In February I traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to work as a volunteer with the Selamta be at peace Project, a program that provides housing, education and medical care for orphans many of whom have been living on the streets. Much of Selamta’s success can be attributed to the small family homes that the children live in with a “mother” and “aunty” who provide the love and care needed for children to thrive.
PLANNING THE TRIP
I had often thought about doing humanitarian work in the global sense but never felt comfortable about signing up to work with people I did not know. My daughter and son in law, who live in Sebastopol, shared the Selamta story with me and I was intrigued to hear that Ethiopian’s children’s lives were being changed for the better. Then I met Carol and Mike Foster founders of the program and I was convinced that this service vacation would be well organized, meaningful and a positive experience for our group and for the children.
As I began to share the news about my Ethiopian service vacation with friends I was struck by the sense of awe and support I was given. My extensive background of world travel in developing countries put me at peace with the journey. However, I never imagined traveling to Africa let alone Ethiopia – a country of which I knew very little except for the recent famines and photos of starving children and more recently the AIDS/HIV epidemic. Rather than focusing on learning more about Ethiopia I immersed myself into educating myself about the Selamta Project and working with the children knowing that once I arrived in Addis Ababa I would be immersed into the culture. The flight to Addis Ababa takes about 22 hours and most travelers from the west coast of the USA stop over in Washington DC, London or Rome. Most of the travelers in our group spent a few nights in London to stretch their legs and to help ease jet lag.
Heather Ben and Tara at the Addis airport
