Our Cooking School Students!

From left to right: Bejno Muree, Emebet Fanetye, Safiya Kabato, Tejitu Usha, Safaye Ababo

Last fall, we helped Selam Awassa Vocational School launch their women's program providing training in cooking and restaurant management.  With help from several generous donors, we are currently sponsoring 5 students in this inaugural session.While in Awassa last week, we met 'our girls' from the Kalo village area studying in the program. What a treasure these young women are!  The girls are learning skills in cooking, food preparation and presentation, and serving.  We checked out their test kitchen, and 'restaurant' area, where they daily prepare a delightful meal that could be served at a local restaurant or hotel.  Selam embraces the importance of teaching basic skills, but also cultivating a culture that values excellence and beauty.This was demonstrated in the meal and table presentation.
We spent time hearing from the girls how they felt when they began their program, what they were most excited about learning, and what plans they were considering when they are finished early this summer.  They shared their gratitude for the opportunity afforded them by the cooking school and those who are sponsoring them.

What was most impactful was the way the girls carried themselves as we interacted with them.  They emanated a sense of confidence uncommon to the rural villages they come from. They reflected a self-worth that comes from knowing they were created by a good God who loves them - whereas most of the impressions we get when meeting with people from the rural area communicates a downcast spirit.
Education is often lifted up as the key ingredient in leading developing nations to prosperity.  We share the belief with Selam that education and vocational training add great value to individuals and communities. Yet, Selam goes further than just passing on valuable skills - they instill in each student their inherent value which inspires them to dream of a better future. We are excited to introduce 'our girls' and begin to share their story with you.

The Path to Hope (Part 2)

Last week, we looked at the paradox between Africa's poverty and abundant resources detailed in the short book Against All Hope: Hope for Africa by Darrow Miller and Scott Allen of the Disciple Nations Alliance.  The second half of their book argues the true source of Africa's woes lie beneath the surface of all the symptoms and 'excuses', and is rooted in the worldview held by most of its peoples.

When we speak of worldview, we are speaking of the total set of beliefs or assumptions that comprise the mindset of an individual and determine how the they view reality. Within a particular group of people (a society) the dominant ideas that are held by the majority of people from the culture. Our worldviews not only determine how we see the world, but more importantly, they determine of societies and nations we build. (p. 39. italics mine)

Miller and Allen contend that most of Africa remains, to varying degrees, enslaved to a worldview rooted in Animism leading to desperate poverty, while the Bible holds the only worldview that comports with reality. They show how Animism is characterized by some of the following beliefs compared to the Biblical worldview: Women are inferior to men - Women are made in the image of God/Work is a curse - Work is part of our dignity/We are poor and there is nothing we can do about it - God created humans with freedom and responsibility.

In a brief, but poignant way, Against All Hope describes how several centuries of Christian missionary efforts in Africa have led to millions of converts (nearly 50% of all Africans consider themselves Christian) but a failure of the Christian worldview to penetrate the churches and communities throughout the continent.  Miller and Allen quote theologian Dr. Van der Poll about the impact of this failure:

Because the Gospel was not brought to the people as a new totally encompassing life view, which would take the place of an equally comprehensive traditional life view, the deepest core of African culture remains untouched . . . .

The convert in Africa did not see the Gospel as sufficient for his whole life and especially for the deepest issues of life. For that reason, we find the phenomenon across Africa today that Christians in time of existential needs and crises (such as danger, illness and death) fall back on their traditional beliefs and life views. (p. 42)

This reality has profound implications for our work.  Whether we seek to address the spiritual or material needs among our Arsi Oromo friends in Ethiopia, failing to cultivate a Biblical worldview is an unacceptable approach.

Miller and Allen continue to unfold what the Biblical Worldview really is, an understanding of history past, present and future, including the nature of God, man, and creation.  They end by recounting the story of God's promise to Abraham to bless all nations of the earth through his offspring as the basis for Africa's hope. God is not finished with Africa. He has great plans for her and her many diverse peoples as they embrace a wholistic Biblical worldview.  To inspire readers, Against all Hope finishes with a series of examples of how God is transforming communities in various African countries.

