Deep Water Wells and Rain
It’s funny how wrong your imaginings of a place can be. For example, I thought that Ethiopia was going to be hot and dry but this time of year it is green and cold. Last night was the first night that I was really cold when I went to bed. I had two blankets on me and finally warmed up. When I went outside this morning I could see my breath! At 9 degrees north latitude in August. I asked my hosts what they guessed the temperature was and they thought it was about 10 degrees C, which computes to 50F!
And did it rain today. I now know what the rainy season means in Ethiopia. It rained for the first two of our three hour drive to the area they are drilling the wells. It showered while we were looking at it, and when we arrived at Addis Ababa it was about as black as night and there was another great downpour. The roads and paths were muddy--there was mud everywhere. But I really am glad that they showed me a well they completed about a year ago that will be similar to the one they will build with our money. This well was about 450 feet deep. There was a corrugated tin house that covered the generator. It is a six cylinder engine provided by the Italians but built by the Germans and runs on diesel fuel. It delivers clean water to 11 different faucet stations within a 12 kilometer area. I saw one of the faucet areas and have good pictures of everything. When people come to fill up their 5 liter containers, they pay 20 cents per fill. With that money they pay for the diesel fuel, a maintenance fund, and the water guard. WV has completely turned over the running of the well to the community. They can do minor repairs, but for anything big, they have to get government help. There is a water committee that is responsible for overseeing the well. I met the water committee from that well and they shared how much the well has improved their lives, but also that they would like at least another well drilled in the area. I have a picture of the committee and the generator operator. I'm very glad that WV was able to work this visit out (it hadn't been approved when I left for Uganda) because I have a much better sense of the land, the people, the poverty, and how things work. I am eager to share this more fully with the church. Tomorrow I will spend some time in Addis. I am planning on going to the national museum and then check out a few markets. In terms of how Addis compares with Kampala and Nairobi, I would say that it falls in between. There are definitely better roads than Kampala and there are many buildings under construction in the city. Nairobi hasfar better roads than either Kampala or Addis. At times Nairobi has more of the feel of a western city. My flight leaves at 10:50 p.m. I fly to Amsterdam where I have about a 3 1/2 hour layover and then head to Boston where I arrive on Sunday afternoon. It has been a great trip, but I must confess I am ready to come back home.
