As I get ready to depart Ethiopia, I made a last field monitoring visit to Tigray and northern Amhara regions to check on some programs I hadn't seen. I spent a week visiting three programs and then the weekend enjoying a great lodge and great scenery.
The first day I visited a nutrition center we support which is very well run and making a huge difference. But, the area (if you look at the photos--you can see) is pretty barren and there's not much there. I really cannot fathom why people choose to stay here instead of moving to another area (as offered by the GoE). But, nonetheless, their culture emplores them to stay on the land of their ancestors and so they do. And when they need help, one of the NGOs we support provides it.
In this area of northern Amhara, called Abergale, the women do a lot of traditional tattooing that I found it fascinating.
After that visit, we headed north towards Adigrat which is near the Eritrean border. In the villages nearby I was looking at irrigation and potable water projects we've funded. Some were easier to get to than others!! All of these projects were great and the beneficiaires were engaged and appreciative. The photos show hand pumps, latrines, irrigation schemes, etc.
And the last NGO we visited was also doing nutrition programming, so we went to two more health facilities to chat with the beneficiaires.
After the work part of my trip I was dropped off at Gheralta Lodge which is about 1 1/2 hours from the capital of Tigray (the nearest airport). The area is mostly flat with huge rocky mountains poking up to form a little series. Centuries ago monks dug out the rock to make churches—and many are spectacularly painted.
The churches are accessible by various means. Some are very close to the road and you can drive to the steps and walk up, while others require 1-2 hours of hiking and the difficulty varies from a mild incline to something like bouldering. The spectacular views make it worth the effort.
The first churches I visited (two on the same peak) were Maryam Korkor and Danial Korkor. Hiking up was a task, but I was rewarded with some stunning views. The churches are really different from those of Lalibela and much less crowded. I was usually the only one there besides the guide and priest. Most of these churches have been dug into the rock, like caves, and then have had a more modern front entrance put on. The paintings inside vary but all have scenes related to the saint of that church and general biblical themes. The paintings are said to have been done by the monks who carved out the churches and can be dated back to anywhere from the 7th century forward. Some of them have been cleaned and repainted according to the original design or pictures, but others are original work.
I visited three churches in one day: one more difficult church, one that was right by the road, and one in between. They all had different views and different levels of painting and it was really differnt from anything else I've seen here.
After the churches, I sat on the patio reading my book and taking pictures of the animals. I made friends (via bread) with a cow, a donkey and a horse all grazing around the lodge property. I also left bread crumbs for the birds but they were more busy making nests. The pictures below have shots from all of the programs and weekend. There are tons but I edited as best I could!!
Enjoy,
Jane
Link to album:
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| Gheralta Lodge and TIgray |
Slideshow:
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