Return from Ethiopia...

It's hard to believe that this time last week I was still in Ethiopia, and that the two weeks have come and gone. For the first time, we got to see the project in real life, up to now we have been envisioning what it would look like, making changes, meeting with the necessary people to make sure it was going to happen.

Some of the community members and children at the celebration day

To be able to meet the community and see that they are so involved in the project is much more than we could have asked for. Not only are there 15 local staff working in the community, but there are also local volunteers, part time teachers and even a parents committee! On paper there are 200 direct beneficiaries this means that 200 children get educational support (schools supplies) psycho social support(counseling services) and tutorial classes, but after spending two weeks at the center every day, it is clear that there over 200 children using the youth center. This is what we always wanted, a youth center where children can come and play, use the library, join the clubs, no matter what their back ground is and the youth center is just that. Along with the 200 direct beneficiaries, we have 17 young adults on the vocational training program. Eight young women have already graduated, and nine boys will graduate in the coming months. As they graduate more adolescents will be added to the program. We will be bringing you some stories about these young adults soon and also stories about their employers.

One of the adolescents on the vocational training program

We hope through the blogs you got to understand a little bit more about the project and what we are doing! Thank you so much again for all your support and encouragement! If you are interested in supporting Together in Hope's project in Ethiopia you can make a donation online www.togetherinhope.org or send a check to 

 

Together in Hope

1250 Wood Branch Park Drive, Suite 625

Houston, Texas,

77079

memo:Ethiopia

If you would like to contact us please send an email to laurapower@togetherinhope.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible.Thank you so much and thank you to our wonderful team on the ground! You guys are AWESOME! 

 

 Laura with the Youth Release team from Ireland and some of the children from the culture club at the center

Painting the youth center

Painting the youth center

18th-19th January

So after a five day debate of ; what color would we paint the youth center? What should we paint on it? Does purple go with blue? Decisions, decisions. Eventually we decided on yellow, purple and blue.

The youth center before

Some of our local friends came along to help us as we thought it would just be us and them, to our surprise half the community showed up to paint the youth center. Every one grabbed a paint brush and got to work. First people were painting the wrong wall the wrong colour, so there was a little bit of direction needed but all in all it went great. 

By lunch time we had 3 of the four sides done, and the staff even decided to paint the trees purple. After that, every thing in sight was painted the gate, the trees, the side wall, the windows every one just went for it to get the job done! Every body got a chance to paint from some of the children to the elderly women, they were the ones taking the paint brushes from us!! It was incredible to see the community take ownership and how proud they were to be the ones painting it. The first day we had the first coat done on the four sides of the youth center,  and half of each and every tree was painted purple.

We arrived at  the youth center at 10am on Saturday morning to continue painting. When we arrived the we found the community had been there for a couple of hours painting without us. It was fantastic to see such a great group effort and that everyone played a part. We painted the windows blue and drew some games for the kids to play with.

After a couple of hours and a lot of hard work, the youth center was finally finished! 

The new and improved youth center :)

Meeting the community

Meeting the community

17th January

The last couple of days have flown by, we started with interviewing the staff on Thursday. We interviewed four members of the staff discussing their backgrounds, their roles and how they see the youth center and its benefits for the children and the community. We were delighted to hear that the community is very involved in all activities and they are very happy to see some thing for the children in the community. They told us a little bit of the history and culture of Gende Tesfa (the area where we are working). 

As you already know we took over an old leprosy clinic, what you might not know (because I didn't) is that there is still a large number of people living in the community who are living with leprosy. Although it is a curable illness, there is still a huge stigma attached to those who have it. We also learnt that Gende Tesfa is one of the poorest and largest communities in Dire Dawa, most of the families live on less than €20 a month to provide for a family of up to 5. It is very hard for them to get work especially those who have leprosy.The staff invited us to visit the homes of some of the children who are benefiting from the youth center.  When you drive into Gende Tesfa, there are a lot of bigger than average houses, but once you go behind these and see the reality of how people live, it is a whole other story. Many of the families live in dire poverty in small houses with one room for a large family, others live in squalor.

