And we're off...

Over the last few days we have accomplished quite a bit.  After finding out that the road to Washo was not fit for massive Ethiopian dump trucks, we were forced to begin work in Azedebo.  Washo is still very much in the works, it will just take a few more weeks of human power to effectively adjust the road.   Since we arrived in AzeDebo on Saturday we were able to finalize the land agreements and find living arrangements for myself and my support staff… and that was before todays huge accomplishments.

Today, Temesgin Ijigu and I spent our morning conducting critical meetings with community leaders, local government/school officials and village elders.  The meetings went very well, all those involved were very happy with the scope of the initial project, and were happy to hear that ER plans on using the school as a platform for many future programs in the area.  The village elders were especially happy to her that ER will be reaching out to include the village elders and community leaders to assist in guiding the administration and sustainment of the AzeDebo school. The meeting concluded with many of the participants joining Ejigu, Temesgin and I in talking through ER’s expectations for all those in the community that wished to become a ER temporary worker.  The community was happy to hear that nearly all of the 180 individuals that showed for the meeting would have the chance to work with ER for at least a week, while the best workers will be asked to join an “all-star” work force to streamline the final 8 weeks of the build.

During our meetings, four members of the schools security and farming staff (they have an impressive amount of farming on the property) were asked to begin clearing the KG/library land of corn stalks, and bramble.  By the time we finished our meetings the work was almost complete.  We spent a good hour cutting and shaping stakes and then the three of us were able to start the mapping the school layout.  Using a variety of colors of neon plastic string, hammer, and a 50 meter measuring tape,  Ejigu , Temesgin and I carefully measured out schools walled perimeter, each of the schools buildings and its respective classrooms.  As many as a hundred students and adults watched in mostly confusion, as we measured and measured again, to make sure that each class was no more than a couple centimeters off square at most.  The final product really gave the onlookers a useful representation of the buildings to come.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get on a roof or into a tree to take a photo.

Now that the perimeter site lines are in place, digging begins tomorrow at 8 am.  20 people, 12 men and 8 woman will work together to make a sizeable dent in the nearly 200 post holes.  Each of which will be dug to at least 80 centimeter (depending on the use of the submerged material).  We are thinking all that digging will be done by the weekend.  The schools perimeter wall should start going up as early as Monday.  Not bad for a first week in the town.

The following photos provide some images of today’s activities.  And if anyone is wondering why the blog is so inundated with panoramic shots is because they load in about 12 minutes, while the others take more than twice as long… and their awesome.  But we all already knew that.

      

The build site

Ijigu leading a conversation with the village elders

Ijigu and Temesgin talking through the contract with some of the nearly 200 potential workers

Preparing for staking the land

Temesgin leading the way with some assistance from the community

Got to love their getups

Another addition to the team

Because of the constant threat of large carnivorous animals, our fervor for mountainy exercise and our appreciation for dogs, both Ijigu and I were keen on the idea of getting one. Anyone that shared a couple beers with me this summer is well aware of my attempts to to locate a rescued Rottweiler pup to bring to Ethiopia with me. The breed is known and respected as loyal, caring, powerful and are great with children (especially female Rotts).  For those reasons and numerous others I spent the first chunk of my summer working on finding one. Long story short, Rottweilers  along with Pitts, Dobermans and even Bull Dogs are listed as "aggressive breeds" by Turkish Airlines. Unfortunately, that meant that Rotts are barred from flying with my usual carrier. Because my return trip was already booked, my Rotty dreams were dashed.

Ethiopia has more than its fare share of dogs. Packs of strays permanently roam the city streets, while a majority of middle class Ethiopians and above, keep at least one in their houses compound for security purposes. However, the dogs in Ethiopia are almost always smaller mixed breeds, not exactly the intimidating pup I was looking forward to raising. I figured I would still ask around while I was in Addis, I thought might get lucky, though I wasn't to hopeful.

Low and behold a friend of a friend in the city was a dog breeder that specialized in Pitts and Rotts. Pretty dang surprising. At the time of my inquiry he just had a litter of 7 Rott/ black lab mix. I was elated. Calls were made, a visit was was planned, puppies were played with, a choice was made, money was exchanged, an Ethiopian vet was found, vaccinations were given, and I am now the proud owner of a beautiful 5 1/2 week old female dog.

Her mother is the same mix and weighs in at over 50 kilos, while her father is nearly the same, and she is the biggest and most sturdy of her litter. So I am looking forward to plenty of wrestling and some speedy runs up Ethiopian mountains. But it will be a while before any of that; her 3 pound body wants nothing to do with anything but choosing down and staying nestled in my lap. Playing mom for the next few weeks will be a bit trying, but when anything is this cute its tough to be annoyed.

No name yet, I got to let her personality show before that life long decision is made.

She is the same size as the old toy dog that barks three times then flips...
kinda looks like it too.

Usual sleeping position, we will see how long that lasts.

