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I returned home on Sunday, more than a little weary after my 2 frenetic and fantastic weeks. Yesterday (Monday) I issued a press release about my trip to my media contacts. This was a challenge as I had to summarise the trip in one page!! I have included an example of the press release below.

Now it's time to take stock and decide how to use all the information I have brought home. So far the feeling seems to be that a book of stories may be better than another diary - but please do let me know what you think.

I'll blog again when my plans are firm.

Thanks for all your interest.

PRESS RELEASE

Berkshire Charity Chairman man returns from Ethiopia

Mike Coote, Chairman of the local charity Assisting Berkshire Children to read (ABC to read) has just returned from a second visit to Ethiopia where he worked with the aid agency CAFOD on projects which aim to improve the lives of people in poor rural areas.

Mike, a 61 year old grandfather of 8 from Farnham Common, said: “I saw many people whose lives have been transformed by the construction of water conservation techniques that give them access to clean drinking water near their homes and a more regular supply of water for the irrigation of a wide range of crops. They are learning rapidly which crops to grow and where to sell them in order to maximise their income.”

In Dire Dawa in the east of the country, Mike worked with one of CAFOD’s local partners on a plan to develop a market for locally produced tomato paste and sauce, designed for local tastes. This will increase the demand for the tomato crop which has increased significantly since the introduction of a water conservation system.

Returning to Tigray in the north of the country which he visited last November Mike saw that water conserved since the last major rainy season nine months ago was still available for drinking and irrigation. Mike said: ”I met a woman who, before the project managed by CAFOD’s partner REST (Relief Society of Tigray), had to walk and queue for 5 hours each day to obtain water from an algae infested pond. She told me how, one day, another woman had given birth whilst waiting in the queue – imagine that!”

Around a third of Ethiopians now have access to nearby drinking water, a huge increase from the almost negligible figures of 15 years ago. ‘This is very good progress, made by the Ethiopian Government and by aid agencies like CAFOD with their Ethiopian partner organisations’, said Mike, ‘but of course it also means that about two thirds of the population is still waiting for what we in Berkshire take for granted’

Mike now plans to write another book about his experiences in Ethiopia, telling the stories of many of the people he met during his time in the country.

WATER IS LIFE

Back in Addis yesterday (Friday) evening. The presentation at REST has given me a plethora of stories as well as a lot more background to their work and a better understanding of what determines the quality of its outcomes.

I met Merid from Adua (who looked after me there on my last trip). I gave him copies of my book, a book on marketing he had requested and a small present for his boys. He told me a lot about how things had developed in Adua since November. The spring at the St Michael watershed is still flowing; more gabion has been obtained to strengthen many of the block dams and the ‘metalworking bakers’ now sell to passing cars and minibuses as well as to their own villagers – a sort of drive in bread shop. I suggested we bought them a proper switch for their electricity supply! He even came with me in the car to the airport just to say ‘farewell’.

So now I’m waiting to come home, organising the files on my laptop and wondering what to do with the mass of information I have collected – any comments would be very welcome. Do I write another book, as a diary, like the first one? Or do I write a book of many of the stories of people I have met with comments on the lessons they teach us? Please give me any thoughts you have either by writing a blog comment or emailing me at mscoote@googlemail.com

I am haunted by one image from the presentation. Before the project many women (and then it was always the women) had to walk 5 hours to queue to collect algae infested water. On one occasion the queue was so long that one woman gave birth whilst waiting. Just picture that.

I am beginning to collect information on how many people now benefit from a secure supply of pure water - 15 years ago it was less than 1%. It is now getting somewhere between 35% and 40% (more research needed!). On one hand this is wonderful progress by the Government and Aid Agencies – on the other it means that well over half the population have still to walk, queue and collect unclean water.

I am looking forward to getting home. I am guiltily waiting to taste fresh fruit and salad again!

More when I get back.

FLAVOURS OF TIGRAY

At 8a.m. today (Thursday) we visited the Martyrs’ Memorial above Mekelle, built to honour those who gave their lives in overthrowing the communist regime in the early nineties. There was a display of photos including one which showed Meles, the current Ethiopian Prime Minister in a group of young members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Politically there is little doubt that people’s lives have become freer and more promising since the demise of the Communists.