We met the children's parents or in many cases their guardians as they are orphans and are living with other family members. Each family welcomed us into their home with open arms and all asked us to take photos as they do not have any pictures of their children. For most of the children it was the first time they saw pictures of themselves, and most giggled and laughed and asked for more photos. The children were excited to have a ferenje in their home and called all their friends to see...as always there was great excitement. For us it was great to get out into the community and meet the parents. It is one thing to hear they are happy with the project from the staff but to sit and talk to them and hear their enthusiasm was something else....

The rest of the day was spent buying paint for the youth center (the hardest decision ever made) and playing with the children at the youth center. All in all it was a fantastic day, to get out into the community and meet them was fantastic. Once again I am overwhelmed by the people in Ethiopia, their kindness, their hearts and their resilience. Today just proved it once again, the Ethiopian people are some of the most amazing people you will ever meet! 

Vocational Training

Vocational Training

16^TH January 2013

For many months you've heard about our vocational training sponsorship program, you've listened to our pleas for support and I’m pretty sure you've read it in every news letter; today we went to see some of the adolescents at work. In the morning we visited 9 boys, each boy is aged between 14 and 18 and they are all training to become carpenters.  Not only are these boys working long hours at the carpentry shop but almost all of them are also attending night school so that they can finish grade 12.

The adolescents must meet a certain criteria to be accepted onto the vocational training program. Many have lived on the street, or are living in dire poverty.  Once they are accepted onto the program they begin their training. The youth center is connected with a number of different businesses in Dire Dawa and the owners have agreed to train the boys and girls in a particular skill. Lucky for us we got to meet most of the owners where the boys are training and they were very proud to show us the work that the boys have done.  We met Sammy; he is the first business man to take on any trainees. At the moment he has 5 boys training at his shop, he also provides them with accommodation and a small salary. He said he is honoured to be part of the program and is hoping to help many more boys get their training. (Watch this space for a blog all about Sammy and the boys)

In the afternoon, we met some of the girls who have finished their hair dressing training. They told us about their training and how it has made a difference in their lives. Most of the girls finished school at grade 10 (the final grade is 12) so they were unable to attend college, or the official training.  Liyuwork was one if the first girls to graduate, she has a two year old son and is the only person in her family earning a salary. She has worked in a number of hair dressing salons doing Shuruba (braids), she could never afford to go to hair dressing school. Through the program, she has received her training and has a good job and is now able to provide for her son and her family.

Today, we got a great insight into how the vocational training program works. It was amazing to meet the adolescents that are on the program and also see where they work.  Our goal is to get all the children sponsored this year, for more information http://togetherinhope.org/get-involved/sponsor-a-child

Tomorrow we are going out into the Gende Tesfa community and visiting the homes of many of the children, then the biggest decision of the week needs to be made...what colour will we paint the youth center..Suggestions welcome J

Volunteering at the youth center

January 15^th 2013

Today the unbelievable happened; we finally got to volunteer at the Youth Release youth centre. We arrived and again most of the children (we didn’t meet them all yesterday) stood in shock wondering what to do. There were about 100- 150 children playing when we got there. We introduced ourselves and let them come to us, the boys were an instant hit with around 20 children trying to talk to them.  We have learned over the years that the best way to break any barriers is PHOTOS. The majority of the children have never seen a picture of themselves. After that we were all best friends...

We brought a few games and supplies to the youth center for the staff and children to have. There was Darts, Twister, Bowls, and a few more. Trying to teach 100 children how to play these games is no easy task but eventually (after making up many of their own rules) they got it!

After a lot of excitement, and a few fights over how to play and who won what, Niamh and Laura taught an English class. We had asked the project coordinator Abdi if we could assist the teachers with a class to see how it works, and to get to know the teach but somewhere along the way, we had a  mis communication of language. We had to teach 50 something children on our own with nothing prepared (while the boys got the easy task of playing football I might add). Trying to teach 50 something children in sweltering heat who don't really understand you is not an easy task, especially when you forget the words of easy songs like Old McDonald had a farm :) They did love the eieio part and the animal noises so at least they learnt something.