We just scheduled the next build...

Two weeks ago, I traveled to four separate prospective Ethiopia Reads' project sites in Kembate-Tembaro.  We were there  to finish the last round of community and build land assessments.  A wealth of community information was gathered, important contacts were made, and land was even officially donated to Ethiopia Reads on behalf of the community. These experiences and information were combined with that previously gathered by Ethiopia Reads project officers.  Over the last week, the Ethiopia Reads office staff and myself spent days calling and recalling various officials, and finishing the creation of thorough financial processes to assist in purchasing and recording build material procurement.  We have all worked very hard to get to where we are this evening: we are beginning the next school build in Kembata-Temabaro on November 9^th.

We are currently planning on building two schools in the region over the next 7 months.  The first will be most likely in the mountains north of Shinshicho in a town called Washo, the second will most likely be within the foothills AzeDabo.  The reason why I say most likely is because the order may not be completely set. The severity of incline and quality of the “road” leading to Washo was not welcoming to motorist of any kind.  The motorcycles we took to get to Washo were even unable to make it all the way there.  When we visited the site we explained to the community that for us to build there, at least 3 kilometers of beat up mountain donkey roads must be widened and flattened so that a literal dump truck could make its way up to the school site.  The community instantly volunteered their time, and the following day began the 2 week long process of fixing the road.  

Yesterday, a local dump truck driver visited the road on foot and gave it a big thumbs up.  What a hard working community huh?  On Tuesday of next week the road will be tested with a dump truck full of boulders.  If there are no problems, the driver will head back down and prepare to make nearly 50 more trips toting 10's of thousands of pounds of wood, rock, cement, and aggregate.  However if the truck is unable to make it, we will delay the Washo build until later this build season and begin work in the very accessible town od AzeDabo.  We all are incredibly anxious for the upcoming test. But remember, if it doesn’t go well, the community will have the next two months to ready the road so building can commence in early January.

The following photos are few more from our last visit, as well as a couple from Kololo.  Proof that a big ol dump trucks, albeit very very old, has a tough time negotiating the twist and turns of mountain roads.

The school land

What a portion of the road now looks like. 

The Ethiopia Reads's management crew's housing and material storage... its an old sunday school. 

Our luxurious bathroom.  It might need some work.

What the road looked like before.  Its the rocky section to the right

Small trucks and big trucks alike have issues with Ethiopian off road driving

3/4 of the Kololo crew had to help push and pull this guy out.

A couple jobs for some familiar faces

The Future of Kembata-Tembaro Ethiopia Reads construction management rest largely in the hands of three proven Kololo community members.  Through visiting this blog you have most likely become acquainted with many of the 2011-2012 Kololo work-crew.  Although we hired over 60 different community members during the course of the build there was a small percentage that stood out due to their astounding work ethic, positive attitudes, and their natural abilities to lead.  Each of these individuals participated in my Skilled Labor certificate program, and in one case, earned the position of construction assistant manager during the Kololo school build.  I am elated to share that Temesgin Alamu and Salamnesh Lagessa will be hired to assist Ijigu and I with the implementation of the next two schools in Kembata-Tembaro.  

In the next week I will be posting bios on the two, as well as providing you with a little background on what exactly Tamesgin and Sallamanesh will be assisting us with. Here is a couple shots of them back on the Kololo build.

Tamesgin helping out with the roof supports

And modeling with Ijigu's famous war time canteen

Salamnesh and a few of the guys proud of their fresh cement work (Sallamnesh is the young lady in the back).

Sallamnesh making one of thousands of trips down the hill with the dirt that would become the schools walls.

Final Durame and Shinshicho Regional Assessment Trip

 On October 16, 2012 I traveled to Kembata-Tembaro to finalize the Ethiopia Reads need assessment process begun in May.  In addition to determining a recipient community, we used this trip to thoroughly train 3 Ethiopia Reads project officers in using an enhanced process in assessing and mapping potential beneficiary communities.  The entire trip lasted 4 full days, and at its conclusion I have determined that we have 1 definite and 3 prospective beneficiary communities. 

During this trip we worked with woreder , kebele , local finance and local education officials.  We also called on the expertise of local community leaders to discuss community needs in the region.  In total, we   visited three previously assessed communities, as well as one new.   The areas visited were located just outside of Durame and Shinshicho.  Each of the potential build community’s location was marked using a GPS apparatus.  I am currently in the process of uploading this data to create an online map of that will show the exact location of each of the sites.

Three of the four communities that were visited could greatly benefit from both an Ethiopia Reads sponsored library, or the construction of a school.  While it would be more appropriate to just offer Ethiopian Reads library sponsorship in one potential beneficiary community.   We are currently waiting to hear a few site related updates from a couple of the local officials to make our final decision on implementation time line.  So for the time being I can share photos from the trip, Ill share the big news of where and what by the end of this weekend.  

