Brian Campbell, Holt Creative Productions Manager
Durame, Ethiopia— Today, Gary Gamer, Holt President and CEO, and I set out early for the nearby town of Shinshicho–a typical drive for the Holt social workers from our center, 45 minutes to an hour. They normally travel via rented car or even by motorcycle. This is the dry season and the roads are not paved. Fine powdery white dust covers the foliage along the road kicked up by every passing car, bus or horse and cart. We experience this right up to the end of the road where we dismount and go the rest of the way on foot.
Here, the soil is terra cotta red. Wide, eucalyptus-lined paths snake from a small canyon into a forest of yucca, small scrub bushes and coffee trees. In this fertile area farmers eke out a paltry income from small plots. We pass farms with traditional homes, banana and avocado trees on our 2-kilometer walk to visit a single mother and her daughter.
This young mother lives with her elderly parents and sister. She gives us a tour of her family home illustrating the functions of the tools and accommodations. A manual coffee grinder catches my attention as Gary demonstrates the grinding action, using a large stick to gently crush the beans. After the tour the family settles in for a conversation about the little girl we came to see. She is roughly 11 months old. Through translation we learn that young mother had been with a friend of hers and became pregnant. But the man denied his relationship with her before the tribal council. The young mother’s father pleaded with the council on her behalf but to no avail. The child became illegitimate in the eyes of this community. To compound the situation, the family discovers that the father has a severe case of TB. Before he can complete his treatment, the younger sister and his wife contract TB. The birth mother and little girl may be infected as well.
Dr. Fikru says that the Holt staff are getting meds to the family and to the child. As we begin to walk back, the birth mother comes out and gives us a bunch of bananas and a final farewell.
