Where We Work: The Hamar Tribe of Ethiopia

The Hamar are an ancient tribe of pastoralists who live in the remote southwest corner of Ethiopia. Far removed from the modern world, they live much as they have for generations, following their livestock in search of grazing grounds.

 

The Hamar are known for their distinctive hairdos, the women’s traditional goatskin clothing, their beadwork, and their proud attachment to the ways of their ancestors. They live in dispersed communities in an area of ___ square miles. There are few roads, no electricity, no cell phones or internet service. All transportation is by foot, all communication by word of mouth.

 

Climate change, however, has brought devastating change to the region. Because of ever-worsening drought, livestock are dying. Women walk hours every day to fetch water from holes in the dry ground. The water they collect is polluted. Lack of rain has made it impossible to grow enough food. For the first time, the Hamar must buy food, but lacking income generating skills and inexperienced with a cash economy, they have little ability to do so.

 

Their health is also compromised. Dehydration, malnutrition, polluted water, and lack of sanitation and hygiene all conspire to produce epidemic levels of preventable disease.

 

The Hamar are painfully aware that the practices of their ancestors no longer keep them alive. And while they are determined to hew to their traditions, they are equally determined to learn how to protect their families in their changing world.

 

“We do what our ancestors taught us. Why are we dying? Tell us what we need to know.” Bali Sudo, tribal elder