My First Football Match

Anyone who knows me knows that football (soccer) has never really been my thing. I was the kid in Timbits who never scored and only did it because my dad was the coach. But when you live in Africa, you start gain an appreciation for the popular sport, and because of the match I watched Sunday I can finally say that I actually like football. 

Sunday’s match was a World Cup qualifying match between Ethiopia and South Africa – a huge game because if Ethiopia won, then they would definitely move forward. So, a friend I had made at my guest house and I decided to go to the stadium to watch the game live. Let me tell you, even just getting tickets was an adventure all on its own! But we managed, and were ready to watch the game. 

It was a great match, with South Africa scoring first and Ethiopia scoring just before half. Then, a SA player headed the ball into his own net after an Ethiopian free kick, and Ethiopia won the game 2-1. The mood at the stadium was insane! Everyone was going crazy. We went outside and made our way to the VIP area to see the players coming out. Since I am so obviously foreign and I was wearing and Ethiopian jersey, I was getting a LOT of attention. So much attention that a reporter approached me for an interview for national TV! I have tried really hard to find it online, but no luck so far. 

Then, my friend (who is South African) had made friends with some other South African friends and got us invited to a reception at the South African Embassy. So, I replaced my Ethiopia t-shirt and we mingled and ate good food at the party – I did not realized how much I missed pap and chakalaka until I had it again! 

All in all – a very wonderful day. 

 

Unfortunately, Ethiopia used an ineligible player in a match against Botswana and so loses the 3 points they had against Bots. This means that they need to win their next match to move forward. 

My very own epiphany

Reblogged from lorenemv:

I came across this quote from feminist blogger Jessica Valenti and was blown away at my realization that I too do most of these things unconsciously and never once noticed or thought about how it reflected on how I feel about my own safety in our society.

Trigger Warning this post deals with issues of rape:

“When I was in college, a teacher once said that all women live by a ‘rape schedule.’ I was baffled by the term, but as she went on to explain, I got really freaked out.

Read more… 340 more words

An interesting quote explaining the rape culture we live in.

Arrival and First Field Visit

Hello all! I am safe and sound in Addis Ababa. Firstly, all the rumours you have heard about Ethiopia – the friendly and beautiful people, the good food, the amazing coffee – they are all completely true. I am settling in with the city, although work is starting out slowly.

However, I did get to visit one of World Vision’s ADPs (Area Development Program). Jeju is east of Addis Ababa and is one of the ADPs in Ethiopia sponsored by World Vision Canada. World Vision Ethiopia has 5 main projects in this area: livelihood development, water projects (such as irrigation), education (such as building schools), health (like building primary care clinics) and savings accounts for children.

Wisdom Microfinance is World Vision Ethiopia’s partner for livelihood development projects, and it is these projects that I am working on. In Jeju, Wisdom Microfinance has over 2,000 active borrowers, making it the organization’s largest branch. The loans given out are in 4 different categories: personal, family, agriculture and business. The borrowers are over 75% women and this area has less than 1% of borrowers default – an impressive number, even in microfinance! The average loan is approximately 3,700 Ethiopian birr (about $200) and are paid back in anywhere from 3 to 15 months. The impact of this project reaches approximately 10,000 children, and all of the borrowers I had the opportunity to meet were sending all school-aged children to school.

Three borrowers at the Wisdom office to receive their loan.

Some of the borrowers we visited and their families. One of the borrowers I met told me (but keep in mind that it was translated from Oromifa to Amharic to English): “This is a great project. Before this, we had no opportunity and no access to financial services. But now we have this opportunity and can farm and send our children to school.”

So, if you are a World Vision sponsor, this could be the type of project that your money is going to support!

All in all, it was a successful first visit, and I am very excited to dive into work and to visit the ADPs my project is focused on.

Stigmas Against Breastfeeding in Public

Throughout my time in Botswana, I saw and experienced many stigmas, including surrounding breastfeeding. It was expected that all new mothers should breastfeed and that if she did not breastfeed it was assumed that she was HIV-positive. Therefore, mothers would proudly breastfeed wherever she was – at a shop, on the bus, or at a restaurant. 

In Canada, we still have the expectation that all mothers should breastfeed. However, it is stigmatized whenever a woman does it in public. I worked as a lifeguard at a public pool and since it is legal in Ontario for a woman to be topless (regardless of if she is breastfeeding), we could not ask a woman to not breastfeed. But, if another customer complains about it, then we were instructed to tell the breastfeeding mother that she was making others uncomfortable. I have heard similar stories of this happening in many public areas.

So while society expects women to breastfeed, women are shamed for doing it publicly. They are expected to breastfeed – but only in private or with a scarf or blanket covering their breast.

Why does this stigma exist?

Please read the rest of this post, originally published on the International Women’s Initiative Survivors’ Blog. 

The Impossible Dream?

At training for my new job, we spent an afternoon exploring gender issues and gender analysis strategies. This animated video from 1983 by the United Nations was played for us to generate some discussion.

