9th May 2009

I am finally in Lalibela – the replacement flight went off without a hitch on Friday morning. Admittedly, it felt like the longest flight in the world as it called at every possible stop (domestic flights here are a little like busses!), but I was very grateful to get to Lalibela and get settled in again.

I’m also glad I got the chance to take that extra hot shower at the hotel – I have arrived to no running water in my house, so it’s back to collecting water from a tap outside and washing out of a bucket. I’m getting better at washing my hair in this way, though, so practice makes perfect!

Before I left Addis, I did manage to visit the orphanage and get some updates on how things are going.

First, I dropped off lots of pens, pencil cases, paper and small toys which had been donated to us by staff at my local (in England, obviously!) branch of WHSmith. The orphanage also recently had a visit from a Hanna’s Orphanage supporter from England, J, who bought with her clothes and toys as well as a very useful cash donation!

I do wish there was a way for us to cost-effectively ship donations over so that we could take advantage of the things people offer us (computers, for instance), but it’s just not feasible. Instead we rely on people like J who are holidaying in Ethiopia and are kind enough to get in touch with us before their trip, asking if they can take anything. We also do believe that most things the orphanage needs can be bought in Ethiopia rather than the UK, thus putting the money into the local economy rather than shipping companies.

Anyway, the small things we do bring over are welcomed, and will often be used as rewards for children who have got high marks at school, or made really good progress.

I then spent a little while with Hanna, who has been sick over the last few weeks. As I’ve said before, Hanna is the reason the orphanage exists, and she does the work of 5 or 6 six normal people - rushing round between branches of the orphanage, liasing with donors, managing staff and meeting with government officials. I was lucky to catch her in the office – blink, and you’ll miss her! She still manages to give every child the attention they need, though, and the children clearly adore her – as do most of the staff! She has recovered from her illness, thankfully, and now seems to be glowing with health!

Of course, the orphanage have had a stressful few months, with two children being seriously ill in hospital (see ‘Prayers and Thoughts’, 10th April, 09). I am pleased to say that both children are out of hospital, but both are still sick and need careful 24 hour care. One of the children has lost her sight and a lot of her mobility as a result of her illness, and although the Doctors say she may recover,
it’s not certain. Please keep them both in your thoughts and prayers, and if anyone does want to make a donation, we are currently creating an ‘emergency fund’ which we hope will be able to provide money for situations such as these, when children need extensive medical care and help. (You can donate through the website, www.hannasorphanage.org.uk)

Other than that, things seem to be ticking along nicely at the orphanage, although they are still waiting for the money we transferred to them to arrive. Hopefully it should be there on Monday – very frustrating!

As I was leaving, I managed to see one of the girls, H, who I met on my very first trip to Ethiopia. We write to one another when we can, and it’s great to watch her grow up. She has big exams coming up in the near future, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for her, and looking forward to seeing her afterwards.

Now, though, I have to get ready to launch myself into my work with LEAP on Monday …