by Tamiru Legesse, Communications Officer, Ethiopia
Tamiru Legesse from our Ethiopia office visited Ireland recently. Here, he shares his thoughts about meeting volunteers and campaigners that are making a difference to the lives of people in his country.
Let me start with the words of Gemo Muni, a pastoralist farmer who last month said to me: “My back is now relieved from carrying jerry cans for hours. My children are not thirsty anymore. My calves and goat kids are not dying anymore. Our animals drink clean water everyday unlike before when they had to wait five days to drink unclean water from the well.”
A few weeks before I met Gemo in Southern Ethiopia, I had the opportunity to meet Trócaire staff, volunteers and campaigners in Ireland.
It didn’t take me much time to realise the success that Gemo was telling me about was because of these dedicated people so far away in Ireland.
The amazing work of the volunteers I met is so inspiring. Their solidarity is so strong that I felt a huge sense of togetherness when I met them.
The work of the school children who are speaking up and raising money takes my thoughts back to Tume , (8), who is now able to go to school because she doesn’t have to walk a long distance to fetch water in the small village of Bullee Dheela in Southern Ethiopia where a clean water supply has been developed near her village.
I was impressed by the advocacy work on issues such as the impacts of climate change and the strong campaigns to address the root causes of poverty.
The Cork Trócaire Office, which collects donations, sells fair trade products, distributes educational resources, and works with the local Church to raise funds for development work in poor countries, inspires us all in the developing world to work hard and effectively put the resources we receive to the best use.
The people we work with can now proudly speak of how the solidarity with people in Ireland has been crucial for their improved lives.
Captions: Top Left: Gemo Muni, a pastoralist farmer in Ethiopia. Top Right: Tume, (8), Bulle Dheelaa village in Southern Ethiopia. Photos by Tamiru Legesse.
Bottom: Thomas, James, Adam and Setanta from Deerpark CBS, Cork with Trócaire’s Janet Twomey.