Jannie and I visited the Daughters of Charity for lunch. These sisters do some incredible work with the poor around Mekele and in Alitena, which I visited last year. They have an amazing ambition to do much more – exemplified by a plan to obtain a large increase in funds from their various donors. Yesterday I had presented Sister Medhin with 20 football shirts donated by a school in Nottingham – for the street children of Mekele.

Meanwhile we are writing up our case studies and preparing for a presentation tomorrow (I’m still not quite sure who we are presenting to!) What is amazing is that everyone is preparing all this in English (which they give me to correct!), although the majority of the audience will be Ethiopian!

Tomorrow after the presentation we fly back to Addis – so the next blog may be Saturday.

CASE STUDY OVERLOAD!

Another busy time collecting case studies for the lessons learned project.

The highlight was a farmer who had been provided with a high milk yielding cow from another part of Ethiopia 3 years ago. The milk from this cow, sold through a co-operative group is now his main source of income. He now uses his small plot of land to grow fodder for the cow and its three offspring – 2 bulls (which he will sell for a good price when they reach the right age) and a calf who will also produce milk when older. He has been able to pay for his children to go to school – his 19 year old daughter is studying computers in Mekele. Before the cow he lived on the meagre crop his land produced and by selling cups of tea (a ‘business’ he has now abandoned!)

I am now beginning to feel overloaded with stories of people whose lives have been transformed for the better. You may also be getting tired of these upbeat blog posts!
So I am now trying to find out more about the downsides of life here – if for no other reason than to convince myself what I am sure is true – there are many more people who need the help the few I have met have so clearly benefited from.

Last night I was alone with Belayneh (who hosted me in Dire Dawa last week and is part of this project so that ideas between the two CAFOD supported projects from different parts of the Country can be exchanged). We went for an excellent Ethiopian meal, which he thought was very overpriced. It cost less than £3 for two. Another example of how a little of the money we give goes a very long way.

‘THE APPRENTICE’

A long day at the Shilanet watershed. Our lessons learned project is looking at 4 aspects of the watershed programmes here and in Adua (where I went last year).

We are looking for the best outcomes in:

Agricultural production and marketing (my bit)
Water development
Community institutions and capacity building
HIV and gender equality issues.

We found a cracking first case study Goitum Hilaf, a 24 year old farmer, who with the help of his mother and brothers has changed their lives since 2003 when they needed food aid for half a year (after the wheat crop had all gone). He is now a ‘business man’ with a range of crops, cows, oxen, donkeys, an astute awareness of local market forces, a petrol pump for irrigation that he hires out to friends (at a charge) and excess cash that he loans to fellow farmers,. He has extended his house, re-roofed it with corrugated iron and now has 3 sets of clothes! An impoverished farmer transformed into a worthy 'apprentice' by his own efforts, training and support from the project and, of course, the regular water supply the project has created.

We saw many more examples of heartening stories which I have no time for now. We also saw a corrugated potato storage ‘house’ which somehow was cool enough to sleep in despite the baking sun and the temperature in the eighties. However at this point there was an unseasonable thunderstorm and a deluge. We were forced to shelter in the storage house with many of the locals for about 30 minutes. I now have some rather filthy clothes and shoes to deal with!

We left at 7 this morning and got back at 6 – beats going to the gym!

TIGRAY REVISITED

We arrived at Mekele 3 hours late yesterday (Sunday) - en episode worthy of a paragraph in the next book! - for which there is a growing expectation here!. We went to REST HQ for a pre-briefing for our Lessons Learnt project of the watershed work I saw last year. The idea is to make it very friendly by seeking the very best of the results obtained - less positive aspects can wait for the formal review when the project extension ends in October. This approach should mean many more stories of lives transformed by the conservation of water - this time in Hintalla.

Our timing upset the REST drivers as it was in the middle of the all important Chelsea/Arsenal match - this is a Man U town - so football fans will realise that today (Monday) there were many happy people here. If you're not a fan you won't have made sense of that!

Today I was not disappointed, visiting many similar sights to last November. The principles of this project are slightly different - but the result is the same - water to drink; water to grow different crops; water all year!

I met a single mum and her young son who can now grow three crops of potatoes each year instead of one, doubling her total income. I met a man who can now afford for his 4 sons to go to school as he too has more output of many different crops.

But maybe the find of the day - but I need to investigate further - is the fact that the methodolgy used by this CAFOD supported projects, which benefits 20% of the people in the area, is now being adopted by the government for the rest of the population, albeit maybe in a smaller way. If this is the case then the return on the project is way more significant than just the impact on the lives of its immediate beneficiaries.

