About Kids

Throughout the country, there are about 18,000 schools, and over 122,000 classrooms. Ten years ago, 3 million children were in school. Last year there were a little over 12 million kids in school. The average class size had 102 kids per classroom and averaged 64 kids per teacher. Last year, 3.3 million children entered the 1st grade. By 2nd grade this number dropped to 1.9 million. By the 8th grade, this has dropped to 0.61 million. Only 45,000 make it to 12th grade. Finally, about 13,000 complete a 4-year degree from college. About 1 in 1,000 who start school, get a college degree. This is one of the reasons that this culture nearly worships degree holders. The habit of equating ability with having a degree is rampant.

The education system is particularly tough on the girls. Although they start out about equal in numbers, by the time 12th grade arrives, there is only 1 girl to every 3 boys still in school. Although much of the drop out may be from a lack of money (public school does cost some money as does book rental) much more comes from the cultural belief that girls do not need much education and are more needed to be working at home.

Public school costs about 30 Birr a month (~$3.30) but it does include the cost of their uniforms. All school children wear uniforms. Through high school. Unfortunately it is less about the elimination of "DKNY" and "Eminem t-shirts" and more about assuring the kids have clothes to wear. Private schools are closer to 300 Birr a month. As you might expect, the class size in private schools are much smaller (about half the size) and the availability to resources is much better.

Kids here are like kids back home. They love to play simple games, they get into mischief, they love their friends. The middle school girls hang out in small groups and giggle alot and soccer is just the thing to do. Even if they do not have a soccer ball, the kids will play. I saw what looks like a wadded up ball of banana leaves held together with rope being used as a soccer ball in a dirt field. They love it when adults praise them for doing well in school and want to do better whenever they get the chance.

This is Nanci, the finance expert on our team with two of my favorite kids over here. When her husband John came here, he brought a couple toys for them. Our housekeeper, Rebecca, has a 7-year old son, Adonay and a 9-year old little sister, Bettaseyda who is in the 3rd grade like my boys are. She is studying the same things they are in science and math. She learns English and Amharic, but does all of her schoolwork in finely printed English. Kids are kids.

Some Statistics

Living conditions: According to the Human Development Report of 2001, about 45% of the people in Ethiopia live on less than 10 Birr (one US dollar) per day.

Literacy rate: The adult literacy rate is 36% (46% for males and 25% for females). The primary school enrollment rate is 68.4% for both sexes, out of which girls constitute 59%. 48% of girls drop out by 6th grade compared to 25% of boys.

Student:Teacher Ratio: 65:1

Student:Textbook Ratio: 3:1

Age: 55% of the population are under age 20. 3% are over age 55.

Life Expectancy: Average 47.6 years.

Access to safe drinking water: Only 33% of the population had access to safe drinking water in 1999. The coverage in urban areas is 80% and in rural areas it is 14.3%.

Sanitation facilities: Sanitation coverage is estimated at 25%, 74% of urban-dwellers have access to reasonable sanitation facilities.

Health care performance: The health system provides health care for 52% of the population. Most of the rural population has limited access to modern health-care services. In terms of service delivery, it is estimated that only 75% of urban households and about 42% of rural-dwellers have access to health facilities. There is seasonal shortage of medicines and medical supplies. Like in many other African countries, the main causes for the shortage of medicines and medical supplies are lengthy procurement procedures, limited access to information and an inefficient distribution system.

The issue of health-care services delivery to the pastoral communities (nomads), who account for 10% of the population, calls for special attention.

Agricultural productivity and food safety: Low agricultural productivity and recurring drought are responsible for nutritional deficiencies. 51.5% of children below the age of five were stunted while 10.5% were wasted and 42.7% were underweight. The same survey found out that 3.6% of the women were stunted and 30.1% were undernourished. Micronutrient deficiencies, in particular vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency disorders, are also
widespread.

Unemployment/underemployment/migration: According to the report of the Central Statistics Authority (CSA) on the 1999 national labour force survey, 8% of all people aged 15 years and above were unemployed. This means that most of the rural population in this age category is employed, but they produce enough for the subsistence of the family only. Thus, no surplus is available to earn an income for the improvement of the economic well-being of the population. Of the total population of the country, 19.6% are migrants. The reasons for population movement (migration) are search for work, marriage arrangements and return home or going back to place of origin, and search for grazing area. Pastoralists constitute about 10% of the population. It was found that females were more likely to migrate than males.

Status of women: Violence against women is still prevalent in the country and harmful traditional practices (abduction, early marriage, etc.) are common. These have negative consequences on the health of women. Therefore, mainstream gender issues in all aspects of development, including health, are important. Ethiopia has the highest incidence of maternal mortality of any country in the world, ranging from 560 to 850 per 100,000 population.

