We get an early morning start today at 7:30 a.m. as we have a full day of traveling over rugged roads to the Senale tabia, northeast of Mekele.  It will take more than 1 ½ hours to reach our first destination.  The first twenty minutes or so are over smooth paved roads and then we head into the mountains.  The next twenty minutes is over fairly decent unpaved roads and then it changes…..from here on it would be an overstatement to call it a road.  As one of the locals said, “Even donkeys have trouble with some of our roads”.  The good news is that we have expert drivers from Glimmer and REST, so we are in good hands.

Last June, a W2T group visited the Senale tabia for the first time.  This is an area that has been experiencing near drought conditions for the last 4-5 years with minimal rain.  Because of this, they are in need of water projects that reach down to a sustainable water table.  There has been some good news since June, as the area has received some much needed rain.  Because of this, the landscape around Senale is very different from June.  The farmers will be getting a decent harvest of grain this year for the first time in a while.

Based on our visit last June, W2T will be funding 12 project in the Senale tabia, to be completed over the next 6-8 months.  These projects will include some spring protection developments (SPD), hand dug wells (HDW) and shallow bore hole wells (SBH).  Also, some of the projects will be complete rehabilitation of prior water projects that have failed or become contaminated.  Our first stop is at the community of Giramkdah.  In June, this area was completely dry, but now after the rains, the creek bed did have some water in it.  This community had a SPD that has completely broken down.  The eye of the spring is now exposed, so the water become contaminated immediately.  

Piping from the spring box to the reservoir is broken which makes the reservoir and cattle trough unusable.

This water project will be a complete rebuild of the whole system to produce a sustainable water supply.

Our next stop is two HDW projects located at the communities of Girawodlkono and Hakeka.  Both of these wells were not producing any water last June.  These wells were implemented about 8 years ago by another contractor.  The contractor did not have the expertise to use explosives, so when they hit solid rock (and there is plenty of it in Senale) they stopped before they reached a sustainable water aquifer. 

After the rains this summer, the well at Girawodlkono is producing water, but it has a foul smell due to contamination from ground water, so the farmers use it only for the livestock.  

With the recent rains, the well is now producing some clean water for drinking, but not enough for the community.  Both of the well sites will be completely torn apart and taken to a greater depth to reach a sustainable water aquifer by REST and then rebuilt by the REST engineers.  For all three of these communities, they are currently forced to collect contaminated water from creeks and runoff ponds for drinking.

We drove another 45 minutes deeper into the mountain range to reach the community of Genti (still in the Senale tabia).  Wow….what a reception!  

Our path to the school was lined with 600-700 students, clapping and singing….Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!  It was truly an awesome reception for the W2T group.  

W2T will be funding a new shallow bore hole to provide a sustainable water supply for the students at the school.  Currently the students must walk about 45 minutes away to get water.  A group of the older students is sent each day to fetch water for the school.  The new well will be located a short walk from the school, allowing all the children to have water during the day.  The school would normally have grades 1-8, but it is only 1-6 because of lack of space.

Senale is an integrated development community for Glimmer, so in addition to our water, Genti is scheduled for a number of new school blocks to improve the capacity and quality of the school.  The principal showed us around the school and we got to visit with the 5^th grade class that was taking a geography class on Africa.  We also visited the garden area that has been established giving each grade a plot of land to plant a vegetable garden.  The vegetables will be taken to the market and sold, with proceeds going to the school to buy much needed supplies for the school.

After our visit to school, we headed farther into the mountain range to visit a couple of additional W2T projects sites.  After about 30 minutes, we hit an unexpected rain storm, with lightning and thunder.  With the difficult road conditions, the group decided it was too risky to continue on to the next sites, so with regret, we decided to turn around and head back to Mekele.  The day was a great lesson in the perseverance and commitment that our implementing partners must have to overcome the logistical challenges of building projects in these remote areas.  We cannot imagine the challenge REST will face in getting a bore hole drilling rig to the school area in Genti, but by June of 2011, all 12 of our projects should be complete and operational.

Since we came back from the field a bit early, we took the time to stop by two locations in Mekele that are implementing programs to assist women with education and vocational training, especially those that are single moms that are head of a household.  The first stop was Mums for Mums, founded in the UK.  

It provides training to women for sewing, embroidery, weaving and baking.  The second stop was an organization called LemLem.  

It was organized by a group of women in Mekele to form a cooperative to roast and combine spices for sale.  The main product is a vegetarian Ethiopian dish called shiro.  It is a combination of finely ground chick peas and spices.  When combined with water, it produces a tasty sauce eaten with ingera.  Their major customer is the University of Mekele.  Both organizations provide a way for the women to be self-sustaining when they might otherwise be homeless or depend on relatives.

