Nehemiah Center Video
Hello ! As you all know, we have been in close contact with the Nehemiah Center for Children with Autism and Related Disorders in Addis Ababa, with plans to help them build their educational program.
The Center's Director, Rahel Abayneh, is seen here in this video interviewing a mother who's child has autism. We translated the video and applied sub-titles. Take a few minutes to watch this, and you will see how sadly frustrating this is for these mothers. They have virtually no support in the community and no one to turn to.
One of the goals of the Center, in addition to working directly with the children and their famlies, is to raise awareness within the community about autism.
Here is a link to the video on Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J4RNFCDJxA
Selam,
- Alexia
Board of Directors
After a couple months and much thought, we are pleased to say that we have finalized our Board of Directors ! We are excited about the (professional and cultural) diversity of this group. We have confidence they all will contribute to the growth and longevity of EELIO Initiative. Our first meeting is scheduled for May 25th - an exciting start to a remarkable endeavor which just so happens to be a life long dream !
Please meet the Board Members :
- Alexia Galakatos, MA, CCC-SLP
Charlotte, NC
Business Owner; Speech-Language Pathologist; advocate for special needs education in Ethiopia - Hiwot Menbere, MA
Columbia, Maryland
RETIRED - Agricultural Technician Supervisor, Dept. of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, Univ. of Maryland; Native of Ethiopia - Ashraf Abou-Zamzam, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Pediatric Intensivist; Medical Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Huntington Hospital---Pasadena, CA - Chris Bahara
New York, NY
Founder and Council Chair of Ten Thousand Means – a U.S. based 501c3 non-profit organization, dedicated to the fight against Human Trafficking and for the furtherance of women's and children's rights, worldwide. Chris is a very successful fundraising / development professional and has a long history of non-profit activity. - Priscilla Galakatos
Carmel, CA
Philanthropist - Melissa Toporek, MA, OTR/L
Savannah, GA
Occupational Therapist; Doctoral Candidate; advocate for special needs education in Ethiopia - W. Scott Troutman, MBA
Raleigh, NC
Executive Director, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni & Friends Society at North Carolina State University - Eligo Motta, BSc
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
General Manager, Gellatly Hankey & Co. (Red Sea) S.C.
EELIO Begins Work for Autism Center for Children
As you have likely read in earlier posts, EEIO has been selected by the Nehemiah Group to help establish all Speech and Occupational Therapy services for the Nehemiah Center for Children with Autism and Related Disorders. We are off to a great start, as planning and preparations are really taking shape.
Rahel Abayneh, Nehemiah’s Director, informed us, with much enthusiasm, that they signed a 6 month lease on the house that will be used as the primary Center. Finding a home/facility would not seem like a difficult task, but in Addis Ababa it is difficult to find an owner who is willing to rent facilities to a group associated with disabled children - (a very sad point that underscores the need to improve awareness and empathy for special needs children ).
As Rahel describes in her email:
..."Our big problem was that when they know we want it for this kind of children, either they refused to rent (to us) or increased the rate unbelievably. "
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Hilina, the Speech Therapist I introduced in my last blog, has proven to be a true blessing in helping set up the clinic. She is very sharp and eager to get the Center organized so they may start working with the children. She has gone to great lengths and spent considerable time researching autism and special needs education. She has taken ideas she has learned to help build the curriculum for the Nehemiah Center. I feel so fortunate to have met her on my last visit to Addis.
I am so excited for them that they have found a place to rent - I know it has been difficult. We can only hope that the owner will be patient and allow them to establish themselves before they have to start looking for another home/facility. ( There is no such thing as ‘renter’s rights’ in Ethiopia. Tenants remain at the mercy of the property owner and can be displaced at any time, for no reason. And, remember, there is very little understanding of the special needs children and the challenges they face. So, we can only remain hopeful that this lease will be long-standing ).
The tenuous nature of the initial lease is just one (but critical) reason why it is so important for the Center to set-up in an organized fashion. There will need to be ‘good order’ in the building to give the property-owner confidence that things are orderly and secure.
