Spring Protections

Today we visited four spring protections. I was thankful that the people did not know we were coming so they did not prepare a celebration and we had the time to visit more villages. The spring protections were pretty cool because pipes ran to get clean water for a shower, cattle trough, a station to wash clothes, and a place with four spouts to fill up jerry cans. It was solving a big problem because the spring was clean water but the mud it ran into and the cattle contaminated it in seconds. Women would fight for the closest spot to the clean water, and that meant that people got very little clean water and almost all dirty water.

The people in these villages were wealthier and cleaner than the ones in Tigray. That is because ORDA has created a flag system. The red flag is the best, then the green flag, and then yellow. To get a red flag the family had to have a clean and enclosed pit latrine, a clean water washing station, house organization (separate rooms), animals living in different space than humans, and a dry waste composting. The family also had to keep their clothes clean, take showers, and keep the water they drink clean and not put their hands or cups into the jerry can. I thought this system was very good because it really kept the village cleaner and healthier.

Today we also visited a school. We visited the elementary school so they all had on purple uniforms. There were three thousand kids in the school and about eighty of them would be crammed into one classroom. All of the kids were very excited to see us and some made speeches in English asking for desks and chairs, they were either sitting on the dirt or small wooden poles that were elevated just above the ground. Scott got another traditional outfit (his third on this trip) but he is sick in Addis so my dad will have to deliver it to him.

Our cultures are so different in every way and when I get home I am really going to appreciate our excellent food and restaurants. In the villages they feed us bread that is usually injera which I hate, goopy honey which is actually quite good but you get sick of it, popcorn ☺, Sewa beer ☹, and today we got beans. Every night we go to the best restaurant in town, which is really never that good. I am also missing the nice bathrooms and beds. I am amazed at how the people live, but they must get very used to that lifestyle. Overall the people here are very friendly and if you wave to them they will smile and wave back. This hotel has huge pool but it looks kind ‘a murky.

- hi to the people at home and in Chicago who are reading this!
- Mom, say hi to mars and tell him to eat his food but not socks