First Post--four days and counting

Well here goes, I am hoping to use this blog to communicate while we are gone. Here is some of the info to get you started.
There will be a group of five women with a variety of experiences and backrounds coming together to volunteer to work in many different situations all across Ethiopia. Sarah, Kathy, Becky, Andee and Karli have been in full preparation mode for quite some time, however the last couple weeks have been completely crazy as an understatement. Last night was our packing party and we have collected, purchased and extorted over 400 pounds of donations. All have been carefully organized and packed ready to be delivered to their intended destinations.

Our trip to Ethiopia will include a variety of opportunities. There will be opportunities to work with orphanages, schools and on a water project. The following paragraphs give more detailed information on our activities. So far what is tentatively scheduled is:Visit at AHOPE the orphanage for HIV positive children. The two other orphanages we are visiting are Horizon House and All Gods Children.Also in Addis is Ethiopia Reads a consortium of libraries that provide educational material and books for children all over Ethiopia. We are able to go work in the libraries and read to the children when we are available. We will also be working on a water project in Axum Ethiopia. Denver's sister city of Axum, Ethiopia, lacks sufficient potable water for its 40,000 residents. None of the water in Axum’s reservoir, its private or public wells, is safe to drink. In fact, the community’s preferred water source, the reservoir, is the most highly polluted. With low-cost, low-tech, and sustainable water treatment techniques, wells that had been shut down because of poor water quality can be put into use, more than doubling the current supply. Activities:Water treatment specialists will go to Axum to train Ethiopian personnel to maintain the plant & gather water quality data, monitor how often the slow sand filter clogs/requires replacement and recommend an optimum dosing rate & enhancements for the treatment plant. Expected Outcomes:Axum’s water will be made more potable using sustainable techniques. By learning how long it takes for the sand filter to clog, we know the optimum dosing rate of chemicals needed to replicate the plant on a large-scale level for all of Axum. Project MessageA person can build up immunity to unsafe water if he is lucky enough to have survived until age 5. This project will save the lives of many infants and lay the foundation for a healthier community.- Tsegaye Hailu, Environmental Protection Specialist We will also be visiting Children of Ethiopia Education Fund (COEEF) schools. The focus at COEEF is to provide an education the young women and girls of Ethiopia thereby affording them a much brighter future.


We will be posting more as our escapade continues…