The AzeDabo School director, kebele, teachers and a couple ER staff

Potential KG land

Checking the library measurements

A bit ofWenko from the road

Tesfahoune taking down school and local community population numbers

Leaving Wenko

We had a few friends for our walk into the surrounding communities

The guys using the GPS to mark where exactly we were

Plenty of hyena holes to go around in Washo

A touching community meeting

Washo folks showing us around

Beautiful surroundings

Fundamo Children

A great example of the usual rural south school library, not much to look at...

Plenty of green pastures in our future

Kololo Re-cap

A foggy day in mid-May

On April 20th the Kololo community and Ethiopia Reads celebrated the completion of the Kololo school. After nearly six months of swinging, lifting, mixing and slathering mud, painting and cleaning, the school's construction was finished. The school's furniture for each the structure's eight rooms was delivered by the end of June. Teacher and librarian training began this summer, and with full support from the local government, so school could begin this fall.

For the last week of March and the first of April we lacked sufficient funding to pay workers their weekly salary. This was not an issue. The community trusted Ijigu and me at this point, and had no problem continuing work under an I.O.U. program. Hours were carefully noted, and when the final installment arrived we paid all of the workers in a lump sum. A really beautiful moment occurred when five of the workers told Ijigu and me that they were working as volunteers, because they cared about their community's future, not in hopes of being paid. Five workers felt so strong that they declined payment for their hard work. (It took some doing, but we found a way to get each of the five to accept.)

On April 20th the school was complete. There were a few unfinished projects (the bridges needed to dry and be hoisted into position, window putty was not fully complete, and the bathroom needed a small bit of work. The same five workers told Ijigu and I that they would relish the opportunity to finish the build in the next couple days on their own). That evening we held a sizable party to celebrate the community's hard work. Approximately 150 or so people showed up and we had a wonderful time. Community members shared funny stories and told jokes of their new ferenji family. The evening finished with a gift giving ceremony for the five standout workers, and drinks of local brew with village elders. The night's activities made for very pleasant last sleep over in Kololo.

The last month of work was an excellent showing on the part of project management, particularly regarding personnel management. Salamnesh, Gazan, and Temesgin assisted Ijigu and me in managing the workers as they put the finishing touches on the school. The final pours went well, the doors and window glass fit perfectly in all but 2 of the 43pieces (those have since been re-sized and installed), the last pit of touch up paint went well, as well as a variety of other tasks. The school came together beautifully, the community is very proud of themselves, as they should be for completing such a monumental task.

I will be visiting Kololo in the two weeks.  I will be able to take up-to-date photos of the school, learning in action, and of course many shots of the schools beneficiaries.  Should be posted in the next 2 weeks.

I'm Back... about time, huh.

Yea yea yea… believe me I know.  I did absolutely nothing this summer to let my readers know whats going on with me, or the organization’s I work with.  My sincere apologies go out to my readership, friends and family for leaving you all in the lurch.

Here’s a start

I had a busy summer back in the US.  I worked and played in New Orleans, Minneapolis, Chicago and DC.  And I even made some time to enjoy the great north woods.   On the days, when I wasn’t restoring homes or landscaping, I could usually be found in front of a computer catching up on ER project reports, emails, and spreadsheets.   While I made sure that at least half of my evenings were open to spend time with friends and family.  I happily gained over 15 pounds in in delicious “mom food,” shared innumerable laughs with great friends, cherished time with siblings, and spent as much time on a bicycle as possible.  Just as I miss Ethiopia when in the US, these are just a few of the reasons why I miss US living when I am not around.

When I last left Ethiopia, we were expecting that I would be able to return in late August; unfortunately that was not the case.  The prime ministers death and numerous bureaucratic bottle necks forced us to wait until recently for me to return.   I got back to Ethiopia nearly a week and a half ago, and have gotten right to work.  The first few days back were spent meeting Ethiopia Reads’ new staff, catching up on my Amharic, and preparing for my busiest year in Ethiopia yet.  I will be managing the construction of two schools in the Kembata-Tembaro region, as well as introducing ER’s first tier of its Kembata-Tembaro health outreach program.  We all are very excited to get started, and it seems that we will at the beginning of next month.

I spent much of last week with 3 ER program officers traveling on foot, motorcycle, and mini bus throughout Kembata.   We were preforming the final portion of ER’s needs assessments for the next two school builds as well as visiting 4 potential Ethiopia Reads library projects.   The trip was a success, we made excellent government contacts, and we are very confident that we found two outstanding sites for builds within the Durame and Shishicho areas.  Ethiopia Reads management, Dana Roskey and I are currently talking through potential project timelines.  I should be able to make a formal announcement of the school build recipient communities in the next couple days.

Internet is mighty slow these days.  Here is just a taste of summer activities.

Biking around Mpls river trails.

The last night out in Minneapolis.

Same... good ol' Hexagon 

Same... with the good folks of Boom Island Brewery 

Superior Hiking Trail