The world is facing an unprecedented level of challenge that has implications in political, economic and social spheres. In response to that the world community is undertaking equivalent response. Among that is the social aspect which is promoting the practice of helping each other.
As in many cultures, the habit of extending help for those in trouble is common in Ethiopian society.
Due to reasons like death of parents and drug abuse some children leave home. After passing through some steps, end up in orphanages. Old men and women are also vulnerable to such problems when they remain alone without any one to help them.
For example about a year and a half ago Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs had disclosed that it was undertaking support program for about 88,690 needy citizens in 11 main cities in collaboration with stakeholders.
The 11 towns were selected due to the large number of citizens living under difficult situation. On the other hand, street children, commercial sex workers, and destitute elders also need special attention in the selected towns.
Mehirtub Ayel, an orphan in Adama town says he left home fleeing his violent father. He was grade nine students a year ago and now he is absent from the school.
As an orphan, he is already drug addicted but he said that ‘’the new life civil organization requested for us that to embracing or collected in the organization.’’ However, they have not accepted the question immediately; rather they seriously quandary related with religious matter. But after the organization manager explained about what the purpose of the organization is, then many orphans they joined the organization during a month ago.
‘’Now I am released from any drug and ready to continuing my education in the coming year for helping by the organization that has been promised me, ‘’Mehirtub said.
He further added that such type of civil organizations is playing significant role especially children who have not parents and any others who does not have any sponsors that safeguard from bad-mannered areas.
Founder and General Manager of New Life Civil Organization, Girma Hailu on his part said that the organization started the work in Jimma town in 2004.
According to Girma, helping children and needy citizen especially those who live on streets is his childhood dreams there by to assist them to be successful and happy. He left his job in a government office at an early age to put his dreams in to practice. “I always believe that helping citizen is obtaining prestige” he says.
Upon the start he collected about 365 orphans and elderly people from Jima town in a house rent for living and
fulfilling educational material for them. Now the Project is fully functioned in Adama since the past four years.
Currently, the project expands into Gedio zone of SNNP region where it supported 100 children displaced by conflict.
On the other hand, more than 890 orphanages are embraced in the organization in Adama and around it. Out of the total number stated here, 515 students have obtained educational materials and clothes twice until now. However, they are challenging by pure water and comfortable road while the organization eyes to different organizations in order to solve the problem that working with jointly through sustainable manner.
In addition to this, it has signed with government an amount of 1.8 million birr worth for embracing 50 orphans and 72 oldest.
As to him, helping citizens is not an easy work. Rather it needs willingness and commitment.
The Ethiopian Herald May 2/2020
BY MESERET BEHAILU
6 Reasons to visit the Danakil depression
Certainly not because of its climate, but there are a number of highlights that each alone justifies this trip! Let’s now share some of the most memorable experiences in the Danakil Depression:
1. Looking down into the lava lake of Erta Ale
On the second trip, I refused to wait until darkness (the Afar guides were not amused) and climb to the top of Erta Ale (640 meters high). True, at 16:30 it was hot, but neither the heat nor the sun were unbearable… And almost two third of the climb was made by daylight, enabling us to be much faster (3 hours instead of 4 hours 5 years earlier)!
Once at the edge of the crater, we held our breath – we looked into the red, orange and even whitish lava boiling away about 20 meters away. Back in 2011, when daring to shuffle up to the very edge of the crater, we stood on an overhang, which actually meant standing above the lava lake. It did take some guts! 5 years later, the crater had changed shape, and there was some kind of huge stairs going down, tremendously improving the sight of the bubbling lava. Believe it or not: it was even more impressive! The feeling was awesome! Fear and strong respect for the forces of nature were counterbalanced by pure amazement at the sight of the 100 meter wide mass of lava, boiling, bubbling, and spitting in all directions.
