Blogs from Awasa, Southern Nations Region, Ethiopia, Africa - page 2

I am writing this on a friend's computer. A fellow volunteer, Jordan from Franklin, TN, traded his computer and hard drive for my PSP for the week. It was really nice being able to watch movies and TV. So what did I do this week? I found a really great NGO that I am going to start volunteering at. It is actually called the Forum of HIV/AIDS NGOs. They are working on a project to compile all of their members' mission statement, goals, projects, and contact information into a website. This actually works out great because they have gathered a lot of the information that I need but haven't done anything with it. I figure I will volunteer at this place for as long as our interests align. Also, this past week there was the National ... read more

OK ... I know it has only been a day or so since my last installment but I have to tell you one hilarious thing that happened to me yesterday. I was walking home after my "productive" day. I live by the bus station and was just talking with some of the guys who hassle me everyday; just passing conversation. I start to walk home down my dirt road and no sooner than I hit the road do I slip and catch myself just before my butt hits the ground. Everyone was laughing, including me, and I thought to myself what did I slip on? So I look down and see that I had slipped on a banana peel. Unbelieveable. I thought that only happened in cartoons. I laughed the whole way home. Slipping on a ... read more

There are a few things I want to clear up. First, since Ethiopia is so close to the Equator it doesn't get hot and cold seasons so much as wet and dry seasons. I think I am right about that. It stays about mid 80s to mid 90s year round in Awasa. It rained last night and it was amazing. I cannot figure how to load pictures on here. Oh my goodness there are some really awesome things I have to tell you. I can't believe I forgot them yesterday. First, on friday a bomb exploded in Addis while I was in Addis. Apparently, a gentleman was getting his bag placed on top of a minibus and the bomb he had in his bag exploded. 0 deaths, 29 injured. I know there was no danger for ... read more

I had the pleasure of attending a local HIV AIDS forum in the resort town of Awassa, 5 hours drive from Addis Ababa. The forum was for VSO volunteers working in the HIV/AIDS sector. We shared status of our work at our individual employers and discussed ideas for improvement. We learned latest facts of international aid money coming into Ethiopia. We learned that Ethiopia has a good track record of using the money responsibly and is thus awarded larger sums. (Other African nations who cannot account for the results obtained from the funds are penalized). The international aid sums seem staggeringly large to me. My impression so far is that the money does seem to be tracked carefully and responsibly - good to know since our US tax dollars are contributing to these global funds (World ... read more