By Lynn Campbell
Editor’s note:Lynn Campbell, executive director for the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry and its diocesan director for Catholic Relief Services, was part of a CRS Delegation Tour group that traveled to Ethiopia from May 20-31, 2019. She kept a journal along the way so she might share with people back home how their CRS Rice Bowl donations and contributions to the national collection are being put to work to benefit the people of Ethiopia.
May 23, 2019:Having arrived late last night in Addis Ababa, we are up at 6:00 a.m. to catch a flight to Dire Dawa, which is a rural area in Eastern Ethiopia. Our first stop was a visit with the Hararghe Catholic Secretariat, the local faith-based partner of CRS. It would be akin to visiting the archdiocesan Catholic Charities office. Zemede Zewdie, CRS head of programming, gave us a presentation on their work, and then accompanied us on our visits. There was so much pride evident in his voice and, in turn, in our hearts for the work of CRS.
I was really impressed with the Sediment Storage Dam project. At the top of a hill, this dam was constructed with stones secured with wires. This was repeated at different levels. Before the dam was built in 2017, the silt used to wash down and the water would create erosion. Now that the dam is built, the water level has increased. So when it does rain, water collects in pools, which serve as a source for farmers to water their animals. With the water remaining at the top longer, the papaya and coffee trees increased their frequency of production three-fold. At the bottom of the hill, farmers were using an irrigation system, which yielded an increase in variety of crops. It was such a simple project in nature, employing local people, bringing the mountain back to life after decades of erosion. Zemede kept saying, “We are reclaiming the land.” It made me think of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, in which he connects the interrelationship between man and the environment. The dam was built not for the sake of appearances, but because the impact it has on people’s livelihoods. In a drought area, farmers are now able to grow food for their families. Praise be!
May 24, 2019:Today we visited various pieces of water systems (well, pump, water points), different planting techniques and irrigation systems. I am impressed with how CRS strategically addresses the need for clean, accessible water by implementing large-scale projects. Water systems are designed to bring water to many areas of a village, where the water point can be shared by all that live in the community. CRS provides knowledge and training so that the systems can be maintained by the community. The children are excited to show us how they get the water. They follow us wherever we go, including when we visit a group of women,
who are part of a savings group initiated by CRS called Saving and Internal Lending Communities, or SILC.
Because they now have access to water, the women and children no longer have to walk miles to get water. Time saved is used to earn income, mostly by selling produce. Savings are put into a box to be made available for lending. Loans might be given out to purchase more goats! Sometimes the income is used to purchase simple school supplies. This is evident as we see many children carrying their school books. We asked the women to share with us the impact of having water in their village. One woman said, “Before the water, it is difficult to express how life was like without water. We couldn’t clean ourselves. Now we have water close to our houses. Water has changed our lives.” The woman went on to thank the Catholic Church for our assistance.
May 25, 2019:Such a privilege to visit with the Missionaries of Charity today! They are caring for the poorest of the urban poor. The sisters bring in people from the street who have physical, mental, or developmental disabilities or are suffering from disease and illness with nobody to care for them. The mutual love among the sisters and the residents is evident. We are trying hard to pay attention to the sisters as they give us a tour of their facility, but get distracted by some of the young men who are so excited to see us. They come up to us to shake our hands and practice their English: “How are you?” Others kiss our hands. There is one man, who Sister found from the street, partially blind and physically disabled. His name is Balatcho. He gave us a blessing. The entire visit was a humbling experience. Ethiopia is ill-equipped to handle the many needs of its most vulnerable residents. If not for the Missionaries of Charity and the work of the Church, most of the sick in this area would simply go without care. This is just one of the 18 Missionaries of Charity houses across Ethiopia. What an honor to see our Rice Bowl money put into use, as we watched the staff prepare meals with food provided by CRS.
May 27 and 28, 2019:We spent 2 days traveling to the town of Dilla, where we visited project sites along the way. This is an area where displaced people are returning to their homes after a conflict. We saw the importance of the USAID Food for Peace resources supporting the work of CRS. With the support of USAID 750,000-800,000 people a month were fed, with CRS and the Catholic Church distributing the food. The food was a matter of life and death and not used as a bargaining tool. It was given equally to families in “host communities” that were stressed by the amount of displaced people in their communities using their resources. We saw the temporary shelters being built because many homes were destroyed. We met with a large group of people who had returned to their homes. We asked if they felt safe (yes!), and what their needs were (more housing and medical care). The returning families also received a small amount of cash. We specifically asked for the women, as the money gets put into an account in their name, to share with us how they are spending the money. One woman told us she spent her money on a small plot of land, seeds and 3 goats. She is thinking of the future!
May 30, 2019:Each evening we would reflect on what we saw using scripture. Today we were asked to create our own definition of global solidarity. Mine: “Global Solidarity is the link that unites all people together as one human family, making us all responsible for all.” CRS helps us unite with the people of Ethiopia and all over the world. It is our agency, and it is doing amazing work to help people not only thrive but flourish. Without our support in Ethiopia, there would be no good schools, clinics, support for farmers, clean drinking water systems, or assistance for people with disabilities and the elderly. Ethiopia is just a sample of what is being done in many other countries on behalf of the Catholic Church. We should be proud of what is being done by our Church, and continue to give generously with our prayers and financial support. I look forward to sharing this message of hope to the people in the parishes and schools of our archdiocese.