As we drove down from Addis Ababa, I was struck by the awesome landscape that dominates southern Ethiopia. The land is vast and spacious. Mountains, highlands, and a lake characterize the scenery. A healthy green color is consistent throughout the entire region. It reminds me a lot of the Irish countryside. The soil is arable and extremely fertile. There is a tremendous abundance of trees and plant life. The climate is moderate and comfortable. Since I arrived, it has rained everyday. Many crops appear to be growing vibrantly. This is certainly not what I had expected when I arrived here on March 3rd. Like many other citizens of the United States, I intended to see a dry and famine-stricken land where cultivating had become a far-fetched dream.

Finally, Sr. John and I arrived to Dubbo where the mission is located. It was only a 5 1/2 hour trip, thanks to the newly paved roads between the mission and Addis Ababa. The predominate town of the province, Wolaita, is Soddo. Soddo is forty minutes away by car and that is where many elements of development end such as mail service, paved roads, and all household necessities. The mission is in a very remote and rural area of southern Ethiopia where white people become quite an attraction because many have never seen one before. Dubbo is not even located on an Ethiopian map. The mission contains two compounds, one belongs to the sisters and the other is the residence of the Capuchin priests. Many churches are scattered throughout the area. A beautiful clinic with medical outposts and an elementary school also belong to the mission. The closest "town" is Areka, a mile from Dubbo, was described by Father Pacifico, an Italian Capuchin priest who has been in Ethiopia for more than 25 years, as the most miserable town in the entire country. It is well known for its corruption, prostitution, and violence.

After the gorgeous scenery, the second significant impact is the sub-human poverty that exits throughout the region. It is absolutely disturbing. The standard of living is primitive. Their health and hygiene habits are dismal. Huts are the common living quarters that are constructed by Ethiopians. They are made of mud, wood, and straw. Sometimes, the huts have cheap metal scrap roofing. Inside the huts, there is a dirt floor. There is no electricity or running water. In addition, you find the livestock living with the people. Cows, donkeys, chickens, and other animals are often found in huts. The livestock stays in the house because the people are afraid that someone will steal the animals. With large families and livestock, at night, the children struggle to find space on the crowded, dirt floor in order to sleep. All meals are prepared over open fires inside the huts. Without realizing the danger, the family breathes in the toxic smoke because there is no proper ventilation in the huts. Also, many children burn themselves severely because they are not taught about the dangers of fire. Unfortunately, the huts are rarely cleaned which of course, leads to the growth of insects and diseases. Clouds of insects hover around and in the huts.

Southern Ethiopians bathe themselves sporadically. After speaking with many people including the sisters, it is safe to assume that the average Ethiopian bathes every two months. Washing or bathing is not a priority and they do not recognize the value of it. Therefore, many insects swarm all over their body especially flies. Bugs are always found in their noses, ears, mouths, and eyes. Sr. Ettorina says that on many occasions, when they begin to speak, the people will eat a bug due to the large amount of them near their mouths. Southern Ethiopians do not try to brush away the insects because they are used to having them on their bodies. Many no longer feel the presence of bugs. It has become normal. Many flies and other insects penetrate the skin on the feet and scalps. For the insects, it is especially easy to get into the feet because they do not wear shoes. Because of the lack of bathing, the insects remain in the skin and then, the skin becomes infected. I have seen several children with shaved heads covered with white sores because of the infected skin caused by insects. One day at one of the medical outposts, Sr. Francesca removed ten dead flies from a child's ear.

Malnutrition continues to be the major health problem, here. In fact, when I arrived, there were three Spanish doctors from the organization, Doctors Without Borders, confronting a medical emergency of malnutrition. With such fertile land, why is malnutrition so widespread? No one has an answer. However, malnutrition is not the only health problem. Malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, and diarrhea are also common killers in this area. Children often complain of chronic lung problems because of their inhalation of the unhealthy fumes in their huts. AIDS has reached epidemic proportions. It is estimated that 25% of all Ethiopians are HIV positive. Unfortunately, it is also said that many more probably do have it, but they do not know because they have never been tested. According U.S. News and World Report, over 17 million have already perished in Africa and the number is expected to increase dramatically in all African countries. Despite the promotion of AIDS education, its effectiveness has been low. Due to these overwhelming health problems, the Ethiopian life expectancy has dropped to 49 years.