We are planning a conference-call in the next week to discuss all the plans for the clinic. We believe that with our guidance ( and experience ) we can help them set-up a true clinic where the teachers, children, and parents can feel at home and ultimately thrive in their education.
I look forward to posting more updates as the Center progresses !
Recent Trip Brings Opportunities for EELIO to Serve
It is hard to believe that my Dad, Aristotle and I have been home from Ethiopia for over a month. It is fantastic to think of all that has come together since that trip.
Admittedly, I came back overwhelmed with all the opportunities on EELIO's plate. As a therapist, my heart said to dive in and take on as much as we possibly can; but as a business person I know what a mistake that would be. EELIO needs to focus on one or two manageable projects - within each of its three areas of focus. Once we succeed in the execution of those projects, we can then move to the next.
I am not naïve to the fact that we will always face challenges and setbacks, but minimizing our exposure to those obstacles by keeping ourselves focused is the best route for us and our stakeholders.
As most of you have read in my blog, I met with Directors from both NGO-funded (private) as well as Government-funded schools (public). I also met with several NGO’s directly that are involved with local service work.
One of these NGO’s, or non-government organizations, was founded by a group of Ethiopian parents, all of whom have children on the autism spectrum. These parents came together after years of frustration from the lack of resources in Ethiopia for their autistic children. In a short time, they have mobilized to form the Nehemiah Group. The Nehemiah Group is developing an educational facility that will provide care, education and skill services to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as well as counseling to parents and families of children with ASD, while raising awareness of ASD in Ethiopia.
This is particularly exciting for us because they have chosen EELIO Speaks to develop and help implement the speech-language pathology (SLP) and occupational therapy (OT) programs for the Center !
In fact, just this week, I received the signed Memorandum of Understanding between the Nehemiah Group and EELIO Initiative. While they will remain in charge of the larger program, this agreement gives EELIO quite a bit of latitude in the development and provision of the SLP and OT services. This agreement, a coalition of sorts, carries with it tremendous responsibility. There are many children and their families counting on us, and we are excited and motivated to deliver! These are the types of endeavors that inspire us and keep us focused on our primary mission of serving the needs of Ethiopia’s most needy - the children with special needs.
Also, on this trip, I was excited to meet with the administrators of the HIWOT HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Support Organization (HAPCSO). I was so impressed by what this organization is doing for the community and how they go about their business. The HAPCSO Director is focused, organized and thorough; all qualities I would like to see ascribed to EELIO. We can learn a lot from an organization like this.
We are exploring ways to work with HAPSCO for two distinct reasons. First, we believe in this important mission - HIV remains a devastating problem in Ethiopia. Secondly, HAPCSO has mobilized a tremendous corps of local volunteers who could be a valuable asset to EELIO in our efforts to identify the special needs children within the community.
Among our ideas for partnering with HAPCSO is to deploy EELIO Digs to teach and mentor their staff and volunteers in gardening, crop and irrigation methods.
And, finally, I want to update everyone on my continued communications with Dr. Enawgaw Mehari, Director of People to People (www.peoplepeople.org), who I met during my first working visit to Ethiopia. Dr. Mehari works tirelessly in service of the under-served in Ethiopia and worldwide, and while there isn't enough room in this letter to even touch on all his organization is doing, I will just say that he and I continue to seek ways I and EELIO can work within the scope of P2P's mission.
DAY TWELVE
February 12
I realize I have missed a few days. I have started writing but haven't completed anything . I couldn't have asked for things to go better than they did on this trip. People seem to come together. I know there are going to be obstacles along the way, but if we can make a difference in just one school or one family in the community - that will be a huge start.
Before I left for Ethiopia, I made plans to see the town where Engeda was born. So, my dad, Aristotle and Melissa got in a Toyota truck with Anduelem, a man who manages the Hiwot HIV clinic and his driver, Isreal. We really did not know these men, but Hiwot trusted them and knew they would take care of us along the way. My only request was that Isreal did not drive like the driver from last year who I thought was going to kill us all on our trip to Harar.
