Preparing dinner the traditional style in Gode, Ethiopia.…
I always think of Ethiopia as the first African country I ever heard about in any detail, and I heard about it becasue of the Band Aid concert. I'm keen to understand more about Ethiopia because all those images on the news at the same time affected me so deeply. So, I took a little time to find out some of the history of our work in Ethiopia to think about how closely it matches what I have seen on the news.
- Lisa
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Preparing dinner the traditional style in Gode, Ethiopia.
I always think of Ethiopia as the first African country I ever heard about in any detail, and I heard about it becasue of the Band Aid concert. I'm keen to understand more about Ethiopia because all those images on the news at the same time affected me so deeply. So, I took a little time to find out some of the history of our work in Ethiopia to think about how closely it matches what I have seen on the news.
SOS Children's Villages started operating in Ethiopia in 1974, the year of the catastrophic drought. When the government of Ethiopia called on the international community for help, SOS became aware of the suffering of thousands of orphaned and abandoned children in the country.The first SOS Children's Village was built in Makalle, located in the north of the country, an area particularly struck by famine. Just five years later, an SOS Children's Village was opened in Harrar and in 1981 another one in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
In 1985, Ethiopia was again hit by drought and famine. SOS Children's Village Makalle was able to play a strong supporting role as part of a wide-scale emergency relief programme distributing foodstuffs and providing emergency accommodation to the victims of the disaster.
Further SOS Children's Villages were built in Awassa and Bahir Dar during the following years. After Ethiopia was hit yet again by drought in July 2000, SOS Children's Villages Ethiopia started another emergency relief programme. This time help was provided to the people of Ogaden, the region bordering Somalia.
In the course of relief activities, an emergency relief centre was set up in Gode to provide primary medical assistance and distribute food. At the same time, the corner stone for the construction of Ethiopia's sixth SOS Children's Village was laid. Almost all SOS Children's Villages in Ethiopia have SOS nurseries and SOS Youth Facilities attached to them.
In order to provide access to educational facilities for children and youths from SOS Children's Villages and their surroundings, five SOS Primary and Secondary Schools and three SOS Vocational Centres (providing training in car mechanics, carpentry, metal work, agriculture and nursing) have been built. Within the scope of their financial capacity, the SOS Schools and some SOS Children's Villages extend their help to children and youths from particularly poor families who cannot afford to send their children to school.
Help is provided both through financial subsidies (scholarships) and by distributing stationary materials, school uniforms, clothes, shoes, etc. Since medical care has proven to be insufficient in many parts where SOS Children's Villages exist, SOS Medical Centres were set up in Addis Ababa, Makalle and Gode. All SOS Children's Villages run supporting programmes for the poor in their vicinity.
Gode is located in the desert area of Ethiopia's Somali province, in the southeast of Ethiopia. The economy is mainly dependent on agriculture and nomadic pastoralism. Gode was affected by severe drought in 1999, and famine and starvation have prevailed in the area ever since. The poor general state of health of the community and the high prevalence of malnutrition are the main reasons why this area has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country.
The site where SOS Children's Village Gode has been constructed, was donated by the Government of Ethiopia. Construction of SOS Children's Village Gode was finally completed in August 2004 after construction works had been going on for several years. This was due to the extremely difficult working conditions at the construction site. SOS Children's Village Gode is situated on the banks of the river Wabishebeelle, about two kilometres from the centre of Gode. It comprises 12 family houses, the village director's house, accommodation for the SOS aunts (SOS aunts take care of the children when SOS mothers are on leave), a guesthouse, a workshop, and an administration and service area. A total of 120 children can be accommodated at this SOS Children's Village.
In September 2005, an SOS Primary and Secondary School was opened. The school provides education for some 420 pupils from the SOS Children's Village and its vicinity. It comprises 12 classrooms, a library/computer room, a workshop, a canteen, a multi-purpose hall and administrative rooms.
The SOS nursery, which is attached to the Children's Village, was also officially opened in September 2005. It offers places for about 105 children. The SOS nursery has a playground of its own.
In order to improve the basic health care situation in south-eastern Ethiopia, an SOS Medical Centre has been in operation on temporary premises since 2000. Construction of a permanent facility was started in January 2003 and finished in the autumn of 2005. The SOS Medical Centre comprises a waiting hall/reception, three examination rooms, a pharmacy, a sterilisation room, and an administration area. About 4,300 people receive medical treatment at the SOS Medical Centre annually.
- Mary
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A row of trees at Children's Village Tehuacán, Mexico.
The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico on 2 November. It is a Mexican equivalent to Halloween. The celebration of this day shows the fusion of history between the beliefs of ancient Mexico and the Christian religion brought by the Spanish missionaries.
In the diverse cultures of pre-Columbian Mexico, there was a great reverence for the dead, as seen on the tombs which are still preserved. Since then, the habit of leaving them water, food, jewellery and other items to continue their journey has persisted.
The current tradition of the Day of the Dead, with great Catholic influence, preserves many elements of ancient beliefs: the idea that life is temporary and the aim for a better future. In many cities and towns, especially where an indigenous presence is strong, it is the main holiday of the year.
On this day families visit the graves of their relatives, they clean them, light candles and bring the flowers known as zempasuchil [yellow marigolds]. They bring fruits, sweets and bread, which is a special bread that is made throughout Mexico expressly for these celebrations.
Special altars or "offerings" are prepared in the houses, dedicated to dead relatives. People have a vigil during the night, dimly lit by the light of candles, in the midst of a fascinating and mysterious atmosphere. The altars range from very simple to very elaborate, usually covered with objects that gave pleasure in life to the dead person. The altars dedicated to dead children include toys and candy.
The offerings also include figures of sugar or alfeñique [a paste of kneaded sugar where the recipe varies according to the Mexican region]. These figures are usually angels, fruits, sheep, coffins and, of course, skulls. Names are written on them and children share them with their friends.
In the offerings there is also minced paper of different colours, a very ancient Mexican tradition. Some items are left to serve the deceased on his or her journey such as a walking stick, a mat so that he or she can rest and the figure of a dog to serve as a guide.
The food and drink that were favourites in the dead person's life are left in the offerings, a little salt and a glass of water, sometimes accompanied by food, tequila or mezcal [local drinks, both produced from the distillation of the agave]. There is a belief that says that if the next day the food has no flavour, it is because the dead took it away.
Other offerings include sweets, incense, fruit, flowers, tamales (a traditional Latin-American food consisting of steam-cooked corn meal dough with or without a filling], special dishes (according to the region), corn, candles and pictures of saints.
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