Travel report February 1998

In January and February 1998, the chairwoman of Eritrea Donkeys, Stefanie Christmann visited the donkey project in Eritrea. In Asmara and the Gash Barka province, she met with members of the Eritrean Women's Union and visited many of the women who had received a donkey in their mud houses. Her journey was financed privately. This is her report:

"Here is my taxi and over there is its garage!" Full of energy and pride 54-year old Tsega Tesfamariam points to her well-groomed grey-haired animal and the straw roof attached to her mud house.

Tsega is a government-trained midwife from Bushuka, a provincial village in the western Eritrean lowlands100 km by air from the nearest tarmac road. There she lives with her mother. After the death of her daughter she has also taken in her small grandson.

Five hours by foot

Traditionally, midwifery is seen as a compassionate service: only when the family of the mother can afford it, does Tsega receive payment. She attends to 15 to 18 births each month within a catchment area of five hours by foot, visiting every pregnant woman several times for examination.

Additionally, she attempts to persuade the women not be "stitched up" again after the birth and not to have the daughters genitally mutilated in the first place. "Now I no longer have to walk on foot in the searing heat to the pregnant women. This is the greatest advantage the donkey from the NUEW has brought me."

Tsega's 80-year old mother, who all her life carried water from the river for two hours on foot every day, thinks it is more important that, with the help of the donkey, there is now sufficient wood and water in the house. They are also able to sell 80 litres of water each day and finally have enough to eat. Although, meals still consist of grain patties and millet gruel, at least now they can have three meals a day, where previously, there was barely enough for one.

Decisions are made jointly

I found the decisions as to which single mother should receive a donkey convincing in almost all cases. The process of selection appeared to be very well thought-out, including the participation of local executive bodies to avoid jealousy or arguing once the donkeys had been allocated. Women are asked to apply in person and the village elders and village representatives of the Women's Union draw up a list of priorities after that.

With these lists, Lea Bereketab, a former combatant and now head of the Women's Union in the province of Gash Barka, visits the villages and interviews each of the women to clarify the family situation. Then, a joint decision is made as to who will receive a donkey in what village. Criteria for allocation include number of children, distance from the water source, neediness, just distribution among the different population groups, occasionally good school results and the wish to let a daughter continue her schooling.

Lea buys the donkeys at the local donkey market and the rubber water containers in Asmara, the Eritrean capital. During a festive allocation ceremony, the donkeys are drawn by lots to avoid resentment.

Pleasant diligence

It is most pleasant to observe the careful diligence of the Women's Union in spending the money we sent. The office in Barentu, capital of the province Gash Barka, is keeping very accurate records. Before a money transfer is forwarded to Barentu, the Women's Union carefully examines the statement of accounts of the previous transfer.

The fact that the Women's Union even managed to invest 2,300 € of its (meagre) resources as well as many hours of work into the donkey project shows how much these women value this type of aid.

Donkeys are in good shape

To date*, 215 donkeys have been allocated. These donkeys, the most treasured property of the women, are in excellent shape. The women even built sunroofs for the donkeys. At present*, women are selected for the donkeys to be purchased from the 12,500 € we transferred in late summer 1997.

This delay is due to the fact that a financial audit had to be carried out. Also, the Women's Union wanted to wait for my visit before deciding on extending the project area.

We have decided that in future, half of the money will be used in the province of Gash Barka and the other half in the Sahel province, a very mountainous area in the north that was badly damaged during the war.

Many of its inhabitants fled at the time of war and are now returning to rebuild their villages. Often, women and daughters must carry water laboriously uphill. This spring, the Women's Union has started to allocate donkeys in a number of villages in the Sahel province.

Single mother with five children

Kobra Ali, now 33 years old, got married when she was 12. She lost her husband in the war and is now widowed with five children. For years, she tried in vain to earn a living weaving baskets, never earning more than one Nafka/day while needing 12 to make ends meet for herself and her children. One year ago, she received her donkey. Today, with her donkey, she is earning 400 Nafka in one month - as much as a kindergarten teacher earns in the capital city. Kobra collects water for herself and for trading. She bought an axe and now collects wood, chops it and sells it. In the winter, she uses her donkey to transport grain for others. Additionally, she cuts grass every day and sells it at the market as donkey feed.

She washes her children every day instead of every third day as before. All her children attend school. At the moment, her donkey is expecting its first foal and Kobra is deliberating whether she will keep it to expand her business or sell it and purchase two goats from the proceeds to have milk for her children.

Building a mud house with the donkey

Bejenesh Drar, a 45-year old mother of three from Bushuka used to live in a lean-to built from sticks. She has now built a mud house. The cost of materials (approx. 350 Nafka) was covered by the government because her husband died during the war of independence.