When it comes down to it, Addis Ababa really is like any other city. So, as you drive just 30 minutes outside of the city you finally get to experience Ethiopia. Young children hearding goats, cows, donkey, etc, grass huts, people driving their donkey drawn carts with huge loads of hay, grass, enset leaves (false banana ) to the market or back home from the market. I noticed that there were more metal roofs on the huts, and Anduelem told us that because the price of Tef (a grain used to make injera) has gone up, the farmers are able to afford more expensive roofing. It is a sign of wealth. As you drive, you come across these little towns and in between these towns are villages.
We drove past one village and we saw about 5 men carrying a stretcher with a woman lying on top.
They had her wrapped in a blanket and all you could see was her face. These men were going to take her by foot to the nearest "hospital" , which was easily 10 miles away. I guess in this sense, the Black Lion Hospital doesn't seem so bad . There is such beauty here. I can't even begin to describe it ... and honestly the pictures don't do it ("it" being the land and the people) justice.
The road to Hosana is now paved, which make the drive so much nicer. The last time we drove this road it was still dirt. The 5 hour drive is now 3 hours ! We got to Hosana got lunch at one of the newer hotels and off we went to Shinshicho (I have been dying to see Shinshicho since I first got Engeda's paperwork ). We took a left turn off the main road out of Hosana and it was like the old days. Dirt and dust for about an hour. Really it wasn't that bad ... actually, it was but I was too excited to care. I got to see the town where he was born ! It was pretty amazing. The kids from the town come running up to the car . Parents and grandparents are intrigued. I don't think they see too many ferenji's in that part of town. (Ferenji came about when an Ethiopian asked a foreigner what nationality he was and the foreigner said French. The Ethiopian then said Ferench ... and it has stuck) .
Anyway, we stayed and visited this small farming town and then headed back to Hosana for lunch and to drop off a friend who helped guide us into Shinshicho. The men ordered two dishes and when they arrived I was curious about the name of the dish because sticking out of the of this neatly wrapped "package" of Injera was a bone. The whole thing, injera included, looked like a giant drumstick .
When I asked the name, our friend answered, "Fresh" and then laughed ... so, I laughed ... I come to find that this does not mean anything different in Amharic. It literally means "fresh" , like freshly slaughtered that day. I think this story was funnier at that time but I have already written this much ... 
It was getting late in the afternoon and we were staying the night in Awassa. Awassa is a lake town south of Addis. Isreal decided to take a short cut to Awassa. He said it should take about 2 hours and 20 minutes maximum. This short cut was beautiful but the roads were horrible . The roads were not paved and they were dustier than anything I have ever experienced before!
There were moments when you could not breath because it was so overwhelming. After about 2 hours on this road we finally came to a paved road just about time for the sun to set. This is not a good thing. The roads during the day are scary enough. Luckily, our driver was very careful because I kid you not, the same donkey drawn carts that we saw during the day were on the road at night . There are no lights on the roads and no lights on these carts. Between the people riding bikes, people walking along side of the road, donkey drawn carts and cattle crossing the road at night without lights, you couldn't blink for fear of killing someone or yourselves !
We finally made it to the hotel... 3 1/2 hours later. The hotel was so great and so clean ... because we were not. My once white shirt now had a nice brown tint to it and our hair ... you can only imagine. The shower never felt better.
I have to say though that days like today, is what life is all about. We really enjoyed every minute.
Day 11 - Aris
Day 11, Ethiopia
- Today my mom went to the Ministry of Education for a meeting with the Director of Special Ed to see if they could get approval to get into a couple of schools. It was a success !
- We went to Amsterdam a really good restaurant and I got a really good chicken sandwich. Who knew that while in Ethiopia you can get great food !
- We walked around places of Addis and went to the supermarket and coffee place named The German Munch Bakery.