More tomorrow!!

I am with the milk ladies!

DIRE DAWA - AFTERTHOUGHTS

Nearly half way through and back in Addis.

What I saw at Dire Dawa encapsulates the full breadth of CAFOD’s work.

At the very basic level I saw the devastation caused by last August’s flash flood and the efforts now being made to rehouse those affected so they can begin to rebuild their lives. This work builds on the urgent help provided just after the emergency with the provision of food, water and shelter. This is immediate emergency relief followed by returning people to a similar position to that which they had before the disaster.

Next I saw projects (similar to those in Tigray last year) aimed at conserving water, ensuring fresh supplies for drinking and enabling the successful production of a greater range of crops giving people a more assured income. This is longer term aid aimed at helping poor people to improve their own livelihoods in a sustainable manner.

Finally I saw how a very low-cost pilot project will allow people to build their own business skills, identifying and building new markets for their products thus potentially cementing their long term comfort and well-being. When its success is assured the time will have come for Agencies like CAFOD to allow these people, by their own efforts and spirit of enterprise to fend completely for themselves. They won’t have our lifestyle, but I suspect they wouldn’t want it. But they will no longer have a daily struggle to survive. For them, barring catastrophes, either natural or man made, poverty will be history.

THURSDAY 4th MAY - TOMATO GROWERS AND MILK LADIES

Another ‘field trip’- more indescribable scenery; driving across the flood plains created by last August’s disaster; a puncture repaired by the driver in 10 minutes (thank goodness we only had the one!); the usual gathering of people (many children) wherever we stopped; the haggard but smiling faces of everyone we met.

I met Ahmed Mussa, a farmer who, 5 years ago, switched from the staple crop of sogrum (one crop a year) to tomatoes and potatoes (3 crops a year). He chairs a co-operative of 20 similar farmers. Their produce is sold locally in Dire Dawa. Recently they have sold further east, including Djbouti, however the transport costs made this unprofitable. They need more demand and hence will fully support the production of tomato paste and ketchup ‘transformational products’. The production will be timed to coincide with the highest harvest where the raw product will be cheapest. The pilot project for this demand generation approach will measure the impact on farmers like Ahmed.

I met a group of women who produce milk and take it in turns to do the daily run to market in Dire Dawa. Their cattle produce about 2 litres of milk a day which gives them about 35p income. Their challenge is to raise this yield by at least twice to lift them off the poverty line. The answer lies in feeding the cows better forage. HCS have a project to develop better quality forage, producing seeds for distribution.
I was with the women some time as more and more people gathered. During the long period when all talk was in Amharic I started comparing their pre-occupation with forage quality (and they were very animated about it) with what pre-occupies most of us – can we afford to go on holiday to the Caribbean this year? – is it time for some new pairs of shoes? - will my next car be a BMW or a Toyota? – shall we eat out tonight or have a takeaway? – when will I get my next promotion? I could go on, but I’m just as guilty as the rest of us in this respect, so I’ll stop there!

RETURN TO THE SILENCE

The last day has been so full of sights, and meeting people that it's hard to take it all in - let alone do a short blog - but I'll try!

Yesterday I sat in on a meeting to identify the customer needs and possible production options for new tomato products. I was impressed with the enthusiasm all round, particularly 2 lady hotel owners who spelt out precisely what they wanted to buy locally instead of current imports. UK businesses often arrogantly forget to ask their customers what they want - so this was a very encouraging approach. We went to eat at one of the lady's restaurants last night.

Today I was taken out to an area which had benefitted from the type of watershed project I had seen in Tigray. It was at Woter, which was Belayneh's home town. I spoke to farmers whose whole lives had changed as they now grew productive and highly marketable potatoes rather than the staple sogrum. Their marketing training has led them to decide that there is now more money from selling these potatos as seeds for others than just selling their own output. This Country is full of natural businessmen!

I saw the results of the flood damage caused by the catastrophic events last August - and some of the work to rebuild roads and rehouse people. It must have been just as nightmarish as a Tsunami.

We visited the ancient town of Harar - the furthest east I will go.

When we picked up two of the farmers at Woter the first topic of conversation was Man U's defeat by Milan last night - they hadn't seen it of course but they'd heard enough to talk about it for several minutes! The Premiership is far more pouplar here than the local leagues!

