager spoke Amharic helped a lot since English wasn't really an option either. I can manage in Amharic but am hopeless in Trigigna.
I met a number of really sweet kids who lived in Hawzien along my walks to and from the hotel. I had a conversation with one kid who is 15 and had to stop going to school after his mother died in order to work and support his family. Meeting these people and hearing their stories really brings me to the reality that is inescapable here and that most people in the west never even fathom as real. He never begged but simply wanted to talk to me and ask me about my life. What is your name? Where are you from? How old are you? These are the typical questions I hear, and these are the conversations that connect me with these people even if it's only for a brief moment.
Connecting to the people who live these lives that seem so surreal to me is what makes this experience personal. I've come here to try to make a difference for people who may have no hope without the work that this organization does. Seeing and relating to them gives me a personal tie to a country and a people who may otherwise just be another place with some other poor people.
I didn't actually travel to any of the Millennium Villages this time, but feel equally as satisfied with my visit. I love to see what MVP is doing for the people of Ethiopia and can only hope that my work with them will somehow allow them to do even more for those who may depend upon the organization.
A few pictures that I captured while en route to and in Hawzien are below. Enjoy!
I spent two days working with Aklile, and thank goodness for that. That time was very invaluable and helped me to define processes and standardize them even further for the organization moving forward.
While I was there, Dr. Aregawi, the Cluster Team Leader, and Alem, the MDE Director who is usually stationed in Addis, were giving training to some 30 health extension workers one day on a program that teaches women in the villages how to increase nutritional value to the foods that they feed kids between the ages of 6 and 24 months of age. Alem explained to me that they are focusing on the kids of this age because this is the time where they eat porridge, but it does not contain enough essential nutrients for many kids to survive or to develop normally. Child mortality and developmental retardation roots itself in these ages due to such poor nutrition. MVP is trying to prevent death and developmental difficulties that may be caused by such lack of nourishment by educating mothers on how to maintain more nutrients in the foods that they are already feeding these kids. Very cool.
I did not stay at the Gheralta Lodge this time out. Instead, I found accommodations elsewhere in town at the Adulis Hotel. It was much cheaper than the Lodge and is situated in town, which means that it's much closer to the office. The single and double rooms are brand new, so they're very clean. This hotel is anything but luxurious, but I actually enjoyed staying there more so than at the Lodge. The rooms there are very basic, but the water is hot and has pressure, and the service is really good. Alem, the manager, is really great. He is very pleasant and helpful.
Since the Adulis does not have a restaurant, I ate meals at the Lalibela Hotel, which is just around the corner from where I stayed. I loved the ladies who worked there. I don't speak Tigrigna, so the fact that the manager spoke Amharic helped a lot since English wasn't really an option either. I can manage in Amharic but am hopeless in Trigigna.
I met a number of really sweet kids who lived in Hawzien along my walks to and from the hotel. I had a conversation with one kid who is 15 and had to stop going to school after his mother died in order to work and support his family. Meeting these people and hearing their stories really brings me to the reality that is inescapable here and that most people in the west never even fathom as real. He never begged but simply wanted to talk to me and ask me about my life. What is your name? Where are you from? How old are you? These are the typical questions I hear, and these are the conversations that connect me with these people even if it's only for a brief moment.
Connecting to the people who live these lives that seem so surreal to me is what makes this experience personal. I've come here to try to make a difference for people who may have no hope without the work that this organization does. Seeing and relating to them gives me a personal tie to a country and a people who may otherwise just be another place with some other poor people.
I didn't actually travel to any of the Millennium Villages this time, but feel equally as satisfied with my visit. I love to see what MVP is doing for the people of Ethiopia and can only hope that my work with them will somehow allow them to do even more for those who may depend upon the organization.
A few pictures that I captured while en route to and in Hawzien are below. Enjoy!
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