The children had a great command of the English language, they knew the basic greetings, the numbers up to 100 and the name of all the furniture in the class. It was incredible! After the class we played some more games and taught them the rules, I think after today they have finally warmed to us and are no longer afraid of the ferenje...now to meetings to see what needs to be done to make Youth Release bigger and better and see what our future plans are. For now I think we are all happy to just see the youth center up and running, but who knows what the future holds :)

We arrived Safe and Sound

Ethiopia... January 14^th 2013

Well we finally arrived; I think we all thought we would never get here.  We arrived in Addis Ababa to find that the main road had been dug up..Ethiopian style! This means you can’t drive on it and if you try your car might topple over...oh the joys of being back.  Eventually after the taxi broke down twice, and going around in circles for an hour trying to explain to the taxi driver where to go and avoiding our car turning over we eventually got to our bed for the night.

Arriving in Dire Dawa is always like coming home, Sunday was spent walking around seeing friends and showing the new volunteers around. None of us could wait until Monday when we would finally get to see the Youth Release youth centre. We didn’t know what to expect, would there be children there? Are the programs going as well as we think they are? Would we be disappointed? It is safe to say the youth centre exceeded all of our expectations, walking in and seeing the Youth Release sign on the door was the realisation that our dream of opening a youth centre had finally come true.

Meeting all the staff; the project coordinator, three social workers, a librarian, two guards and a cleaner, was amazing! All of them are from Ethiopia, and are fantastic at what they do. Hearing them talk about the youth centre and the children, it was surreal to think that this time a couple of years ago we wondered would it ever happen. It was one of the most surreal experiences...

Primary education is now free in Ethiopia so all of the children go to school. As there is such a demand for education the day is divided in two; one group goes to school in the morning and another in the afternoon. There are 200 children attending the programs at the youth center. Half of the children come in the morning at 8:30, they play for half an hour and then attend tutorial classes in the basic subjects; English  maths, Amharic (the local language), and geography. The staff brought us to see the classes, most of the children stared in shock as they had never seen a white person or ferenje (forigener in amharic) before. 

Most just laughed when we talked, especially with our broken Amharic, oh well at least it broke some barriers. After their class we played some games with them, and introduced ourselves, many of the children were still a bit nervous about approaching us so they stayed back but there’s always tomorrow....

Education for all

Yesterday I went to the local library and borrowed a new book 'The Dressmaker of Khair Khana' (great read btw) within four hours I had read the book from back to front. Since I was a little girl, my passion has been reading, as young as 2 years old I had books in my hand, and not much has changed 22 years later. Reading is my passion, my release and my heaven. Every time I travel my suitcase is full of books, not clothes, every birthday all I want is new books, and every year my own personal library gets bigger. I could never imagine my life without books, and the ability to read.I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, I've never known any different but for almost 1 billion people worldwide they cannot read or write. It's not that they are unable its that they have never had the opportunity.Almost 98% of people who cannot read or write live in the developing world,and women make up two thirds of that percentage. In the developing world the percentage of children who cannot red aged 6-11 is 45% (UNESCO 1998). In the communities where Together in Hope works, many of the adults cannot read or write, and many children only have a basic understanding, but there is Hope at the end of the tunnel...

Why am I telling you this? Well...today is International Literacy Day a day for “the ongoing commitment of the world community to boost and support literacy as a key to personal progress and to the socio-economic development of nations' The theme of this year’s celebration is “Literacy and Peace.” In the words of UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, “Education brings sustainability to all the development goals, and literacy is the foundation of all learning. It provides individuals with the skills to understand the world and shape it, to participate in democratic processes and have a voice, and also to strengthen their cultural identity.”

 

Together in Hope is working in the Philippines, El Salvador and Ethiopia to ensure that there is #educationforall. We have begun adult literacy classes in the Philippines, we have also established a literacy program for preschool aged children teaching them how to read and write. Through our Jessica's Table program over 500 children are getting lessons in reading and writing every Saturday morning! Many children are now teaching their younger siblings and even parents how to read.In El Salvador, Together in Hope is supporting the teachers at La Rosa Blanca School develop a better curriculum, and improve teaching practices to encourage children to read. Last month in Ethiopia, a new library opened at the youth center, children are attending every day and love reading the new books. We also have tutorial classes to assist children who need a little extra help. Through these programs, there are over 1000 children and adults who are learning to read and write. Parents are now  able to teach their children the basics of reading, and help them with their school homework. Children are able to escape in the world of reading and enjoy the simple joy of reading, something most of us take for granted.

