Ethiopia

Siggie and I spent two weeks with a great local team of health practitioners, working in rural Ethiopia in conjunction with Project Mercy. This photo shows the women members of our team pointing to the area where the compound is located, southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa. Project Mercy is a superb organization which provides community development to one of the poorest areas of Ethiopia. The 53-acre compound features a school of around 1000 students, an orphanage, a church, and one of the best rural hospitals in the country.


Many of the children we saw had severe malnutrition and the many conditions associated with it. In addition to treating acute problems, we distributed vitamins and "Atmit", a food supplement which Project Mercy adapted for Ethiopians.


One of our clinics was in a tiny village where clean water and a school have transformed the community. Here Siggie is interacting with the school children.


Most people in the rural areas live in one-room huts called "tuckals". This vantage point shows the Great Rift Valley, which runs through Ethiopia.