Our day finished with a nice local dinner with the staff from REST, our host for the last four days as we have toured our project sites.  They are not only great partners, they have become great friends.

Dick Moeller

Can there be an Italian oasis in the middle of Ethiopia?  Yes, of course……it is called the Gheralta Lodge.  After we arrived last evening, we enjoyed an evening of some really great Italian food.  Our starter was lasagna with fresh homemade noodles and marinara sauce, followed by some great spicy meatballs.  In the true Italian tradition, our third course was fresh salad grown organically on the property, along with all fresh spices.  We finished with a dish of tiny beignets and great coffee.  By far the most delicious meal of the trip!

The owner/developer, a retired Italian business man that was born in Ethiopia, happen to be at the Lodge so we got a chance to chat with him about the property.  He picked this particular spot after an extend search throughout Ethiopia to find a great location.  Although the architect for the compound was Italian, the local rock artisans did all the work.  The construction is really striking, with the rocks fitting together with minimal mortar.  Each of the buildings fits in perfectly with other homes and buildings in the region.  The staff are all Ethiopian, extremely friendly and competent.  The construction was started in late 2006 and it opened in 2008.  Most of the vegetables served are organically grown on the property.

This day we planned a little R&R to recharge our batteries before pressing on.  We left the morning open so all could enjoy the beauty and quietness of the Lodge.  We took the time first thing in the morning to climb one of the rock features on the property to share one of Pastor Lynnae’s devotions.  

Our devotional rock formation provided a striking view into the local valley, a patchwork of farming plots and fields, an ever present reminder of God’s great gifts and grace.  

After a leisurely breakfast, everyone took time to relax and do a bit of reading.  After another delicious meal for lunch, we set out to travel to Mekele about 1:30.

Along our way to Mekele, we stopped in a community in the Guile tabia.  Although not currently a project area, this could be a possibility for W2T projects in 2011.  We met the tabia leadership and the local community elders at one of the community’s whose well no longer provided safe water.  

A well had been constructed for the community about 8 years ago, but several years ago, the soil around the well shifted significantly, severely cracking and damaging the top of the well.  This has allowed contaminated ground water to enter the well, making it no longer safe to use.  Also, during the dry season, the well water table has started to drop below the pump level, producing no water at all.  This type of situation would only be rectified by completely re-furbishing the well. 

On our way out this community area, we noticed a open irrigation well on a farmers property, so we stopped to gain a better understanding of how it was used.  We met the farmer and his wife, both of whom were working in the fields.  Turns out, they had applied for and received a micro-finance loan of 5,000 birr (about $350) to buy a diesel irrigation pump.  The well provides enough water to irrigate his grain fields as well as a large vegetable track of tomatoes, peppers and corn.  The farmer has now started to rent land from other farmers in the area to extend the use of his irrigation capability.  A real entrepreneurial success story!

This area of Tigray is also know for rock churches.  We were able to see a number of them from the road.  These churches are often built high up on the rock formations and the church is literally carved into the rocks.  Some are completely in the rocks, except for the entrance, but the one pictured is half and half.

It was a good day to relax a bit and prepare for a very busy day tomorrow.  We will be leaving the hotel at 7:30 to travel to the Senale tabia.  This is an area where W2T will be funding 12 water projects in late 2010  and early 2011.  We will be visiting a number of the sites where these projects will be located.  This area is extremely hot and dry, with minimal rain over the last 4 years or so.

Dick Moeller

Today our departure begins early as we leave our hotel at 8:30 a.m.  We will be visiting three of the W2T projects in the area near Axxum and then driving to the Gheralta Lodge, south of Adware.  Two of the projects to be visited were completed recently in late summer and third is in progress.

The first stop is at Mai Ayni, just a short 20 minute drive outside Axxum.  This project benefits about 400 community members in the immediate area and the local primary school also makes use of the well.  The school is located about 1 kilometer away and does not have its own water source.  The community is waiting for us when we arrive, showering us with popcorn to celebrate the inauguration of their well.  Rennie and Ed get the joy of cutting the ribbon at Mai Ayni.  

The whole W2T team then helps with pumping water and filling jerry cans.  You might notice that this sign is a bit different.  The donor chose to be anonymous and asked that the phrase “Jesus loves you” be translated to the local language and placed on the sign.  In Tigray, the local language in common use is Tigrean, thus the phrase “Eyesus  Yefetwekum”. We get a chance to visit with the water committee and they express their gratitude for having access to clean water.  Their prior water collection area was a river, located approximate one hour’s walk from the current well.  One of the women on the committee says that they can already see a reduction in sickness among the children because of the well.  The well is protected by a guard and is available to the community from 6 am to 9 am in the morning and then in afternoon from 4 pm to 6 pm.  We also get a chance to exchange gratitude and blessings with the community in attendance.

