Good-by Jijiga

Good-by is always a shity moment after a long period of time spent together. However, this is life. Thanks Jijiga and see you:-)

(Photo 16.4.2011 Hotel Hamda Jijiga)

Last days and see you soon (back on 20 of April)

Bausitzung, I love it, in the background, you see the the plumber (Sanitär) working. (Photo: 7.4.2011 Shebeley Health Post)

In Somali-Region, we did not have rain for the last 8 months, there is big drought (and nobody knows it in the world), and the few boreholes working are very busy like on the picture. (Photo 7.4.2011, near Tuli village)

And because of draught and other difficulties, I am very happy to have my daily doses of best Ethiopian coffee. (Picture done in Addis Ababa, in the garden of Mosi and Sibylle:-)

Holiday with Sabina in the north Ethiopia

Enfin, après une longue durée de ne pas se voir, Sabina est arrivée à Addis Ababa dans mes bras il y deux semaines. Et elle savoure le meilleur café au monde provenant du berceau de ce boisson magnifique. (Photo: Addis Ababa, 25.3.2011)

Et que font les suisses? De la randonnée:-) dans les magnifiques Simien Mountains, 4 days trekking with cook, mules, guide and scout... (Photo: Imet Gogo, Simien Mountains, 19.3.2011)

The  Blue Nil falls near the City Bahir Dar. From here, the Blue Nil flows to the capital of Sudan (Karthum) and joins the White Nil and coninues to the Mediteran Sea, 5'500 km from here. (Photo: Tis Isar, 23.3.2011)

 Le cours du temps semble s'est arrêté... sans jugement, dans la region rurale de l'Ethiopie, c'est la vie du moyen age... (Photo: Tis Isar, 23.3.2011)

Christianisme (orthodox/coptes) is a very important part of Ethipian culture since the 4th century... The small town of Lalibela is famous for several rock churches carved completely in stone, very impressing... The name of this church is St. Georg (like the best beer in Ethiopia). (Photo: Lalibela 15.3.2011)

Lunch stop during the 10 h bus ride back to Addis Ababa. We recommand Ethiopian food warmly (auch jeden Dienstag abend oder so in der Villa Stucki in Bern zu geniessen). (Photo: Debre Markos 24.3.2011)

And meanwhile I hope Sabina arrived safely in Switzerland... And I will be back on 20th of April 2011:-)

Somaliland Weekend Trip

I am very happy to have gone to exciting Somaliland during the last weekend by road... An unbeliveable peaceful country which does not exist officially as not recognised by nobody because of geopolitical games of the West! It was the most exciting border crossing and the way back in the most cramped bus ride sitting on the jerry can... But a very interesting place - and hardly any tourist unfortunately.  (Foto: 5.3.2011 after the border)

Hargeisa, the capital, nice city with peaceful people, no hassle. Staid in a friendly Hotel Oriental in the middle of the city center http://www.orientalhotelhargeisa.com/ And very luckily I went on private mission, so no crazy securtiy obligations by UN:-) The picture on the left is the automatic morning alarm clock, a nice three floor mosque. Picture taken from the roof of the Hotel. (Foto: 5.3.2011 Hargeisa)

As I visited project sites from and with Caritas Switzerland, the funny thing was the obligated escort (2 young guys with old guns who protected me, but I don't know from what). But was difficult to get a picture from them... The only one is this well in a wadi (temporary river) built by Caritas. (Foto: 5.3.2011 somewhere between Wajaale and Hergeisa)

Gode Town in the middle of nowhere

This week I checked the emergency water supply in Gode Town after typhoid outbreak> Gode Town: ca. 50’000 inhabitants in the heart of Somali-Region, but no water supply except the river, no asphalt road, only heat and sand. But fortunately the River Shebele.

The river water is pumped and treated (flocculation with settlement and chlorination) and distributed to the donkey carts for free with the aim to provide thypoid free water.

The donkey carts are the mobile pipe network for the water supply... not very clean and hygienic; hence the effect of the emergency water supply might be doubtable. However, were interesting days.  (All photos 24.2.2011 Gode Town at Shebelle River)

Beautiful village and unusual habits

After a two day visit as technical water advisor for and with SDC (DEZA), I visited the most beautiful place I saw until now in Ethiopia. Only about 200 km from Jijiga. In this village, there are lucky to have a permanent spring, hence, irrigated land. 10 km furhter, the misery is back again. (Fotos 8. Feb. 2011)

And because I don't like to talk about work, I talk about unusual habits. For instance the femal circumcision (Beschneidung), or in UN words: FGM (femal genital mutilation). In the province I am working (Somali-Province), according to Unicef statistics, 97 % of all women are circumcised (often the form of infibulation). I have a lot of interesting discussion all the time because of it. And the main reason for FGM the men tell me always: The sexual desire of women is so strong, you have to reduce it... (Foto Dec. 2010, Dembel)

 

Driving is not easy, as the road is not only for buses and UN cars, but also for every kind of vehicles, animals and mainly people. Ethiopien people are walking walking and walking (lack of other possibility by the way), dozens of km every day...
(Foto 6. Feb. 2011 on the road between Jijiga and Dire Dawa)

Land Use Planning Jijiga

Things are moving. Population of Jijiga is 140'000 today, and 250'000 inhabitants in 2020 (growth of 6 % per year). And all this needs a very ambitous land use planning; water supply, solid and liquid waste, landfill and flood protection, everthing has to be considered... not easy, but my hobby :-)
(Photo: City Hall, Jijiga, 27.1.2011)

New Background Information with map

See on the right side of this blog, just under Archiv.

Holiday over, back in Jijiga and bike trip on Sunday :-)



Typical Somali House (20 km from Jijiga), 17.1.2011

My Chinese bike... 17.1.2011




Bern, 26 December 2010