The core ideas presented in this little book have become an anchor for our efforts in Southern Ethiopia.  We are indebted to the authors and the others in their organization who have spent many years laboring among the poor in Africa and elsewhere. Their willingness to share what they've learned has helped us set a course for what we hope will lead to God's kingdom coming to many communities. 

Under Water

World Water Day is this Thursday.  (There sure are a lot of 'Days' to pay attention to!) Check out this video published by the U.N. on World Water Day.

Africa Water and Life is passionate about helping the Arsi Oromo of Southern Ethiopia access clean, safe water. We share that passion with many other organizations who've been working to do the same around the world for many years.  We value the attention the United Nations brings to issues like access to water. But is access to water threatened by wasted food?  Well, in Ethiopia, only 1.5% of available water is used for irrigation. How one diagnoses a problem determines how they find a solution.  Wasting food is not necessarily a good idea and over-consumption is poor stewardship of the resources God gave us. But it has little to do with the water crisis in Ethiopia.

That is why supporting the Self-Help Group program is so critical to our mission.  The SHG's foster concept that local resources exist to address local challenges - like lack of water.  And since every community is different, including its water sources, the SHG facilitators intentionally avoid telling members how they should solve their problems.  The abundance of water in Ethiopia is proof-positive that resources are available to be cultivated for the good of the community.  Africa Water and Life will evaluate new water projects to support when we visit Ethiopia next month. In the meantime, we remain committed to the life-giving process of the Self-Help Groups. 

The Path to Hope (Part 1)

Earlier this week, we recommended Against all Hope: Hope for Africa, as a great resource to learn more about the philosophy of development Africa Water and Life has adopted from organizations like the Disciple Nations Alliance.  Authors Darrow Miller and Scott Allen begin Against All Hope by imagining what Africa would look like if the Church was thriving and bringing God's healing and restoration to every community she touched.  In reference to its significant poverty and despair, Miller and Allen ask "Is Africa Cursed"?  This is a relevant question when you consider the pace of development in other nations and regions across the globe. We have felt this up close where we work. While there are several growing cities in Ethiopia, 1 in 8 people still live in rural areas in conditions not much different than those used several thousand years ago.  Improvements to infrastructure like paved roads and moderate access to electricity are apparent, but they do not seem to be used to create more opportunities for community members to improve their lives. 


The authors then make the methodical argument that far from being cursed, Africa is as blessed as any continent on Earth.  It contains more land space than the United States, China, India, Argentina, and New Zealand combined.  It possesses the world's greatest amount of natural resources consisting of minerals, water, and energy and agricultural capacity.  And most of all, Africa is home to 874 million people made in the image of God (mind, heart, and personality) spread across 3500 distinct ethnic groups.  As Miller and Allen point out, "Africans . . .are born with this vast internal property - and it is the greatest source of wealth in any community. Like any capital, it needs to be stewarded."


Against All Hope goes on to show how Africa's abundant resources are a considerable 'paradox' compared to its status as the poorest continent. 

A child born to African parents on African soil has a greater likelihood of dying before his or her fifth birthday than a child born elsewhere in the world. African children are less well-nourished, poorer, less literate and have greater possibility of contracting AIDS than children born elsewhere in the world. (p. 24)

According to every index (material, composite, and non-material), Africa ranks at or near the bottom.  Why is this so? Miller and Allen start with the 'excuses' many Africans give for their lack of development. These range from external (colonialism, Cold War, insufficient foreign Aid) to political (Tribalism, corruption, lack of leadership) and material (overpopulation, lack of resources). The authors acknowledge the impact these have had on African development. But they give a number of examples of other countries that have faced similar conditions and risen from their impoverished state.  

Our friends in Southern Ethiopia have expressed their hopelessness to us and for many the 'excuse' is simply, "Poverty is our destiny. We've always been this way."  They long for relief from the despair and know that everything is not the way it is supposed to be. But a solution is elusive and their creativity is expressed primarily in the different ways they can ask us for help.  We see the material and non-material resources the Arsi Oromo of Southern Ethiopia possess and long for them to be unlocked and used for their good.