Next we drive a short distance to the community of Awi Sewhi.  Even before we get out of the car, people are already dancing, singing and clapping.  In addition to the community adults, there are over 200 children there too, carrying signs like “Water is Life”, “Welcome Water to Thrive” and “Long live the Ethiopian and American friendship”.  We even get a chance to see Jim demonstrate the Tigrean native dance for us (and yes we have it on video!).  

All together we make our way down a steep hill, into the ravine toward the water well, all the way being led by the several Ethiopian Christian Orthodox priests.  This time Jim and Dick get the joy of cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the well with the community.  The well is located close to a river bed that usually runs dry after the rainy season.  

It still has some water in it and it used to serve as the primary source of water for the community.  It is now primarily used for livestock.  We get a chance to visit with the water committee about the operation of the well and we exchange our expressions of gratitude for the project.

The group makes its way back up the hill and we reconvene under some trees and cactus for the community celebration.  The women of the community have prepared bread, honey, ingera, dora wat (chicken in ber-beri sauce) for the community celebration and later we enjoy some great Ethiopian coffee with the coffee ceremony.  

The celebration is blessed by the local priest and the elders of the community express their thanks and gratitude for bringing clean water to their communities.  The W2T is then presented with gifts of gratitude from the community.  Each of us was presented a handmade traditional wrap and W2T was presented a beautiful hand painted picture of a woman carrying water in a traditional clay pot.  The local water administration also presented a certificate of appreciation both to REST and W2T for the work we are doing in the area to bring clean water to their communities.

After enjoying our coffee together, we head to the third community on today’s schedule, Mai Mekan.  The well at Mai Mekan is still in progress, but should be completed in about 10-14 days.  This gave the W2T team a chance to see the actual process of the well construction, including the making of the concrete rings and the setting of the rings in place.  

We also had the chance to visit the current water source for the community, an open water catchment that is very contaminated.  This water source is also shared by the animals in the area.  The community members we met were very excited about getting clean water in the near future.

Shortly after completing our visit at Mai Mekan, we set out for the Gheralta Lodge.  It is about a 3 hour drive from Axxum to Gheralta, over some terrain that looks a lot like El Paso, with some mountains and hills mixed in.  This area of Tigray is generally very dry and hot and today was no exception.  Along the way, we passed a huge mountain pillar that reminded us of the Monument Valley area.  

We all look forward to a restful evening at the Gheralta Lodge.  We will have more to say about the Lodge in tomorrow’s blog.

Dick Moeller

Monday October 11, 2010

Today we plan to spend our morning with the community members at two W2T projects, Mai-Shana I and Mai Shana II, completed in the summer of 2008.  These water points were among the first 12 funded by Triumphant Love Lutheran Church in Austin, the home congregation of Rennie, Ed and Dick.  The communities have had more than two years of use from the projects, so it will provided the W2T group a great perspective on the impact of the projects on the community and their operation over the two years.

We depart our hotel about 9:00 am and drive east to Adware and then south to the area of the projects.  It takes us about 1 ½ hours to reach Mai-Shana I.  This project is located close to the community’s prior water collection point, a wet weather creek bed.  

In the dry season, this source would dry up and the community would resort to dipping water out of an old Italian well that is unprotected and very deep.  Because of the slowness of gathering this water, wait time often exceeded 3 hours for the women in the dry season.  In addition, the creek water source runs past an Army camp where the soldiers use the stream to wash their clothes and to bath.  This of course causes major contamination downstream.  

The water committee (3 women and 3 men) gave a great account of the functioning of the well and its operation.  There have been no issues with either and they experienced no downtime.  The water committee has successfully collected annual payments for the maintenance fund, 5 birr (about $.40) from each family using the well.  Also each family pays the guard with a ration of grain for his services.  In addition the women mentioned the reduction of disease previously caused by the contaminated water.  They say it is almost non-existent now.  

The community expressed their gratitude by sharing a coffee ceremony, fresh popcorn and roasted sweet corn. We express our gratitude to the committee for receiving us today and our hopes that the clean water brings the blessing of good health and prosperity to their community.

We drive a short distance on the main road and then walk about 20 minutes through the grain fields to reach the Mai-Shana II project.  

Here we hear a similar story….their prior water collection point was a wet weather creek bed, shared with the livestock.  But in the dry season, their only alternative was dig into the sand in the creek bed in the hope of finding water.  

