Sponsor a Child

Sponsor a Child

According to government estimates, approximately 40 children are abandoned to die each year in Hamar woreda (locals estimate 100+). These children are labeled “mingi,” which means unwanted, not needed, the cause of misfortune, unlucky and associated with bad occurrences. Mingi is carried out by community members but is dictated and managed by ethnic elders who wield absolute control in Hamar society.  In accordance with Hamar social values and norms, parents are forced to abandon or kill their “mingi” child as a prerequisite to stay in the community. 

Children are considered Mingi if born before marriage;  born to a married couple who did not fulfill customary rituals; the first born are twins; child’s milk teeth of the upper jaw appear before the lower jaw;  or the child loses his lower jaw teeth by accident. 

Two prominent Hamar government officials, adult Mingi children rescued by a courageous man willing to defy tribal pressure,  Emnet Garsho(former Hamar woreda Chief Administrator) and Sintayehu Garsho (Chief Justice for South Omo zone) designed this project with GTLI. It has  three objectives:  
1) Intervene, care, support and reunify mingi children with birth families;
2) Facilitate eradication of Mingi Harmful Traditional Practice (HTP); and
3) Build capacity of local government to assume management of project with technical backstopping provided by UNICEF.

For more detail information on this practice, refer to  http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/05/world/africa/mingi-ethiopia/index.html?hpt=hp_c1. This story talks about the Karo tribe which also believes in Mingi. The article mentions 3,000 children killed/year. The official estimate is 40 children/year.  The discrepancy in numbers is immaterial, one child killed is one too many.

$50/month will care and support a Mingi child and aid our work to eradicate this Harmful Traditional Practice.

Disease Prevention

Over 80% of Hamar have preventable diseases: ascariasis (roundworm), diarrhea, respiratory disease, the common cold. Because access to health care is difficult, these diseases can be life-threatening. They exacerbate malnutrition and dehydration, compromise already weakened systems, and cause unnecessary death. 

“Simple” changes in behavior can prevent most of these illnesses. Using pit latrines rather than open field defecation, and washing hands and faces can dramatically reduce the incident of disease. But, of course, changing centuries’ old behavior is anything but simple. Few people want to change familiar behaviors – especially when they don’t have enough food to eat or water to drink.

So GTLI uses a method called Community Based Learning in Action (CBLA) (link) to motivate the Hamar to adopt healthier behaviors. Through CBLA, communities learn that their own behavior – not punishing spirits – is causing their illness, and collectively decide to adopt new practices.

above: mapping open defecation areas helps community members see the importance of using pit latrines

right: the opening of a trading center is a chance to promote handwashing

We believe that when communities. . .

• have access to clean water
• understand that current behaviors make them sick, and
• see that washing and pit latrine use improves health . . .

they will maintain their water schemes and practice healthy behaviors long term.

Functional Adult Literacy

Because of drought, the Hamar can no longer grow enough food to feed their families. For most of the year they rely on foraging nuts and food relief. They want to earn money and regain their self-reliance. 

They realize they need new skills to earn money. Learning Amharic (the national language) and understanding basic calculations and record keeping is the first step. So GTLI has opened Function Adult Literacy (FAL) schools integrated with Income Generating Activities.

Our first school opened in the community of Minogelti with 12 eager women students. Today 60 women and men attend. Our second school opened in Wonga Bayno with a handful of pupils. Today over 100 students come. We are quickly building a new building!

Why the growth in interest? Because those first 12 students – the Minogelti Women’s Cooperative – used their education to open a grinding mill and trading center, earning money for their families and providing valuable services to the community. Now other women – and men – want the same opportunity.

The biggest beneficiaries are the girls. Until recently, fathers refused to allow their daughters to attend school because “an educated girl does not command a bride price.” Now fathers see that educated girls support the family and encourage their girls to attend.

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Clean Water

Providing clean water is the cornerstone of all GTLI projects. As of September 2011, six wells have been constructed and/or repaired. Funding is in place to construct three additional water schemes and refurbish two non-functioning ones.

Keeping water clean is not easy

But simply constructing a well does not guarantee clean water. To keep the water clean – and flowing – the communities must transition from centuries of open field defecation to pit latrine use, learn how to maintain their water schemes and earn money to buy spare parts.

Left: Small peer groups meet with GTLI experts to learn why current behaviors make them sick, and how new behaviors can prevent disease.

Right: Elders fence a new well to keep animals away

Below: Water Committees learn to maintain the wells. Each committee is at least 40% female because women are the ones who fetch the water.

Left: GTLI's Sanitarian teaches a community Household Sanitation Team how to inspect households for cleanliness and proper sanitation.

Sustainable Clean Water requires a 3-part solution

1. A functioning water scheme

2.  

   The ability to maintain the water scheme and purchase spare parts

3. Community-wide sanitation behavior