In this region, a feudal system society ended only about 20 years ago. A lord to serf type of slavery existed until recent times. The slaves worked the owners' land for shelter and food. The owners possessed the slaves as they did the land. No wages were ever given. After abolishing the feudal system, the vast majority of Southern Ethiopians have become totally dependent on others. It is a difficult task to sustain themselves. The Ethiopian per capita income is US$115 - making it one of the three poorest countries in the world and many will work for less than 20 cents a day (1 US dollar = 8 Ethiopian birrs) The level of poverty is maintained at a high level and the per capita income is constantly low, as a result of a variety of factors. Even in rural areas, overpopulation has led to a lack of land. Agriculture is the only form of employment. The quality of education is very poor which produces an unskilled labor force. However, above all, most of the blame lies with the current Ethiopian government. It is plagued with corruption, which has diminished governmental investments. The government establishes laws that slow any economic progress especially with its practice of high taxes on products and land. For example, there is a 100% tax on the purchase of all new vehicles. The government remains severely out of touch with the people. In addition, to protect its image, it tells the Ethiopian people that the economy is growing at more than 7% annually and boasts about its recent victory in the war against Eritrea. Despite the declared military triumph, Ethiopia remains a landlocked country. Here, in Dubbo, the modern and well-equipped clinic that was constructed by Cuamm, an Italian health care non-governmental organization, slowly reaches towards full operation due to government interference. The clinic was inaugurated on June 15, 2000, however, Sr. John, the head administrator, continues to confront many obstacles to get the clinic to full working capacity. The problems include the reluctance to issue practicing licenses, the denial to purchase medicine, and the deliberate loss of clinic documentation by the government health ministry. As a result of these circumstances, Ethiopia struggles to come out of the Middle Ages society and development is greatly hindered.

Another contrast is the treatment of women and children. Women and children have no rights. Polygamy is still legal. One man normally has various wives and many children. Women are expected to do all of the heavy lifting. Her opinion or thought is worthless. The men are always correct and they accept the male view without questioning it. Women are not educated. It is believed that the education of a woman is a waste because they are going to get married. Sr. Regina teaches many Biblical courses. Once she commented that in one of her classes, all forty students were men. There was not one woman present besides her. In Africa, the average woman receives 1.2 years of schooling. Marriage is usually decided by the exchange of cow for a woman. The father of a woman seeks livestock compensation if a man asks for his daughter's hand in marriage. Many times, marriage is forced. If a wife dies, the relatives of the deceased have to present another woman to the widower. This is known as wife inheritance. Domestic violence is considered to be "culturally acceptable." If a woman cannot produce a male son, she is abandoned. One day, I went to visit the sick with Sr. Francesca. We entered one hut where we found an ill woman, lying near a cow. She was extremely thin and weak. She was dying from breast cancer. She did not have the strength to lift her head up and could barely speak. The woman had been in this condition for more than four months. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer after she gave birth to her fifth child, the husband abandoned her and their children in order to find another wife. He never returned. By God's mercy, three days after we had been to visit her, she passed away. Her suffering had ended and she was at peace. However, now, five children are orphans. The elderly grandmother is the only adult in the house. So, the future of the children is very uncertain. Nonetheless, changes and actions are taking place to try and empower women in this society. Sr. Ettorina works diligently to improve a mother/women promotional group with the help of an Italian woman.

Children are very much in the same position as women. One sad fact is that Southern Ethiopian children do not know how old they are. In fact, very few Ethiopians know their age. Children learn to fend for themselves at an early age. They have to mature quickly and take on adult responsibilities. Their innocence evaporates rapidly. In the family, the children are the last to eat and little attention is paid to them. The worst treatment of all is directed towards the girls. In addition to my six English classes, I am working with Sr. Francesca and an Ethiopian woman to educate a large group of girls. There are thirty-seven girls. They are taught knitting, basic hygiene, their importance and value to society, and English. With donation money from the Diocese of Maine, we purchased 37 pairs of sneakers for about US$110. One day's lesson consisted of teaching the girls how to lace and tie the sneakers, how to keep them clean, and how to maintain the sneakers so that they will last longer. I remember watching one girl awkwardly trying to walk in the sneakers. For many of them, it was the first time that they had worn shoes. It came as a shock to them that a man would spend money on them. Not only did the event provide them with sense of self-pride and a boost to their self-esteem, but, more importantly, the sneakers will prevent many diseases contracted by bare feet.

Over all, the most difficult problem for us has been our relationship with the people. Besides major differences in our cultures, communication is a huge barrier. Eighty-two languages are spoken in Ethiopia. In this area, the most common languages are Amharic and Wolaita, a provincial dialect. However, on many occasions, even Ethiopians cannot communicate well with each other. Translators are frequently needed. Unfortunately, this situation has caused solidarity to become a very lofty goal. A few languages would be required to master in order to achieve a solid relationship with the people.

To end, Ethiopia enters the 21st century by our calendar (Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar so, it is really 1993, here) with a seemingly endless list of difficult issues to solve. Two positive signs are the peace and stability that are visible in the country. Sr. John who misioned in Swaziland for fourteen years, Sr. Francesca who worked in Mozambique for three years, and an Italian doctor with Cuamm who has practiced medicine in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda, through their experience, all of them conclude that Ethiopia is in the most severe condition on the continent and presents the most difficult challenge for improvement. Unfortunately, the future of Ethiopia appears to be bleak unless drastic social, political, and economic reforms are implemented.