The water committee gives a similar account of the operation of the well…..really trouble free since it was finished.  And each community family is contributing its fair share to the maintenance fund and supporting the guard with a ration of wheat.  In addition to serving their nearby community, there is a school nearby with about 500 students that has no water source.  The committee allows the students to fetch water from their project as they need it. 

One particular comment from this community will stick with the W2T team.  In expressing their gratitude, the chair of the water committee, Kidanu Woldegerima (age 63), said the following: “My father and his father had no opportunity to drink clean water.  I feel blessed to have it now and I give thanks for it every time I eat and drink in my home.”  Kidanu is also a priest of a local Ethiopian Christian Orthodox church.

The W2T team left the visits at Mia-Shana I & II exhilarated, seeing firsthand the impact of clean water on the communities, their dedication to protect and share this precious resource, the cooperative nature of the water committee and the community……all done with a grateful heart.  There has been no finer moment on our trip.

We say our goodbyes to the community and head back to Axxum, arriving early afternoon.  After lunch, the group visits some of Axxum best tourist attractions…. 

St. Mary’s of Zion (The church built by Haile Selaise) , 

the monastery where the Arc of the Covenant is supposedly kept, 

and the Obelisks of Axxum.  

We then turned our attention to helping the economy by doing a bit more shopping!

Tomorrow brings more site visits to W2T projects, one of which is still under construction.

Dick Moeller

Sunday October 10, 2010

This Sunday morning we start our day early, leaving Simien Mountain Lodge at 8:30, headed north for Axxum in Tigray.  This will certainly be the longest driving day of the whole trip.  The trip is only about 230 kilometers (about 140 miles) but will consume all day!  The road is mostly gravel and dirt, with 5 or 6 major elevation changes, so we literally will have traveled through 100’s of switch back turns when the day ends.  In addition, the road is undergoing a major improvement through a contract with the Chinese, so the road has major sections under construction.  The road from Axxum to Debark was originally constructed by the Italians in the late 1930’s during their brief occupation of Ethiopia.

Shortly after departing Debark, the road drops down a steep mountain, descending over 3.000 feet in a very short distance.  It makes for some sharp hairpin corners and nerves of steel for the drivers.  Actually the road is very safe, but those afraid of heights might choose to close their eyes for these first few sections. The first third of the journey produces some beautiful views of both the Simien Mountains that we are leaving behind and the farming on the rich soil in the area.  The mountain framing produces some beautiful patchwork vistas in the valleys.  In many area, the fields glow bright yellow, as the blooms of the Niger plant is now in full force.  The flowers of this plant is harvested for the black seed in the bloom, which can be used for feed as well as oil extraction.

Clearly, the highlight of the day came late in the journey when the group was able to visit the Selekleka Clinic at which Jim Sorensen and his wife Carolyn had served as medical missionaries some 50 years ago.  They served this community for about 2 ½ years, during which their daughters Lynnae and Diane were born.  Also, their adopted Ethiopian son, Wolde, comes from this community.  As Jim approached the clinic down the short road leading to the front, memories and stories came pouring out.  Before we knew it, there were about 25-30 local community members following the group around and exchanging stories with Jim in Amharic.  Amazingly, the current guard of the compound, who looks after the facility, is the son of someone who worked for Jim and Carolyn in the Clinic.

 Jim provided a guided tour of the facility, inside and out and described how the clinic was laid out and operated on a daily basis.  Although not in active use today, the building remains in surprisingly good condition, except for being a bit over grown with plants.  The building was originally built by the Italians, and then converted to a clinic just about the time Jim and Carolyn arrived.  Although there is no water available at the site, the electrical lights throughout the building continue to work.

The group chose the perfect spot near the entrance of the clinic for our Sunday devotion.  Again, we were blessed to be able to use a devotion prepared by Jim’s daughter, Lynnae, that fit the day perfectly.  It was a special moment for us to share and honor the service of Jim and Carolyn (and many more just like them) to the community of Selekleka.  As we proceeded with the devotion, the community members stood nearby, quietly and reverently, also sharing in this special moment.

We proceeded on into the town of Selekleka, where Jim wanted to look up a few others that had worked at the clinic that still lived in the town.  He was successful in locating Tsehaye, who had assisted Jim and Carolyn by looking after Lynnae and Diane during clinic hours, and Aligas who had worked at the clinic. Before long, a crowd of children, young people, and the elders crowded around in the street to hear them exchange their stories.  After many hugs, we had to say our goodbyes, as dusk was closing in on us.

We arrived at the Yeha Hotel in Axxum about 6:30 p.m. after an exhausting day of travel.  After a quick dinner, everyone was ready for a good night’s sleep.

Dick Moeller