It’s been exactly 27 months since I first moved to the
Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Its been a great experience living with the caring
and curious people of Tigray. I have wrapped up my last case study in Tigray.
The enlightenment I got from working at the lowest levels of the government
system was probably a once and life time experience and I could not have done
it without the assistance of the Non-governmental Organization (NGO) and my translator who
helped me overcome the language barrier. When I talk with many Ethiopians about
certain services provided here by the government I usually get the same
response, “The government workers are lazy, and don’t do anything…They are
working in a job in which they go have tea or coffee and talk with friends.” I find these
statements rather curious because from what I’ve seen especially in the health
sector in Tigray is that these are workers trying to do their jobs to the best
of their abilities with the little resources they are provided.
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| Health Extension Worker giving a presentation on Malnutrition |
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| The Health Extension Worker collecting documentation of the households |
This was proven to me time and time again, working with
county office staff, health center staff and again at the health post levels
(ground level health services). My translator when we finished our work, said
that the health staff that work in this county work very hard and are
providing services to people who normally would not have access to these types
of health resources and education. He was truly amazed at how hard they worked.
I think he gained a bit of respect for what the government offices are trying
to do, more than anything he became educated about was actually happening in
the government system. He was just unaware as to how hard people really work.
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| Out Hiking |
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| Just making sure our weight is healthy |
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| The road in front of us |
At the end of the month my time will end here in Tigray and
I will get the opportunity to move to the southern livin’ of Ethiopia. I will
be moving to Hawassa, the city capital of the Southern Nations region (SNNPR). This
part of Ethiopia is much more diverse than Tigray. Originally the southern reagion was sectioned out into Tribal areas, each tribe speaking their own
language and having their own cultures. Just living in a space about the size of New York there are 40 different tribes and languages. I think it has been hard but now this
area has been grouped into one region with all tribes living harmoniously in
one region.
With this move comes new co-workers, new counterparts, and
new government health offices to determine how immunization services in this part of Ethiopia
function. I don’t
know a whole lot about the area I’ll be working in other than its about 2.5
hours outside the capital city of Hawassa, its cold and wet and they speak 2
languages. I’m excited about the move and the challenges that await
me. More to come on the move…