I think that it highlights the double work-load that many women face, and how some women may feel like they are stuck with an impossible dream. It also made me realize two things:
1) How far some families have moved from her reality, and;
2) How many families’ reality is still the same as the video.

What do you think? Can we achieve the impossible dream in our lifetime?

Home and Back Again

Hello friends and family! Sorry for my lack of writing in the final month of my placement. 

Anyways, I am very excited to announce that today I made my final presentation and have now fulfilled all of my requirements for graduation! Yikes, now apparently I’m a real adult. I am so happy to be done and I am so excited to celebrate at our gala dinner tonight with all my classmates and friends that have been the best support system over the last 4 years. 

Next, I have a very big and exciting piece of news: I’M GOING BACK TO AFRICA! In June I will start a 6-month CIDA funded internship with World Vision Canada. I will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and working as the Micro Finance Integration Assistant at Wisdom Microfinance. 

I am feeling pretty overwhelmed with how fast the process is moving (I have debriefing this week and briefing next week!) but I am so so happy to have a job I’m passionate about and excited about my next adventure. 

Easter, Shakawe, Tsodilo Hills and Okavango Half Marathon

Last weekend I traveled up north to Shakawe for Easter weekend and the Okavango Half Marathon, 5K Fun Run and Health Expo. 

I arrived Thursday, and I spent the afternoon helping out the organizers with the many, many preparations needed for Saturday’s event. Friday was more of the same. Saturday morning we woke up bright and early (well, not so bright since we beat the sun up) to help with the finishing touches. A couple friends and I did the 5K for fun, and cheered on Heather as she bravely conquered the half marathon! 

The race was a great success, and the winner of the half marathon was a man names Tops who ran it in 1:09! Very impressive indeed. To see pictures from the event and all the results, head to the event’s website. 

The health expo was also a ton of fun. Many people were tested for HIV, had their faces painted, and browsed numerous booths on gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS and more. I also set up a booth and sold some of Gantsi Craft’s products, which was great. There was a ton of wonderful entertainment, with local choirs and traditional dance groups. 

It was an amazing but busy and tiring day. We were definitely ready to have some celebrations then sleep that night!

Sunday, I traveled to Tsodilo Hills. a World Heritage Site for its cultural and spiritual significance. There are over 4,500 rock paintings on the mountains, which are thought to be the oldest pieces of art in the world. The hills, cave, and art also give insight into how the San (the first modern people in the world) lived thousands and thousands of years ago. There are also more recent (about 1000 years old) paintings on the rocks, done by the Bantu. 

While it is an incredible site worth preserving, there are some ethical issues to consider. Most concerning, is that the San who inhabited the hills were relocated when it was declared a World Heritage Site. To read more about this, I highly recommend reading my friend Heather’s blog about it here. 

That evening, we hosted a small Easter supper at Heather and Kelsey’s. We ate outside by candlelight and had a really wonderful meal with friends. 

All we wanted to do Monday was relax, so we took a girls day trip to Namibia. We went to a couple nice lodges along the river, and had a few drinks by the river and pool! Very relaxing indeed – until we barely made it back to Botswana before the border closed! Luckily we did make it though, and I enjoyed my last night up north watching movies. 

It was a wonderful weekend, and I can’t believe that in just 3 short weeks I will be saying goodbye to this amazing country. 

Bride Price in Botswana

This is an excerpt from my original post for the International Women’s Initiative’s Survivor’s Blog. To read the full blog, please follow this link. 

“At the most basic understanding of lebola, paying a bride price turns a woman into a commodity that can be bought and sold. The meaning and the implementation of the lebola has changed and been molded over time and current practices do not necessarily represent the tradition of a lebola in Botswana. In theory, the lebola is supposed to be a man’s way of showing appreciation and recognition of the woman’s value to her parents. However in practice, the lebola often limits a woman’s control and decision-making power in her marriage.”

So you're tired of hearing about "rape culture"?

Reblogged from Rant Against the Random:

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TRIGGER WARNING:

The following includes descriptions, photos, and video that may serve as a trigger for victims of sexual violence.
Please be advised. 

Someone asked me today, "What is 'rape culture' anyway? I'm tired of hearing about it."

Yeah, I hear ya. I'm tired of talking about it. But I'm going to keep talking about it because people like you keep asking that question.

Read more… 1,198 more words

I Am Not Your Wife, Sister or Daughter. I Am A Person.

Reblogged from The Belle Jar:

I don't have to tell you that Steubenville is all over the news.

I don't have to tell you that it's a fucking joke that Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, the two teenagers convicted of raping a sixteen year old girl, were only sentenced to a combined three years in juvenile prison. Each will serve a year for the rape itself; Mays will serve an additional year for "illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material."

Read more… 981 more words

A great read in response to the media treatment of the Steubenville rape case. "I have value because I am a person. Full stop. End of argument. This isn’t even a discussion that we should be having."