Travel in Ethiopia ~ Travel with a purpose
Canadians Bob & Sue Black in Africa
My travel in Ethiopia (see pictures of Ethiopia) was with Bob and Sue Black, my Canadian friends working in Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar, along with several teachers from Addis. During a school break, we took a flight from Addis to Bahir Dar and the Blue Nile Falls, then hired a Land Cruiser with driver and went by road around Lake Tana, first to Gonder, then Debark and the Simien Mountains and finally to Axum (Aksum) to see the Axum Stele. From there, we took a flight back to Addis. What makes a typical Canadian family pack up and head to Africa? Here's what they had to say when I interviewed them for West of the City magazine in Ontario.
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From Canada to Ethiopia with Bob and Sue Black Bob and Sue Black seemed to be the quintessential Canadian family: Comfortable home in the suburbs, two cars in the drive, two children in school. Yet a year ago, they sold their home in Mississauga, Ontario , Canada, stored their worldly possessions, and moved to Ethiopia, where AIDS is rampant, amenities are few, and where they didn't know a soul. The reasonable question is, 'Why?' The Black's move to Ethiopia means they are 'getting back to their roots' in international aid work, albeit this time with two young children in tow. "We had been re-examining the direction our lives were taking, and wanted to utilize our unique backgrounds," says Sue, who after high school spent 13 months living in a tent while working at a medical mission in the Philippines. Roots in EthiopiaBob was born in Ethiopia, where his parents had been working with SIM (Serving in Mission), a Christian interdenominational organization that operates aid and education programs in Africa and India. In Canada since age 12, he worked for 14 years in relief and development, travelling to Asia, Africa, the Caribbean (including Haiti) and South America. "When I arrived back in Ethiopia after 40 years, my initial feeling was things had actually got worse, and news stories now confirm this," says Bob. Sue, who spent time in a local orphanage that's home to more than 300 children with HIV/AIDS, says, "It's a sad place. Children with AIDS don't have much hope in this country." In collaboration with others . . . |
Updates from Bob and Sue Black ~ their work and travel in Ethiopia Fall 2006". . . we are working to develop several vocational training centres that will be an opportunity to address the incredible unemployment plague of this country. We are working with my sister Beth and her organization Dev-xchange to see some of these ideas become a reality. (Their website is www.devxchange.org) There are two ladies from Barrie [Ontario, Canada] that are helping to start an International Hair Salon and cosmetology school. We see this as one opportunity to give young ladies an opportunity to earn a living other than prostitution. ________________________________ ___________________Ethiopia menu_________________ Addis Ababa * Gonder * Bahir Dar * Aksum * Aksum stele fields * Simien Mountains and Debark * Blue Nile Falls Ethiopia books and guidebooks * Ethiopian foods * Ethiopia Information Taking a trip? See travel tips and What To Pack |

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Hi Jenny,
It's so good to hear about your heart for Ethiopia and its people. I think you are wise in giving thought to what are the best ways to help. It's not always easy to know what is best in the long run.
The Devxchange website gives details of the projects we've been involved in in Bahir Dar and another place a few hours from there in a place called Gilgel Belez. The national partner is a small church with a big heart and we've found them great to work with.
There is also a group of University students involved in a big brother/big sister program trying to help street kids through friendship, mentoring and simple practical helps. So I feel any of these projects are very good ones, plus I imagine your friend from Bahir Dar has a good idea of the kinds of things that would be helpful too.
Certainly any fund raising you might be willing to do for any of these projects would be hugely appreciated! My husband Bob is still in Bahir Dar but I have just recently returned to Canada and he will be returning the end of June. Thanks for your message and encouragement.
Sue Black
Hi Jenny!
Thanks for getting in touch! I'll pass on your comment to Bob and Sue at Devxchange.org.
Good luck with your fundraising. Let me know your progress.
Hi Bob and Sue,
My name is Jenny and I volunteered in Addis last April to September and absolutely fell in love with Ethiopia. I'm looking to come back Christmas time '08 and was going to try to fundraise money to go towards a project while there.
I'm trying to avoid coming and just giving "things", but rather inquiring voices from the people about their needs and trying to walk along side them in solidarity and with support. I made many Ethiopian friends whom I'm still in contact with.
One of my dear friends is from Bahir Dar and would love to help with a project there as well. So, any ideas or collaborations you have I would love to help with including raising money in the United States. Your story is very inspiring, thank you for your compassionate work.
Ever since we arrived in Bahir Dar we have been banging our heads against the wall trying to figure out the best way to help the 6,000 plus street kids of Bahir Dar. We have learned a lot about the psyche of street kids since we have been here and have had to throw away many of the assumptions we had initially. One of the false assumptions we had was that kids would be eager to get off the street, if given the opportunity. Initially this may be true but once they learn the ropes and become hardened to street life it is nearly impossible to help them. We have been running a Big Brother/Sister program for street kids and it is helping some but the more we learn about peer pressure and bad influences from "the gang" mentality, we are convinced that if it is at all possible, you need to get the kids off the street in order to make a significant difference in their lives.