 

Today is a day to encourage everyone to demand #educationforall, to ensure that the 1 billion people worldwide who are illiterate can read and write this time next year. When you snuggle up in bed with your book tonight, think that 1BILLION people worldwide cannot even read the first sentence. When you have a paper to write for college and have to read article after article until your head is spinning with all the information, think about how lucky you are, how lucky you are that you are able read those articles and how lucky you are that you can write that paper. Shouldn't everyone have the right to read their local newspaper, write a letter to a friend, read their children bed time stories? If you agree, spread the word about International Literacy Day, and support our campaign Education for all!

What makes a humanitarian?

Last Sunday was World Humanitarian Day; this day was created in memory of those who died at the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq on August 19, 2003, killing 22 people. All day Sunday, I read news articles, blogs and face book postings about aid workers and the important part they play. It got me thinking what classifies a humanitarian? Is it those who put their life on the line every day? Is it the people we see in the news working in war torn countries? Or is the person who volunteers at the local nursing home each week? What makes a humanitarian?

I have met numerous ‘humanitarians’, the people working for large NGOS in the field, I have met local staff working for a great cause, and I have brought numerous volunteers to work as humanitarians on the ground. What makes them different? Nothing...all these people have one thing in common; they all work for those in need.

Together in Hope has brought many volunteer groups to the Philippines and El Salvador, and through Youth Release to Ethiopia. Each of these volunteers has worked and lived in the local community, they have lived without proper sanitary conditions and they have put their health at risk, but none of this matters. When we work in the Philippines, El Salvador and Ethiopia, our problems do not exist, when you see the children’s smiling faces and the mother’s grateful smiles it all goes away, nothing else matters. 

Do humanitarians deserve an international day of recognition? Do they deserve to have the world stop and appreciate them for 24hours? Without a doubt, these are the people who go to the places you don’t want to, these are the people who do the things you don’t want to. Let’s stand up and give them our appreciation, because without them the world would be a very different place.

See what our volunteers have to say:

Volunteering and working in Ethiopia was an experience that will stay with me forever. During my time in Dire Dawa I was responsible for teaching the older group of children along with another volunteer. We spent each day teaching them elementary studies in English, Mathematics, Geography, and many other areas, followed by exciting activities such as sports and arts. Spending time within this community and working and living with the children is such a gratifying experience, and although it can be hard work sometimes, the response from the community and ability to witness the changes that are being made on a daily basis makes it very rewarding. The opportunities that are being provided by Youth Release to this community in Ethiopia continually increase the populations' ability to improve the world around them, and experience the possibility of a better life. 

Happy Birthday Youth Release

Happy 1st Birthday to our sister organization Youth Release, it is officially one year since the Youth Release youth center opened in Dire Dawa Ethiopia. Last year a small team from Together in Hope traveled to Ethiopia to meet with the local Ethiopian staff and meet the children that Youth Release works with. When we went to visit the youth center, it was an empty building with great potential, but no one could imagine how perfect it would be for this program. The youth center officially opened on August 1^st 2011. By the end of August, there were 250 children coming to the youth center to attend the various programs being offered. For many of these children, it was the first time they had a place to go where they could meet friends, play and just enjoy being children.One year on, and this number has risen to 275 children! Since August 2011, the youth center now has two classrooms, a small office, a play area for the children and this week the new library was opened. 

The majority of the children that attend the youth center live in extreme poverty and schooling and education is beyond the reach for most families. The center is offering outreach support programs to give the children access to schooling, health education, health support, educational support, and counseling services. Along with educational and health support, the youth center also has a number of recreational programs such as art, music, circus (Ethiopian form of gymnastics) and theater. The children love all the different programs are as eager to learn as they are to play!

For many young adults in Dire Dawa, they have never had the opportunity to receive an education. The majority of local schools will not allow children over the age of 12 to start school. For these children, they have very little opportunities to break the cycle of poverty and are forced to beg, or work on the street. In honour of the youth center’s first birthday, a new exciting program is being launched. The youth center is now offering a vocational training program that will give these children an alternative, so that they can create a better future for themselves and their families. The youth center will offer training in a number of skills for adolescents aged 14-18 years old. Children enrolled in the sponsorship program will enjoy all the services offered by the organization. The following are some of the proposed practical skill training types: wood work. metal work, hallow block and brick making, mechanic or vehicle repair, hotel and catering, tour guide, hair dressing and barberry, driving licenses, waste management and recycling, plumbing, secretarial science, weaving and  tailoring. Children who have completed one of the above training schemes will be supported with finding employment opportunities. 