About Retail

The hardest thing about living here is finding what you want. In a city of 4 million, it is here somewhere, but with no addresses, and no large department stores, the search is the hardest part. Fortunately the merchants tend to cluster in similar areas. By that I mean that there is an auto parts section of town and a clothing section and a hardware section and a flooring section, etc. Unfortunately we have no clue where they are AND no way to get directions other than "go down that road where Ahmed grew up and turn left where they are thinking about building that new bank." The use of the corregated metal sheet metal pieces is all around, especially for the "shops". These people really are proud of their locks too. I watched one guy diligently attach and lock his padlock on a sheet metal door to a canvas hut. There are basically two types of quality goods here, used and Family Dollar. You also need to watch out that you do not get charged 50-100% more because you are a white guy with money. They all know the white people have lots of money and most of them will give you some if you look pitiful enough. Now granted there are some really destitute poor folks here that truly do beg for money to feed the child strapped to their backs. But just Friday we were waiting in traffic on a four-lane road and a guy was perched on the concrete median divider. I saw him counting through a small handful of bills, and then tuck the money into his jacket pocket. As we inched closer, he saw us, put on his sad face and came to the window asking for money for food in Amharic. I told him "Ah-goo-bahn-yum" which means "I don't understand" in Amharic. He then gestures to show me. I gesture back and showed him that I knew where he had hidden his stash of cash. He got a surprised look on his face, grinned really big, laughed and said "have a great afternoon!"

Every day it is something different and as always, things are not quite as you expect them to be.

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About Construction

I am convinced that the most valuable resource here in Addis is the Eucalyptus tree branch. I am completely serious. These people use these branches for an amazing number of things. Broom handles, axe handles, walking sticks, crutches, and to build buildings. Not stick huts mind you, but full scale concrete buildings. They use them for ramps, scaffolds, supports for concrete pouring, roof props, spacers, levers, and more things I am sure. Everything is manual. The cinder blocks are moved by donkey or human "day laborers" buckets of mixed concrete are carried up the building ramps to be dumped to pour floors, columns, etc. They mix the concrete in 2 bag mixers and again, "day laborers" carry, shovel, mix, carry, pour, spread, carry and more. A 2 storey building takes about 1.5 years to build this way. A typical "suburban home" a little over a year. When it is done, it is nearly all solid concrete, and not going anywhere. Out in the country the houses really are the huts you would expect. Sticks, mud and dung walls, no furniture to speak of, grass roof and quite the smell when the rainy season arrives.

Another curious thing, the people cannot be private land owners here. The government owns it all for the people to use. So if you want to build a house, you have to lease the property from the government for 99 years. In the end, you own the house, but not the land. You own the plants, but not the dirt they are planted in.

About Flowers

Todays post is simple. There is an amazing array of flowers that grow around here. Here is a sample of some from around the neighborhood. There are lush gardens behind corregated metal walls, beautiful parks tucked away in what used to be Emperor's Palace grounds. There is truly amazing beauty hidden behind the filth and poverty. Fortunately, all you have to do is look a little deeper.

About Food

One fascinating thing about Ethiopia is the food. (all pictures can be clicked to enlarge them) The rule of thumb certainly still holds, nothing is quite like you expect. The staple food for millions of people here is called Injera. That means "household bread". It is used as a plate, utensil and food all at once. It is a floppy bread with an unfamiliar vinegary taste that comes from the flour that it is made of. They call it Tef, it is a local grass that when dried and ground makes a flour that is quite high in iron, but low in gluten. They make a batter, let it set and ferment for a few days from the naturally ocurring wild yeasts that are present in the grass. This batter is then fried in large (2 ft diameter) round griddles called a Mirte Stove and peeled off when it is done. Everything from salad, wat or tsebhi (stew), shiro (dried peas, powdered and made into a spicy paste), tibs (small bits of fried meat), paprika-pepper spices and other delicacies that taste quite good when combined together. It is certainly a spicy dish, as most food here is. The other thing to notice is that the vast majority of foods are vegetable based. Other than nearly all the local food being "organic" it is also considered "fasting food". The majority religion here is an Orthodox Christianity that is claimed to be the second oldest religion in the world. A part of the belief is to fast for 165 days per year (270 days if you are a priest). When they fast it means that they cannot eat animal-based protein. Because injera is all vegetable, it is all over the place and eaten all the time. We went to a local restaurant for an injera lunch and when the household staff goes out with us, they nearly always order it for themselves. We went to a local "mall" called the Friendship Center, and the restaurant there was on a balcony with a great view of part of the city. When we saw that "Kentucky Fried Chicken" was on the menu, Nanci just had to try it. As you can see, it was not quite like we expected. It tasted fine, but when the palate expects one thing and gets another, the brain gets a bit confused. Wuhib (our driver) claims that this restaurant makes the best injera he has ever had. It is scrambled injera the best I can tell. He knocks it back with glee and the smile on his face lingers for about an hour I think. Ribka (Rebecca our maid/cook) loves a dish called kitfu. It is a spicy ground steak tartar (that means raw) with onions, garlic and a little sauce sometimes. Oddly enough, this is considered to be dessert food, rather than an entre or appetizer. I tried a little bit and will have to develop my tastes a bit more before it becomes a favorite dessert for me. Also in this meal was a mixture of goat cheese and casava leaf (like African greens), injera (of course) and a rubbery food called "kocho" that is made from the stem of the mus (banana) plant, chopped, pressed and fried, often with red pepper.

