Our primary initiative while in Addis Ababa was to work with a local school that specializes in taking students whose parents are currently in, or working their way out of, prostitution. By sending their children to a school that provides an excellent education, they can ensure them a better future. Pictured above is one of the mothers we spent time working with.
Our primary initiative while in Addis Ababa was to work with a local school that specializes in taking students whose parents are currently in, or working their way out of, prostitution. By sending their children to a school that provides an excellent education, they can ensure them a better future. Pictured above is one of the mothers we spent time working with.
Our primary initiative while in Addis Ababa was to work with a local school that specializes in taking students whose parents are currently in, or working their way out of, prostitution. By sending their children to a school that provides an excellent education, they can ensure them a better future. Pictured above is one of the mothers we spent time working with.
The Lion of Judah, an important religious symbol in Rastafarian culture, resides in the heart of Addis Ababa. Many are unaware that Rasta culture actually originates from Ethiopia instead of Jamaica. This is most obvious when looking at the Ethiopian flag, whose colors were adopted for Rasta culture.
Ethiopia's capital city, Addis Ababa, is perched over 7,000 feet above sea level and serves as the home to well over 3 million people. The city's layout is a strange mix of upper and lower social classes all subsisting in the same neighborhoods and often only feet away from each other unlike most modern zoned cities.
Two men keep watch over one of the thousands of tiny 'shops' lining Addis Ababa's city streets. Despite a growing economy, many Ethiopians still suffer from extreme poverty due to a large influx of people moving from rural to urban areas.
James, a young boy at the small home for disabled children, has been suffering from extreme malnutrition despite eating a healthy diet. Even when he was able to eat, much of it was later thrown back up making the problem worse. It is unclear as to what James suffers from, local doctors are still unable to make a diagnosis based on his symptoms.
Students attending a boarding school are required to wear a uniform and shave their head. This reduces distractions by placing a strong emphasis on school work. While not all students enjoy such strict control over their looks, most agree on the importance of a good education in the pursuit of a better life.
The harsh reality for many of the children attending public school in rural Kenya is several mile commute to and from school everyday. The more wealthy are afforded the luxury of bus rides to and from boarding school.
Members of the Catholic Women's Association carry banana leafs in support of peace for the upcoming election. Historically, elections have often brought much violence to Kenya. Many return to the home region of their tribes to avoid conflicts along tribal lines.
For the children not attending school, most spend their time doing chores and running errands for their family. Here a local girl returns home with fire kindling to be used for cooking. Despite electricity being run through the area a few years prior, many homes still lack access.
The first destination of our journey to Africa was the small town of Sigomere Kenya, home to Obama's extended family. Here our primary focus was to improve the financial well being a local small home for disabled children and to check on a previously implemented aquaponics system in the local all-girls school. While visiting, we were frequently referred to by the local children as "muzungu", the Swahili term for 'white person'.
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