- We saw this herb lying over a sheet on the ground and we didn't know what but people were eating it. It looked like tree branches. Maybe it was a toothbrush. I found out on this trip, that people don't use brushes but instead they use sticks that are carved. They have cool designs on them.
- It was getting dark by then, so , we got home just in the nick of time. The reason we wanted to get
home before dark is that the streets can be dangerous. There are no street lights and being a foreigner people have a tendency to harass you more. During the day you don't feel threatened at all.
- We ate yummy bean soup and chicken cream soup ... it was goood !
Things I have noticed:
- You save a lot of money living here. for example: 5 of us went to an Ethiopian restaurant and we ate a lot of food for 200 birr. This is equivalent to about 16 dollars !
- There are many dogs and cats running around free (and happy ) but they aren't anyone's pet ... they are not domesticated .
- It seems that every hut has a farm animal in it , like cows, chickens, goats or even a horse.
- The people seem happier than us and the kids seem happier even though they have less than us in the states. The kids play with balls that are made out of what looks like socks. The kids also play tetherball but instead of using their hands they kick it with their feet.
DAY NINE
February 9
I sat and re-read my blog yesterday. I wish I could say i was impressed with my writing but I am not !
Last year I had much more down time than I have this year and it shows. I sit down at night and I am mentaly tired. I can't even find strength to be my witty self ...
Obviously, I am exaggerating .. a little We are seeing so much everyday. We are observing, talking and listening to parents, teachers, directors. We are discussing amongst ourselves everything that needs to be done and what realistically can be done so that it gets done correctly ... from the beginning. I am thinking of the best ways to incorporate all three aspects of EELIO Initiative (rises, digs and speaks) as I visit these schools and gardens that Hiwot has started.
The story is coming together. We are making great contacts.
We met with two women who represent an organization from Finland. This organization has established a program with the Ministry of Education (in Addis) for children with special needs. They have trained Ethiopian teachers to serve as itinerant teachers in schools throughout Ethiopia. These itinerant teachers are then training and working with the special needs teachers in various schools (this is the short version) . Anyway ... we presented our ideas to them and they agreed, like everyone else, that there is a huge need for speech, occupational and physical therapy in this country. They recommended that we speak to the Director of Special Ed at the Ministry of Education. He will either like what we have to say or not !
We made an appointment for Friday.
Days 9 and 10 - Aris
Day 9, Ethiopia
- We went to the Ministry of Education today. My mom really made a good name for herself and her speech therapy
- After that I went home and worked on home work for an hour then relaxed and watched futball.
( now, this is entertaining ! -- alexia )
Day 10, Ethiopia
- Today we went to see the street boys and Adam. He runs the house and the program for the boys who are 13-18 years old
- The street boys organization is where they pick older boys off the street and help educate them and take care of them. They rented a couple houses for them so they an have a place to sleep. During the day the boys come to the main house. They are there from 6:30 a.m until 9:00 p.m. During the day they do chores, go to school , and get tutored. In their free time they play ping pong and watch TV
- Some of the kids go to school at night.
- They each have a story about their past and their family. The stories are pretty sad.
- They get allowances but only if they listen and have good behavior. They keep track of each boy by using a checklist for good and bad behaviors. If they get a check by their name they lose money. If they get too many checks for bad behavior, they have to sit alone and write.
- So we went there and it was a nice organization
- My Papou and I went back to the hotel while my mom went to meet with 2 speech pathologists at a hospital . I just relaxed and did home work.
DAY EIGHT
February 8
Melissa and I got up, hopped in a cab and off we went to Black Lion Hospital to meet the pediatric neurologist we met the other night at dinner. We arrived promptly at 9:30 to listen to a lecture and then meet some of the Black Lion Doctors as they saw children. That is in theory ... the only part that happened was us getting there at 9:30. We never found any of the doctors but in trying to find them we did take a self guided tour of the hospital . I don't do well in hospitals in general but really had a tough time here. There were so many people waiting to be seen ... I saw one young man carrying his father or grandfather on his back as they walked to the waiting area. What I can't seem to get past is that most of these people aren't going to be able to get the care that they need. This is not a clean, sterile environment. Most of the beds were old and rusty, the hallways were dark .
