Bahir Dar

I spent my weekend in Northern Ethiopia in Bahir Dar and Gonder. It was my third visit to Bahir Dar, but I haven’t been back there since November 2004 so it was good to see some positive change. We flew in on Friday morning and headed straight out to visiting our urban garden project partners to see the results of the program that targets HIV/AIDS affected women and children on the ground.

In general, it seems that there has been a lot of positive change. There are certainly lots of new buildings going up, several roads that were dirt a few years ago are now tarred, and maybe the biggest change was the complete lack of children hounding me continuously for a pen or a Birr (the local currency which equals about ¢12) that followed me everywhere a few years ago. There is still a long way to go. As we drove through the streets of Bahir Dar, I noticed two young boys in tattered clothes peeking over a fence. When I looked closer, I realized they were eavesdropping on a class lesson going on at the elementary school on the other side of the fence. Education at government schools is free, but there are still many children who do not attend because their families cannot afford the cost of the required uniforms, books and pens, and most importantly the cost of the lost labor to the household from the children going to school instead of working. As a result, many children stay home, furthering the cycle of poverty. According to the 2005 national health survey 67% of girls and 54% of boys have never been to school. The large gender gap is because the earning potential for girls is generally perceived as being far less than boys.

It was very rewarding to be able to speak to some of the women that are benefiting from our program by having access to land to grow their own vegetables. Almost all of these women are producing their own food for the first time and they told me they were feeding their families, and selling some vegetables, using the extra income to send their children to school. Surprisingly, I believe the biggest impact of the program is the impact on the women and children’s self perception. It may seem very touchy feely, but by producing their own vegetables and earning income, the HIV/AIDS affected people are transformed by renewed hope.