The second half of Against All Hope gets to the heart of why Africa struggles, and lays out a road-map for leading nations to reach their potential. We'll review their solutions next week.

A Great Place to Start

Africa Water and Life represents the effort by a small group of people to put into practice the many lessons Christ-centered development workers and organizations have learned over the last half-century.  That can sound like our work among the Arsi Oromo in Southern Ethiopia is some sort of experiment or practicum,  where communities serve as our 'labs' for testing new theories.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  


When we begin seeking to help our new friends in Ethiopia solve the water crisis, we were quickly faced with the sickening reality that their dignity was significantly diminished by the persistent dependence on foreign aid to lead them out of poverty.  This breaks our heart in some ways more than the lack of water or basic hygiene.  So, we have sought to find out what other, experienced development workers have done and believe about replacing despair with hope and building capacity instead of dependence. Thankfully, we are just launching our little rickety skiff into a big current God is orchestrating among churches and non-government organizations in the West and across the developing world.  One great resource for understanding is the Disciple Nations Alliance.  Based in Arizona, DNA's vision is to see the global Church rise to her full potential as God's instrument for the healing, blessing and transformation of the nations. They provide a rich set of resources for understanding a theology and practical methodology of development.  A great place to start is the short book they provide online for free called Against all Hope: Hope for Africa. It's a quick but powerful read which I highly recommend. I'll share some reflections on the subjects it raises later this week. - CR 

Ladies Day

Yesterday was International Women's Day. This event began in 1908 in Europe to address social and political issues involving women in the West, but has today is rallying cry for empowerment and upholding the dignity of women in the developing world.  The challenges facing women in rural Southern Ethiopia are profound.  For a number of reasons, women shoulder the burden (literally) of obtaining water for their families. One of the most significant effects this can have is a condition called Obstetric Fistula which can be caused by carrying water and firewood during childhood.  (Read the link to understand this incredible tragedy)

Generally speaking, lack of access to clean water is one area of poverty that affects women disproportionately. Is this just a necessity since men are often engaged in other activities like farming, unable to assist in retrieving water? Or have women been subjected to a more difficult task because they are devalued by their husbands or other men in their culture?  Probably both, unfortunately.  While we seek to improve access to water, we hope to inspire certain values, like the equality of all people and the blessing offered to a society that respects women because they made in God's image.  The issue of water gives so many opportunities to address other problems facing a community.  We hope to take advantage of these opportunities with every well we sponsor.

Celebrate or Lament?

If you saw haven't seen our post from earlier this week detailing the steps taken to complete the well project in Kalo village, skim through it before you read on.  If you have, you know it was a nearly 2 1/2 year process with some serious setbacks and obstacles.  But now, we have thousands of people with access to water, made clean by God's amazing purification system.  We celebrate the powerful impact this development is poised to make on Kalo and the surrounding villages.  We've forged key relationships with the 'Kebele' or village leadership and our development partners.  We've learned significant lessons through the twists and turns.  Not all well projects in Africa are as complex and we are anticipating our next set of projects will be less costly and take less time.  But as the author of Lamentations says, 'It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth'.
Good for a wannabe non-profit international development organization too.

As we celebrate, we lament some of things the process revealed.  For rural Arsi Oromo people, there is a besetting hopelessness hidden behind the smiles and giddiness they show whenever we visit.  Some of this is rooted in the helplessness they feel to change their own situation.  We experienced this first hand as we sat across the table from the local electrical utility manager and he said there was nothing he could do to accelerate the repair to the transformer that was blown two months earlier.  But the feeling comes from inside too, evident by the refrain of "money, money" from the kids who chase our vans and hold our hands as we walk through the marketplace. Its the only English word they seem to know. These are things clean water isn't going to change.  Like lightning to an inadequate transformer, the dependence and despair we've seen in our Ethiopian friends has shorted our vision, and driven us to something with greater capacity to inspire transformation. Our partners already know this and they've been patiently enlightening us. And, praise God, we've begun to work together on initiatives and strategies that lead the Arsi to a better future beyond access to clean water.  Because water alone is not enough.