ETHIOPIA PART II HUMANITARIAN PROJECTS

Elder and Sister Clyde and Dolores Moses are from Parma, Idaho, a small community near Boise.  They just finished up their mission and returned home Friday night.  

We first met them in January at the Area training meetings we attended the first week we were here.  They are a quiet and unassuming couple but they surely are great humanitarian missionaries.  Unlike so many of the couples, they don't complain and whine about how hard things are to do.  They just go ahead and do good work.



Elder & Sister Moses with a thank you plaque from the Mekedonia Clinic
Their badges have only their names because they can't use the Church's name in Ethiopia

In the humanitarian program of the Church, there are Major Initiatives, now called "Signature Programs," and Area Initiatives.  The Signature Programs are things such as clean water, wheelchair programs, immunizations and neo-natal training.  The Church has specialized in these particular projects because it does such a good job with them and can really make a difference.

These types of projects can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and usually specialists from the US come and help get the project underway.  Elder and Sister Moses have been involved in several clean water projects where wells (boreholes) are drilled, and pumps, water lines, storage tanks etc. are put in place so people in villages can have access to clean and safe drinking water. 

These water projects are located quite a distance from Addis Ababa, so Susan and I didn't have the chance to go out and visit them.  We did, however, get the chance to see a couple of their Area Initiatives. 

Area Initiatives are smaller projects, generally under $25,000, and located with 100 kilometers of a couples home base.  The country couples are encouraged to search out needs in their areas, then propose projects along with costs, etc. to get approval from the Area Office. 

The Church had found that in order for a project to be really successful, it has to be sustainable.  That is, it needs to be able to keep on going even after a missionary couple has left and gone home.  So many of the projects done in Africa have been "one and done" where after just a little while, the people are back just where they were before the project was done.

Because of this, the church is very opposed now to "giveaways" where we just go in and give things away to people or groups.  The exception to this is Disaster Relief, where food, clothing etc. is given away after natural disasters such as floods and fires.

One of the most important parts in choosing a project is finding a "Champion."  A champion is a person or organization who is passionate about their particular cause.  The champion will still be there working long after the missionary couple has left and gone home.  A champion can be an individual, another charity, a church, or even a government bureau.  The goal, then, is to find such persons and partner with them to accomplish the desired outcome.




Such a person is the pastor they partnered with, who runs the James Non Morira Podoconiosis Care Center. (We didn't get the name of this valiant soul and have been waiting for  E/S Moses to get back to us with it. In the mean time we thought we'd go ahead and post this entry anyway)

Wikipedia

Podoconiosis: (also known as nonfilarial elephantiasis) “a disease of the lymph vessels of the lower extremities, caused by exposure to irritant soils.” “…is the result of inflammatory reaction to mineral particles in irritant red clay soils from volcanic deposits.”. See Youtube videos  HERE  and   HERE:




This gentleman has been in treatment for several months.  The swelling is mostly gone but he would require surgery to regain toes, etc.

After driving down a long alleyway, we came upon a small, open area where patients had just been receiving treatment.  Because of horrendous traffic, we were almost an hour late and most of the patients had already left.  The treatment for this disease is simple.  It involves daily washing with soap and water and bleach, applying an emollient and elevating the feet at night.  AND WEARING SHOES.  Treatment usually takes about three months.  Some of the extreme cases require surgery. 

Notice the giant shoe under the bench.  That's how big his foot used to be.

Quite often, when someone gets this disease, they are said to be cursed.  It is usually very painful and some are forced to crawl on their hands and knees. This disease is sometimes called the 'hidden disease' since families hide the afflicted from sight, not wanting to suffer the social embarrassment of being associated with the disease. They are abandoned by their family and become homeless.  Because they are banned from school, church and the community, they can't get an education and support themselves. They have little chance for marriage and a family. Married women are often cast off by their husbands.  They will never be completely cured of the  disease, but once they have received proper treatment, they can return home, with a pair of shoes.

After being in treatment, this person's feet are almost normal again

 

The project was to provide supplies used in the treatment of Podoconiosis.They also provided specially made shoes for people that have the disease.  These shoes are 3 or 4 times the width of normal shoes to accommodate the enlarged feet.  The disease starts in the feet, which become swollen and deformed and in order to get better, they need to wear shoes and keep their feet clean.    

    In the office, Walt and I take care of the finances for these projects but we don’t get to see the results of all the hard work the senior couples have done.  We are grateful we were able to visit with the Moses’ before they left.

Ethiopia part III will tell about the Mekedonia Center in Addis Aababa