Mothers in Ethiopia have shown that they have great hope in the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD), a legend that continues to take place in the 21st century. They look forward it will enable them escape from burden of life they are loaded with the smoke from fire wood, and the burning of candle that continued until today.
They have convincing reason to contribute to the construction of the Dam while it is underway that it will help them through solving their sever problems of fire wood smoke and power supply up on its completion. They further look forward to their better future of earning comfortable life.
Banchu Assefa, who has displaced from rural at Metekel zone Guba area due to the attraction of urbanization, told The Ethiopian Herald that she has always dreamed the Dam’s construction completed and the country’s peace will be prevailed.
Before she was incorporated into the city life, she was engaged in farming, like other Ethiopians. Now she is pushing her ways of life in the city since their farmland has been incorporated into the urban.
But at this moment, she is undergoing a boring life with their non-farm work and has a great hope that tomorrow will be better for her and her children. She wishes that jobs will be created for her children and lack of power supply that is basic need for the daily consumption will be avoided following the accomplishment of GERD.
In her previous agricultural life of near Nile River, the Nile water was widely used for baptize in the form of holy water, washing purpose and drinking for livestock. She and the locals have rarely used the river for agricultural purposes. And it is almost like watering the seed, but not systematically utilizing it for grate irrigation purpose.
They were bare viewers of the Nile that has flown by their gates starting from its origin Gish Abay. They were simply observers of its greediness traveling without allowing them to use it as a tool for the struggle they had in life to achieve success.
After she has displaced from rural five years ago, her life has been associated with fire and its smoke. They use fire not only to cook food but also to deal with their unsuccessful struggle with their lives.
She is the mother of eight children, in which six of them are unemployed. Their existence is mainly based on the income their mother earns. Their only job is helping their mother by buying firewood. Although they earn low income and exposed to high health risks, they have no choice except buying the firewood with the cost of up to 1,500 Birr per month for cooking purpose.
The reason why she hates the change from rural life to urban life is the burden it imposed on her and her family. She briefed that, their lives have been exposed to problems in various ways since the time they were associated with fire.
On one hand, the mother who had nurtured her children on the farm easily was harshly constrained by the lack of resources to manage her family through the sale of living-Enjera and alcoholic liquor (locally told Arekie).
On the other hand, their expenses are rising as it is confined on daily shopping because they have moved to the city. Further than they are unable to improve their lives, she has been exposed to health problems from time to time as a result of continuous standing to keep up what they earn for daily life.
In order to nurture her children with education, she matured six pots to produce local alcoholic liquor at a time. Her blurred face bears witness that she is regularly exposed to heavy flames.
She noted that they are susceptible to frequent health problems due to smoke and heat. Besides, they are deeply worried about the fate of their future as her 6 children are stressed of unemployment.
Life of Ethiopian mothers forces one to think about the lives of Egyptian mothers. The reason is almost all Egyptians have accesses to electricity. According to various international media, Egypt’s electricity coverage exceeds 99 percent. They have access to electricity both in rural and urban areas, except for the most difficult rural areas.
She inquires: “Is it hard to imagine the difference between a mother in Egypt and in Ethiopia?” For the coverage of the country’s electricity to be high, the GERD will have a significant contribution and in turn, it stimulates the economy by promoting investment and job creation.
One Egypt’s major power plant is the Aswan Dam which is constructed on the Nile River, the combination of the two Niles, Blue Nile and the White Nile at Khartoum, Sudan. About 85 percent of the Nile water comes from the Blue Nile that springs from Ethiopia.
In contrast, Ethiopia’s total national electricity coverage is less than 44 percent. According to the information received from the Ethiopian Electric Service through its Shipping Service, with the great integrated effort of concerned bodies, it was planned to make accessible most areas of Ethiopia with Electric Service by 2025. But due to delay in the construction of the GERD, they have revised their plan to reach most Ethiopians by 2030.
Doing so, Mothers service providers and all who are in need will have the accessibility of electricity the same as Egyptians.
Banchu has fully-fledged and dreamed the potential of the GERD to help them to solve their problems, to relieve their anxiety, and to keep their hopes bright future. She said that they have been supporting the Dam’s construction since the launching of its construction by saving from their poor livelihood.
When the Dam’s construction is completed, the electric problem in the city will be solved and the electric stoves will be used so that her children can engage themselves in various activities. They promised that they will take care of their mother. They believe that the completion time of the Dam is near and then they can solve their mother’s prolonged problem.
Banchu added that the government and the entire Ethiopian people should not be disappointed because of the delay of the construction. The gas-powered mill’s cost currently doubled will significantly reduce to a reasonable price.
She and others look forward to a day of relief from their hard work with the accomplishment of GERD through integrated efforts and even with the support of idea.
“The Nile is the basis of my children’s survival, my hope for a cure,” she said. And also, she will continue to support as much as she can to make their dream a reality.
“The government should accomplish the Dam for us, and we will be at the side of it.” She believes that the Ethiopian government has full confidence to do so and it will fulfill its responsibility to complete GERD.
She said that the current generation has a good chance to make and write history by finalizing the GERD. In line with this, they are among the fore front to uphold the country’s sovereignty, as our forefathers did at the battle of Adwa.
The Ethiopian Herald May26,2020
BY MUSSA MUHAMMED
