Ethiopia is thought to be the birthplace of mankind. 3.2 million years ago Lucy was upright and
walking in present day Ethiopia. Then,
in 1974 the fossilized Lucy was discovered in a dried-up lake in Ethiopia. She is the oldest and most complete hominid to
be found.
With this in mind, we visited the National Museum in Addis
to pay a visit to Lucy. We learned few
things: Lucy is very small. Lucy has emigrated to America for safe
keeping and only a replica Lucy can be viewed in Addis.
 |
| scary cows |
We had some interesting front door visitors the other
day. We arrived home to find two horned
cows at our doorstep. Close up, they
actually look quite scary—too scary for me to walk in front of. Luckily, a chivalrous six year old boy was able to guide Aysha and
me around the cows.
Today, Mike and I toured the fistula hospital—a hospital
dedicated to repairing fistulas that women develop as a complication of
childbirth (almost unheard of in Canada).
Some unhappy statistics: a pregnant women in rural Ethiopia
has about a 1 in 25 chance of dying either in childbirth or from a complication
of childbirth. For women who survive,
there is a high risk of developing a fistula as a complication of obstructed
labour. This is mostly due to lack of
accessible maternal care. Happy statistics:
the fistula clinic provides surgery and rehabilitation free of charge and is
making inroads in training health care providers who provide maternal care. For
more info you can take a look at their website: http://www.hamlinfistula.org/our-hospital.html
Some interesting times here in Ethiopia. In the last two weeks both the patriarch of
the orthodox church, Dr Abuna Paulos and the Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi
passed away. So far, things have been peaceful
and stable during this transition time.
We’ll see what the next few weeks bring.
Closing
words from Aysha and Sunil: We really
like our school, even though we get way more homework. Also the teachers do really good afterschool
activities.
Hi guys - what an interesting blog. This is such a great way to keep a memory of each day you spend there. The fistula hospital sounds fascinating, does this happen in all third world countries? The Hamlins are saints. norma
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