Travel report June 2005

In May/June 2005, the chairwoman of Eritrea Donkeys, Stefanie Christmann, travelled to Gash-Barka and Debub to see the project on location. With a contribution to www.atmosfair.de, her flight there was carbon dioxide-neutral. As always, the journey as well as all preparatory costs were financed privately.

"The donkey brought an enormous improvement. Everything has become easier", said Hiwet Woldegirisch reflecting on recent years. The 45-year old Hiwet lives in Zumeto, a small village near Adi Felesti, her husband died a long time ago. It takes her three hours to reach the nearest source of water - and three hours back. The biggest change, she says, is that now the donkey is carrying the heavy water load.

She received the donkey at the beginning of 2004. With her earnings from trading water and wood, Hiwet purchased a hen, which has since produced chickens. On her property, she has planted several trees: "Building material for my children, when they will get married". Her donkey is pregnant. She intends to keep the foal so that she can work with two donkeys in the future. Her three children go to school.

Water for the monks

The villages of Zumeto and Deberguruf are in isolated locations on hilltops in the breathtakingly beautiful but inhospitable landscape of Debub. Some of the women even travel by foot to the monastery of Abune Endrias, a distance of ten kilometres, to sell water to the monks. With their donkeys, they also walk the six hours to Dbarwa to sell wood. In this remote area, single mothers without donkeys would constantly have to beg their neighbour for food.

Trade is expanded

Before she received her donkey, Netseti Araia's situation was desperate. For several hours each day she had to carry wood on her back to Adi Felesti in order to earn some money. She is 25 years old. Her husband, who was much older, died after she had given birth to two children - now six and eight years old.

With her donkey, Netseti is now able to sell wood in Adi Felesti, for 25-30 Nafka/week, and water in the village for 15-20 Nafka. Initially, she used her earnings only to buy food, but she has recently purchased a hen and chickens. She intends to raise chickens and to supplement her wood trade with chickens and eggs making the long journey to Adi Felesti more profitable.

Getting away from the in-laws

Gelet Negassi, a 25-year old widow with three small children lives in Newihzeban, a village near Kudo Felasi (Debub). She was depending on her in-laws for a place to live.

In the autumn of 2003, she heard about donkeys being distributed in her village and saw this as her chance to finally find a home for herself and her children and to be able to make her own decisions. She applied for and received a donkey. The women's union helped her to register for a piece of land with the local authorities.

In the meantime, she has assembled building material: large boulders, which she purchased from camel owners with her earnings from her trade with water and wood, and building wood, which she collected herself.

She is saving a portion of her earnings from transporting goods to Mendefera (ten hours each way) to be able to cook for the men of her village who are helping her to build her house. She hopes to move in next year.

Rest for the donkeys

Gash-Barka, Mensura: flat land and blistering heat. There has been a drought for many years leaving people and animals debilitated. The women reduced the workload of their donkeys as well as their own water consumption and the water trade. Should a donkey die, they or their daughters would once again have to carry water and wood at over 40 degrees C in the shade and they would have no more income.

New found self-confidence

In 1996, Techat Asfaggi (35 years old, from Tigrigna), Amna Karaden and Hadijja Saleh (both from Hedareb) received donkeys financed by the first donations. At the time, Techat lived in a hut. A few years ago, she built a comfortable mud house. She sells water and now owns three goats and approx. 20 chickens. Her five children all go to school and for the last two years, she is also going there. She has achieved real prosperity for herself and her children and seems self-confident and relaxed.

Amna is a single parent with two children (one with multiple handicaps) and one grandchild. She is 40 years old and goes to the market every week. Early on Saturday mornings, she loads reeds and occasionally reed mats onto her donkey and travels for approx. 35 km through the heat to Hagaz. On Sundays, she sells at the market and on Mondays, she travels back to Mensura.

Hadijja (45) transports grain to the mill and has built a house for herself and her two daughters. She is a midwife and travels on her donkey to the surrounding villages, visiting pregnant women, assisting at childbirth and educating against genital mutilation.

Homestead

Gash-Barka, at the Sudanese border near Tessenei: Kadijja Homed, a 35-year old Tigrean woman with four children from Ad Shubur received her donkey in 2003. Before that, she earned 30-40 Nafka/month. Now, she says, she earns 100-300 Nafka, depending on the season. She has already built a very good house and purchased two goats and two chickens.

The 30-year old Tigrean woman Bekita Shinkaha from Ali Ghider has even purchased a calf with her earnings and a grant from the women's union. Bekita's cow has since had two calves. Her two daughters go to school and she has also started going there.

A house for ten children

When Tsirha Geresghir, a 40-year old Tigrean woman from Ali Ghider was pregnant with her tenth child, her husband deserted her. In 2003, she received her donkey and has since been able to build a large house. This is an enormous achievement - especially since nine of her children go to school (the 5-year old is still at home).

Nation-wide midwife taxis

The midwife taxi project was started with up to 20% of your donations not only in Gash-Barka, but by request in all provinces nation-wide. Criteria for financial support include catchment area, qualifications of the midwife and convincing commitment against genital mutilation.

Against genital mutilation

The women's union and the health ministry are carrying out a new education campaign against genital mutilation, also in Gash-Barka and Anseba. The campaign receives the active and explicit support from the highest dignitaries of all Eritrean regions.