2. Dallol, a landscape of multi-colored hot springs and bizarre formations
As written above, Dallol turned out to be a huge disappointment in November 2015. Yes, it is impressive, but far less than what it was 5 years earlier. Bad luck in an ever changing landscape? I cannot say…
Here is what I wrote back in 2011: “Surreal, out of this world, incredibly beautiful – none of these adjectives seems appropriate to describe this unique place. In the midst of a bubbling sulphur lake floats a small conical island. Its shore is lined with what looks like bright yellow rippled rafts. It reminds of a Coral Reef, just outside of the water. Add features like 116 meters (509 feet) below sea level and an average temperature of 34.4°C (94 °F), there is no other place on earth like this! It is almost diabolic to listen to the hissing of the bubbling gases. Otherwise it is dead quiet, with nobody around but the Afar guide and the obligatory army escort.”
3. Watching endless caravans passing without a sound
During my stay in the village of Ahmed Ale, the daily excitement started half an hour before dawn. After morning prayers, the Afar workers and endless Camel Caravans started heading for the salt mines. In the afternoon, hundreds of camels, each carrying up to 240 kg of salt plates tied around their hump, came trotting back, the first leg of a 5-day long journey to Mekele, where the salt is sold. A sight simply out of this world…
4. Discovering The Salt Mines Near Lake Asal
Young Afars and Tigrians slave away in these salt fields from dusk to dawn, an hour’s walk from the village, in temperatures beyond imagination. The tools could not be simpler: long sticks to catapult large chunks off the ground and axes to break them into smaller pieces and finally into blocks of 30 by 40 cm. Each block is loaded and unloaded countless times onto camels during the 5-day trip to Mekele. The work in the salt field runs like a Swiss clock: soon after the wake up call by the muezzin at around 05:00 am, the men leave the village, an hour later the first caravan follows. Also the elaborate system of organising hundreds and hundreds of camels, unloading and then loading them follows a similar impressive precision. The camels not only carry the salt but also their own food as well as the provision for the guides and the workers. Water is mainly transported in bags made from goatskin.
In January 2011, I had such a different experience! Liza, from Pangeans Safari, is the only woman in the business, and was able to get us invited to some Afar homes. An absolute privilege and one of very highlights of this trip! Heidi twice had the opportunity to meet several Afar women, and Gilles was also once allowed in a hut for a genuinely traditional “coffee ceremony”, something normally utterly unthinkable!
5. Socializing with Afar families in Ahmed Ale
There again, the experience was very different in 2011 and in 2015…
In January 2011, I had such a different experience! Liza, from Pangeans Safari, is the only woman in the business, and was able to get us invited to some Afar homes. An absolute privilege and one of very highlights of this trip! Heidi twice had the opportunity to meet several Afar women, and Gilles was also once allowed in a hut for a genuinely traditional “coffee ceremony”, something normally utterly unthinkable!In 2015, with a much larger number of tourists, visitors and locals seemed to be living in 2 completely different worlds, and contacts were limited to children. Something truly unique happened though: I had the chance to meet again Halima, a little girl of approx. 8 years old in January 2011. Now a teenager, she has kept her self-confidence and openness… And was puzzled to see some pictures of her and her sister much younger!
6. Lake Asal’s vast salt plain with its surrounding rock formation
This amazing sight immediately brought back memories of the Salar de Uyuni in Southwest Bolivia. Lake Asal, 116 meters below sea level, lacks its vastness and enormity, but nevertheless it is extraordinary. The surrounding rock formations create a fortress-like setting and are even more intriguing when you approach from a certain angel – the rocks seem to be hanging from the sky. Especially at sunrise and sunset, this place turns surreal, with the sun reflecting on the water layer that covers parts of the slat desert… Splendid!
An expedition to the Danakil Depression is definitely one of the most intense & challenging but also amazing & rewarding experiences I ever had during my travels… Each of the highlights justifies the trip! And these highlights are numerous.
Nonetheless, the Danakil Depression is no longer at the “End of the World”. It is now much easier and much cheaper to reach, and the number of tourists is increasing exponentially. Changes were already noticeable in less than 5 years…
Source: grandescapades.net
The Ethiopian Herald May 2/2020
BY STAFF REPORTER
