January 16, 2011

I Tried to Imagine My Life as an Ethiopian

Posted by kriosconsulting under Children, Claire Everhart, Coffee, Culture, Language, Poverty, Run Across Ethiopia, Schools, Water | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

POST FROM CLAIRE EVERHART

Sunday January 16, 2011

Today as we ran through the Sidamo region I tried to imagine my life as an Ethiopian. Am I a child? Did my mother wake my 7 brothers and sisters and I from our curled positions on the dirt floor of our hut and tell some of us to go fetch water from 10 miles away? Are we lucky enough to have a donkey to help carry the water jugs? How many jugs are we blessed enough to have? Will the wheel my older brothers fixed yesterday make the trip there and back? Am I a single mother struggling to support 5 children alone? Am I a coffee farmer working to support my family, while being paid very little for the beans I grow?

With the help of an interpreter, one of the Ethiopian runners with us, Bekelish, told us through tears that she once lived just like the impoverished children we see every day. Her mother died when she was very young and her father struggled to support her and her five brothers and one sister. She was too upset to say more. Just as easily as I have been born into my life, I could have come into this world in Bekelish’s situation, and she into mine. Who am I to never have to worry about my next meal? Who am I to always have money for toothpaste and a toothbrush? Who am I to afford running shoes? I do not deserve these things more than Bekelish.  (She is on the far right in this photo.)

L to R Meheron, Zinash, Xilahun, Abera, Abdul Qadir and Bekelish.

Bekelish’s story is one of millions, and many are much worse. As we run through such poverty every day, a feeling of helplessness often overtakes me. Our world is too broken. There are too many suffering people, there is too much to fix, it just cannot be done. I am reminded of an applicable saying, “The fact that we cannot solve all of the world’s problems does not absolve us of the responsiblity to fix the ones that we can.” Building schools through On the Ground’s “Run Across Ethiopia” is a huge first step. But let us not stop here. Our responsibility extends much further.

To return to our website click this link, www.runacrossethiopia.org

 

January 13, 2011

Crowds of Children Running On Lush Grass

Posted by kriosconsulting under Children, Claire Everhart, Matt Desmond, Run Across Ethiopia, Running, Water | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
1 Comment 

POST BY CLAIRE EVERHART

Thursday January 13, 2011

We just completed our 5th day of running, also our 3rd of four 30 mile days. It was brutal but we made it! Believe it or not, the first 20 miles go by fairly quickly, it’s the last 10 that seem to take forever.

Long Road

We had several moral boosts as crowds of children in every village we passed through ran with us, some for over a mile, gliding over jagged rocks and thorny bushes in bare feet as though they were running on lush grass. Their skinny figures, tattered clothing and obvious lack of dental care does not stop the chorus of laughter that surrounds us the entire time they’re running.

Many will often grab one of our hands while they run, or say “you! you!” If we say it back they just double over in giggles. Matt Desmond has quite a way with them. He often can get the whole group repeating him in unison, as he shouts team member names or soccer teams. It is quite heartbreaking, however, when they all beg for our empty water bottles. One runner can often be surrounded by 20+ outstretched hands and only one empty water bottle to give out.  (Editors note: ironically, in America discarded water bottles are a nuisance along roadsides and in communities.  In Ethiopia these simple toss-offs are sought after commodities because of the value they have in being refilled with water from community wells. Ethiopia ranks as having some of the worst access to safe drinking water in the world.)

Water Pump

We have all been reminded of how easy it is to take for granted water always coming from the faucet.  Most here don’t even have faucets, and those who do, cannot count on water always coming, we didn’t have any water for several hours where we’re staying tonight, what a harsh difference from the states.

(Claire is a recent graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and ran on their cross country team. She is an intern with Global Village Collection, one of our sponsoring partners in Delaware, Ohio.)

If you’d like to return to our website just click this link, www.runacrossethiopia.org

 

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.