Speaking of vegetables and fruits, they are all over the place in corregated metal huts or on roadside towels. Talk about fresh and plenty of it and cheap! The same with the bread. Baked fresh yeast bread costs 2 Birr per loaf. About 22 cents US. Bananas are about 20 cents a pound. Normal food can be found here in the up-scale grocery stores. It is a bit more expensive since it caters to the European NGO employees who have lots of money and are afraid to go to one of the metal huts or eat local food. I can't get over how fresh food is around here. One of the most popular meats here is lamb. Even it is fresh and available locally. A small lamb costs 100 Birr (US$11) and a medium one is 150 Birr (US$16). For an additional 10 Birr you can have the farmer carry it to your house for you. Yes, that's right, the shepard is local, right in the street in the country's largest city of 4 million people. Marcus and Ralph's driver walked over before dawn last weekend and brought back a lamb to the house. Then one of them with a large knife grabbed Marcus and said "you come, take photo". When he got to the porch he was just in time to see them procede to prepare the lamb for lunch. What a sight to wake up to on a Sunday morning. They then grilled it up on a charcoal grill made from half of a freon tank and claimed lunch and dinner were fabulous. There are cattle roaming around as well, but I have not priced one of those. In all, the food is great. I have yet to encounter an anchovy or any food that I would not eat again.

About the Climate

Blue skies. You had better like them if you wish to come to Addis Ababa. 65 - 78 degrees year round, it is real tough climate to live in. Kinda like San Diego all the time. They say that there is a "rainy season" from June to September and some clouds show up then. Colorful sunrises and sunsets, 13 months of sunshine. Truly amazing and absolutely unexpected from everything we all ever learned from Sally Struthers. How can this be? Well, we are 9 degrees south of the equator AND we are at about 8,000 feet. So equatorial sun and altitude make for gorgeous weather all the time. Other then acclimating to the thin air, it is really easy to get used to the weather.

About Transportation

One of the toughest things about being in Ethiopia is getting around. There is a tremendous amount of construction going on with the roads and buildings, trying to prepare for the millenium celebration (more on that later). Because there is not much heavy construction equipment, many things are done manually. This means that it takes a long time to complete. There are about 4 million people in Addis Ababa, and they all share the roads with the vehicles and animals. So part of the fun of getting around is guessing where other cars may be going, dodging people and sheep, and iguring out just where you are. You see, there are no addresses in Ethiopia. None. This means you cannot tell anyone where you are other than to use the local landmarks. Mail is not delivered any farther than a PO box. In fact, we bought a map of the city and found where we were located, relative to the airport. We are a bit NE of it. When we asked our driver where work was located, he could not find it on the map, but he knows six other ways to get there by car. Just as in other major cities, there are many buses and taxis. The city buses are orange and white and the taxis are blue. They call them "Blue Mules" here. They are plentiful and come in several varieties. Tiny boxy cars, pick-up trucks with camper shells on them and 15 passenger minibuses. They are constantly in motion, jockying for position and lurching for the next couple of meters that may make a 2 second difference in arrival time. The existance of lanes appears to be a formality and as one famous pirate said, "are more like guidelines, than laws". You apparently are expected to take whatever opening is made as soon as it appears. Defensive driving is a curious concept at best.

Dirt roads in the city are normal during this time and traffic 4 cars wide one a two-lane dirt road is commonplace. Every day the drive to work is different. The things we see, from animals to people, to vehicles is fascinating. You never know what the next block will bring. Riding here is not for the faint of heart.

Work Day 1

Feb 26, 2007

So after another thrilling ride into the diesel smog city, I arrive at what is to become my second home. The one continuous thing about this place is the constant and thick diesel fume air. Although facilities are a bit limited sometimes, and the power goes out, and the 56k connection is shared by the 5 of us, it is work/home to get the mission done. I managed to stay awake for the entire work day, which surprised the crew just a bit I think.

Arrival

Feb 25, 2007

After only 17 hours in flight, Ethiopian Airlines dropped me off in Addis Ababa. Because I had no time to secure a visa in the States, I was allowed to get one at the airport. A 90-day tourist visa took only about 20 minutes to get. The trick is that you need $20 US to get one. Because using any other country's currency is illegal, finding a $20 bill later on (for other visa issues) can be quite the trick. Fortunately Ralph, one of the consulting team, was there to get me home. It was the first of the daily harrowing trips and the reason we have a professional driver assigned to us. Wuhib is our driver, he has several years of local and long-distance driving experience, and is a joy to ride with. We ride in a relatively new white Toyota pick-up with a crew cab. Comfortably seats 5 and has had as many as 7 in it thusfar.