One of the most exciting parts of my Peace Corps assignment is working with the Non Timber Forest Products organization. NTFP does work not in the cities, but deep in the forest in remote villages. Up until this month I had not had an opportunity to go with them. I was supporting their mission from the regional base here in Deka, but this week I finally got a chance to visit one of the forestry sites, Gawache.
I thought my village was small and remote, but compared to Gawache it looks like a metropolis. Gawache is 17.5km (11 Mi) northwest of Deka, only accessible by foot or horse. The village consists of a cluster of about 20 grass huts, 3 buildings with tin roofs, and 1 school. During our trip I was shown the difficulties of village life when a young girl, no older than 7, was being taken to Deka on a horse. She had tripped and a piece of wood had caused a terrible gash in her mouth, with severe risk of infection her parents only option was make the journey.
I was carrying several kilograms of seeds so we decided make the excursion by horseback. Leading the way were two of my friends who work for NTFP. It took us about 4 ½ hours, over very rough terrain and we had to ford 3 creeks and one river. We were lucky to have sun for the first half, but then a lightning storm came and dumped buckets of water on us. During the trip we only had to dismount from the horse once, on a steep muddy hill. The mud was so think that with each step it would go up to my shin. The trip was concluded just before dusk and I set up my tent in field next to the school.
As darkness fell we left camp to find some T’ej, a local honey wine. This served two purposes: 1. I could introduce myself to the local government officials and 2. We need some T’ej after that journey! At the T’ej house I was able to meet the local kebele manager (like a mayor) and talk about what we were doing. He was very familiar with NTFP and their programs with the forest, but he was thrilled to know that I brought seeds for their tree nursery. He invited me to dinner and we were able to eat the local bread, K’ocho, and a delicious bean dish, k’ik’ wat.
The next morning I had a nice tour of the village and a section of the forest. I have lived in Ethiopia for a year half but this village still surprised me. The community was tiny, but everyone was extremely hospitable as I was invited to have coffee and milk at a couple different houses. I was also able to train a few locals on seed bed preparation, supplementing the fantastic education NTFP had already provided.
I was supposed to leave early that morning, but the trainings and coffee drinking went a little longer than expected. My counterpart was staying there for a few more days but he didn’t want me to make the journey alone. It was market day in Deka so many farmers were going there to sell their goods, but they had already left. We ended up hiring a guide, a local student who didn’t have school that day.
At 15 years old he was a smart kid. He is currently learning English and his one request was to have me tutor him along the way. We also agreed to pay him 20 birr with a 10 birr tip. This was a great wage since most day laborers make 8-10 birr for a full day of work. After we set out, me on the horse and he on his feet, I found out he was going to be returning that afternoon. While it is common for people to walk the 35km (22mi) round trip in one day, I thought it was cruel and I gave him my horse. I usually go on a 10-15 mile hike once a week so I enjoyed the walk. Also on foot I was able to scout out parts of the trail and I found a small waterfall on the Gone-Gori River. The falls was only about 3 meters (10 feet) tall, but it was still a beautiful site to see until I realized I was standing on an ant colony. I proceeded to have ants in my pants for a good 5 minutes, but my guide found that funny.
We got back to Deka in the afternoon and I took the guide out to lunch. It is special for someone to get a soda or meat, but he had to make the trip back and I didn’t feel right to send him on his way without a full stomach. I also gave him 2 liters of my purified water (he left without a bottle and I did not see him drink anything but the soda and water I gave him). Just after lunch he met up with several farmers from his village to walk back with.
The trip was a great success, but my perspective has changed. I thought I was remote, complaining to my friends who live in big towns and cities, I was wrong. Even though only a couple thousand live in Deka, it is a city compared to Gawache. Their life is difficult but their strength is great. The seeds I brought will provide trees for hundreds of people and will help save the forest. It is tough to measure the benefits directly, but one tree is worth about 600 birr ($35) after 10 years. I am estimating 5,000 seedlings will survive to become full trees. This is worth about 3,000,000 birr ($175,000). In 2010 GDP per capita in Ethiopia was $342 (The United States was $48,010 for perspective), the trees will provide excellent value helping the community and also saving the forest. Perhaps one day the villagers won’t have to go 17 ½ kilometers by horse just to see a doctor.
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