 

Do you want to give the youth center an amazing Birthday Present?

We have 50 young people on the program that are awaiting sponsors, and to gain invaluable skills to become self sufficient.  You can help by sponsoring one of these youths for as little as 60 cents a day for 18 months. For $25 a month for 18 months you will allow these young adults to get the chance they deserve and make a huge difference in the lives of their families. YOU can help children get off the street and give them a brighter future, for less than 60cents a day. For $300 over 18 months, you will give these children the chance they deserve to create a  better future for themselves and their families.Won’t you give the children the chance they deserve? To sign up just click here

Congratulations to Youth Release on the youth center reaching its first official birthday, we are so excited to be a part of this wonderful project and cannot wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you!!! This is just a small snippet of the Youth Release newsletter, if you would like to read the full newsletter and see how far this project has come in a year click here :)

Why El Salavdor is part of my heart...

Together in Hope has been off the radar for a couple of weeks, well you’ll be glad to know that we have been extremely busy. Back at the beginning of July, we were short listed to submit a full proposal to a certain foundation (we can’t name them yet) so we’ve been like busy bees trying to get that done along with a few other grant requests. It has tied up a lot of our time, but if we get the funding it will all be worth it and we will be able to launch a new counseling program in El Salvador, so keep us in your thoughts, it would be such a boost for us. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed Together in Hope on greatnonprofits.org, not only have we gotten enough reviews to qualify for the 2012 Health Awards but we are also a featured non profit on their home page! For a small organization like us, this exposure is invaluable so thank you to all of you who have taken the time to help us by writing reviews. If you would like to help us just click here.

I cannot believe it is the end of July already, is it just me or is 2012 flying by? It is 6 months since our medical trip to El Salvador,  and 3 months since we traveled to the Philippines,it feels like only yesterday we were preparing for these trips. I have been thinking a lot about what to blog about, and I think for the next few weeks I am going to focus on some of my personal experiences in the places where we work. I am going to start with El Salvador....

 

I have a special place for El Salvador in my heart, it was the first place I traveled to when I began working with Together in Hope. El Salvador is a beautiful country with amazing scenery and beautiful people. It has a horrific history, that is still extremely apparent as many of the historical sites are places where people were terrorized and murdered. Yet, instead of being bitter, the people here are some of the most beautiful people I have ever met.

One of my favorite memories from this trip was playing with little Ernesto, this boy is physically disabled and is unable to use his hands and legs. All the children were playing soccer with the Southwestern University soccer team, and he just had to watch. We starting playing a game of catch with the ball, it was amazing to watch some of the children give up their time to help Ernesto catch the ball and play with us, instead of playing the soccer games. It is so surprising because for many of these children it was their first time playing soccer, and they gave that up to help a friend, it was incredible. We played every day during this trip and every day different children would come and help us, and catch the ball for Ernesto and teach him how to throw it. By the end of the week, he was able to throw the ball to me without any help :)

El Salvador has a fantastic rich culture, while we were there, we went to a little street festival. At this festival they reenacted El Salvador's battle with the Spanish, with everyone dressed in colorful costumes, others were dressed as mythological figures.Every person who lived in the little village was in the parade from young children to the elderly. It was astonishing to see the whole community involved and coming together.

Many people view El Salvador as a poor, war devastated country and while it is, it is also a beautiful country with a rich culture.This culture is evident as soon as you step off the plane. The people are some of the most caring, loving people I have ever met. In Alta Mira Flores where we work, the people are extremely impoverished, yet they have been kind enough to invite us into their homes, share their stories with us and let us work with their children despite cultural differences. El Salvador is a place that stays in your heart forever, and the children and families become part of your life. Many people ask me 'How do you do it? How do you work in such poor places?'Honestly I feel so blessed to work in such a wonderful place, with such wonderful people and I cannot wait to return and continue our work there.