Saturday and Sunday, December 13 and 14, 2014

In our last stop in Abmo (home of world famous Ambo Water (with fizz) we stopped at and orphanage.   I am starting this blog on Sunday AM and my mind went to this stop at this orphanage and many other reflections of the past weeks.

Water to Thrive’s role in this effort is to assist a group in California that has a desire to explore potential funding for a well to primarily serve the primary school (3,000) and this orphanage.  We have a contact water hydrologist that will analyze this potential feasibility and estimate costs.  The orphanage is a home based support facility meaning the children stay with relatives and the orphanage helps with medications, supplemental food, social support, church, social support and more. 

While we spent about ½ hour on site we witnessed some wonderful drama demonstrations – here this young volunteer is setting up an exercise of accepting and including.  I did not have to understand the language to understand what was happening.  Within moments the group was also singing – Father protect the children and Father in heaven – help your children.   We are in the chapel which is Mekane Yesus.

We then drove to Addis Ababa and had a dinner with another of our implementing partners Oromia Development Assocation (ODA) whose headquarters are in Addis.  

 

Sunday evening – we arrived on schedule in Axum (far North Ethiopia) to work with our implementing partner Relief Society of Tigray (REST).  On our way we flew over the Lake Tana that is the Ethiopian Blue Nile headwaters.  Flying with us from Addis was Gashaw Semeneh Hailemariam who is a geologist with whom we have a contractual arrangement to do consulting with us and to inspect wells and spring protection systems in follow up.   He is as pleasant as his smile indicates.  The plane in the background is the one we flew on today.    

-Ed Scharlau    

 

 

 

Saturday and Sunday, December 13 and 14, 2014

In our last stop in Abmo (home of world famous Ambo Water (with fizz) we stopped at and orphanage.   I am starting this blog on Sunday AM and my mind went to this stop at this orphanage and many other reflections of the past weeks.

Water to Thrive’s role in this effort is to assist a group in California that has a desire to explore potential funding for a well to primarily serve the primary school (3,000) and this orphanage.  We have a contact water hydrologist that will analyze this potential feasibility and estimate costs.  The orphanage is a home based support facility meaning the children stay with relatives and the orphanage helps with medications, supplemental food, social support, church, social support and more. 

While we spent about ½ hour on site we witnessed some wonderful drama demonstrations – here this young volunteer is setting up an exercise of accepting and including.  I did not have to understand the language to understand what was happening.  Within moments the group was also singing – Father protect the children and Father in heaven – help your children.   We are in the chapel which is Mekane Yesus.

We then drove to Addis Ababa and had a dinner with another of our implementing partners Oromia Development Assocation (ODA) whose headquarters are in Addis.  

 

Sunday evening – we arrived on schedule in Axum (far North Ethiopia) to work with our implementing partner Relief Society of Tigray (REST).  On our way we flew over the Lake Tana that is the Ethiopian Blue Nile headwaters.  Flying with us from Addis was Gashaw Semeneh Hailemariam who is a geologist with whom we have a contractual arrangement to do consulting with us and to inspect wells and spring protection systems in follow up.   He is as pleasant as his smile indicates.  The plane in the background is the one we flew on today.    

-Ed Scharlau