DIRE DAWA

A flawless flight in a Fokker that landed early. Also on the flight, bound for HCS, were Amelle and Jaques from the French CAFOD equivalent. They were 2 days late having been stranded in Mekelle by a broken 737! They have to compress their review of their projects into 3 rather than 5 days - to ensure they are still home in time for the French elections.

I met my host Belayneh who introduced me to all his colleagues - it's a struggle remembering one name let alone half dozen! We had an initial chat about HCS marketing programmes and particularly the one funded by CAFOD/Trocaire. I find this very exciting as it's aimed at creating and fulfilling demand from 'transformational products' - to generate higher income than can be obtained from commodity product supply. As a pilot they are looking to produce tomato paste and sauce from the excess supply of tomatoes (made possible by the type of watershed project I saw on my last trip). This would give a further sustainability to the local farmers and if successful could be shown to local business people to persuade them to replicate the process in other areas and for other products. Currently these products are imported and are in great demand as ingredients in many recipes popular with Muslims who form 90% of the local population here.

I think this is going to be extremely interesting (even if a bit sad!!)


MAY 1st ETHIOPIAN HOLIDAY

This was a day of work rest and play! For the first time ever in Ethiopia I got the water adjusted to the right temperature for a shower. As I stepped in, the shower cable exploded from the taps sending water everywhere including all over my towel. So the shower became a wash.

After doing some preparation for the Dire Dawa trip I went for a stroll round the square. I was joined by a respectable looking Ethiopian who asked how I liked the hotel and, as I looked puzzled, explained that I didn't recognise him out of the hotel uniform. He said he was going to a holiday culture show that was designed for firenji and he would be happy for me to go with him. By now the alarm bells were yelling at me so I claimed I had an urgent meeting at the Hotel and turned round and walked away! Jannie later confirmed it was a con-trick designed to get me to part with an extortionate amount of money for a pretty ropey show! Phew!

I went for a sandwich at the bar overlooking the Ghion gardens. There were lots of wedding parties; apparently they stop by the Ghion and pay to have their photos taken in the gardens. One party was quite large and I was quickly surrounded by the guests ordering drinks. The man next to me explained how he used to work in Bradford - where everyone assumed he was from Pakistan! It transpired that he had worked for the US equivalent of CAFOD and knew the people I was due to meet from HCS in Dire Dawa.

At 5 Jannie picked me up and took me home for a Barbecue. It was good to meet his wife, Bev - just returned from 2 weeks in the UK - again, as we had spent a lot of time together on the previous trip. Their sons Daniel and Ioan were in typical 4 and 7 year old form. We spoke a lot about Ethiopia, the Region and CAFOD, before Jannie delivered me back to the Ghion at about 9.30. The next day was to begin at 5.30.

I'M GOING TO BE BUSY!

I leave here at 0530 tomorrow to fly to Dire Dawa. I am visiting HCS (Hararghe Diocese Catholic Secretariat), a CAFOD/Trocaire partner and will be looked after by Belayneh Belete. They are looking at ways to build on the ability of many of their local farmers to grow a wider range of crops by identifying new market opportunities. They are working on pilot projects for tomatoes and milk. If successful this develops even greater income sustainability than that which I saw last time in Adua. My role is to test their ideas against basic marketing practice (something they are not familiar with – but think I am!). From my preparation I can see that they have great ideas but they need underpinning by questioning some of their assumptions – so I think I might be of help. I expect to meet lots of local people as well as spending time with Belayneh and his colleagues.

I return here late Friday, with a free Saturday (at the moment!). On Sunday I fly to Mekelle (Tigray capital) to be part of the team learning the lessons from the watershed projects that I saw last November. I am not going back to Adua, but will visit the other half of the project near to Mekelle. This means I will only meet my former REST host, Merid, briefly. However I expect to see lots more evidence of the life changes this project has achieved. Whilst in Mekelle I will also meet up with the Daughters of Charity, whose work I saw in Alitena last time. One task I have is to deliver to them 20 football shirts I have brought with me - a gift from a school in Nottingham. I am in Mekelle until late Friday 11th, returning then to Addis before flying home on Sunday 13th.

This is very different from last time when I was looking, learning and building stories for talks and media coverage. Actually I’m doing just that again – but this time also working with the CAFOD/Trocaire team and their partners to help them achieve even more in the future.

I doubt I’ll be bored!

I’m not sure what internet capabilities there are in Dire Dawa, so my next few days update may not be published until Saturday.