The PICU was like any other room in the hospital. There aren't enough doctors or resources in the system to help in the manner that is needed.
Now .. onto something more pleasant!
We visited an NGO school that helps orphaned and homeless children in the community. This place was really quite special . Not only did it feed the 900 + students that attended the school but 1700 people in the community. The kitchens were impressive and the amounts of food the woman served was even more impressive. The cafeteria had at least a couple hundred seats for the children. And at each seat the woman placed a plate with Injera and the main dish so that the children could just come in and eat.
So much preparation went into these meals.
This school also had facilities that taught vocations such as mechanics, wood working, cooking , house keeping to the street kids. The cabinets and shelving the students make are sold to the public and they even take orders from business and individuals. They stay very busy and what a great way to make money for the facility.
Not done yet ...
The last school we visited was in one of the poorest areas of Addis. It was situated close to the city dump. Now, this automatically gives the impression that the school is dingy and dirty. Surprisingly, it was the opposite. The land the school sat on was a large plot that sat atop of a hill . The classrooms were clean and bright and the children all seemed happy.
The director and PTA member (who was a dad) lead us down to the far end of the campus where they had chicken coops. I was really concerned about what we may see when we walked into the building ...
but I have to say, even though the chickens were in cages , it was very clean and the chickens looked healthy. The eggs they gathered from the chickens were used to generate income for the school.
As we were talking to the PTA dad, the kids broke for lunch. Some had lunches but they said that most will go to the dump to find food . The children know that the nicer hotels use this dump and they will be able to find good food. The man we were speaking with said that it becomes an easy life for these children because they know they will always find food there. It is very difficult to redirect them into a more healthy environment.
We really have no idea ....
Days 7 and 8 - Aris
Day 7 Ethiopia
- We went to a couple of schools today
- The first school we went to was public school and wasn't very clean like the others
- The only thing they had to eat during the day was tea because they could not afford food for all the kids
- We first went to the class for the special needs kids
- The class was nice. The students were weaving and doing other crafts.
- Their was a boy who had autism who loved the football I brought with me. I played with him for
about 45 minutes . He would throw the ball into the air and just laugh.
- After that school we went to another school. It was a private school . It was probably the same as an average public school.
- We had a nice tour by the woman and it was a lot nicer than the other school.
- There was a garden , a cafeteria , playground and a soccer field
- The kids looked healthier and more nourished
- After that .... we went to a meeting with a woman that started an organization 10 years ago to support and educate the individuals with HIV.
- Oh ! we also got pizza that was delicious ! ...but it still wasn't a baked potato from McAlisters.
Day 8, Ethiopia (my mom is behind on her journal !)
- My Papou (grandfather) and I went on a 2 mile walk this morning while my mom went to a meeting.
- We saw many people who heard goats. They also sell them to people.
- When we were walking, I looked down and on the side of the street there was a goat hoof and part of the leg ...Yuck !
- We also saw a little boy in the middle of the sidewalk, counting his change and holding his bills in his fingers. (picture of the day ! but we forgot out camera)
- Then after the walk we relaxed for a bit while we waited for my mom to get back
- They came to pick us up to go to another meeting at the Bethany Christian. My Papou and I stayed
outside and took pictures. I got a really good picture of a young man sitting down on the sidewalk smiling
- We then went to see a piece of property that was beautiful
- There were kids waiting to play with us . They had a tennis ball. We kicked it around a few times before we had to leave.
- On the property we saw goat and donkey skulls and other bones ( it was cool )
- Also, on the property there was a beautiful hut painted green , yellow and red
- We finally got in the car and headed home, but first we got ice cream and it was delicious as usual
