Getting Taller

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Red Cross Training Centre

We’ve just completed our formal in country training with VSO.  10 days of being cloistered away at the very nice Red Cross Training Centre.   We are about 35 volunteers in all with most from UK/Ireland and the rest a spattering from Canada, Sweden, Uganda, Holland and Kenya. 

Things started off with an in-country medical. The medical was very good for me, in that I gained 8 cm of height.  My height was measured by the nurse, and she informed me that “150 cm is too less for height”.  I wholeheartedly agreed and my height was then scribbled out and she gave me an extra 8cm.  I’m really quite pleased with my new height of 158cm.

The presentation on culture could be briefly summed up as follows: ferenji (foreign) men can mostly do what they like while ferenji women have a list of things they can’t or shouldn’t do.  When you first hear this you want to stamp your feet and holler; but we are then reminded that things weren’t so different in Europe/North America 40 years ago.

In gender issues we learned that the Ethiopian constitution is quite progressive in that gender equality is written into the constitution.  Child marriage and FGM (female genital mutilation) are also illegal.  In practice, these laws are difficult to enforce and prosecuting offenders is rare, but as in all countries change comes, but slowly.  Girls are also still noticeably absent beyond primary school.  Some more unhappy Ethiopia Unicef stats:

Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate (%), 2005-2010*, female 33%, male 56%

Child marriage 2000-2010* (girls), married by 15:  24%

Female genital mutilation/cutting 1997-2010*, prevalence: 74%

And for the most shocking: Justification of wife beating 2002-2010*, male 52%, female 81%

                                                  

On a happier note, we had about 15 hours of Amharic language lessons.   After all these hours I can now say about 10 things (a slight improvement).   I can’t tell if Amharic is a difficult language to learn or if I am just a difficult language student (likely the latter).

getting coffee

All in all an enjoyable 10 days.  Was nice to meet our fellow and previous volunteers, who seem like a talented bunch of individuals.  We’re also extremely happy that our colleague Brian is now in Addis, and hope to get down to some “real work”.

 
A few words from Aysha and 
Sunil.  The in-country training
was good (but sometimes boring).  The food was excellent.
The dancing at the cultural restaurant was kind oflike amazing.  We heard some funny
stories from other volunteers.