Wordless Wednesday (Nearly)

School is in session.

September 12th. Biggest Day Ever.

This Wednesday is a really big day for our family.

This girl turns seven...

 

This boy tries school again...

And the school opens.

In Kololo.

 

Wanna place a bet on # of ugly cries??

Notes From Cien, Our Man in Kololo.

From Cien...An Update.

Since the Western new year, many of you may have wondered where the blogging has gone.  And that is for good reason.  I have gone from making weekly posts to providing merely a couple in the last month.  I offer my apologies to all the curious and possibly frustrated parties.  There  is an explanation behind my digital absence, a good one, and  it is about time I shared.

The day before the ferenji  New Year, Daniel and I packed up for a 9 day trip to Addis.  We were to renew/extend our expiring visa’s, enjoy new years celebrations, and attend a mutual friends wedding.    We were due back in Kololo on the 9th of January to finish up the build in early February.  Unfortunately, we were unable to stick to our schedule.

New Years and the wedding celebrations went as expected.  All of our weekend nights slept away in a mud hut, surely stored up an adequate amount of partying energy.  It was the visa’s that got us where we are now.  Presently,  I am taking a rest from lumberjack chores on my father’s Serbian farm, while Daniel is catching up with friend and family in the US.  Sure, the convenience of not having to answer nature’s midnight call with a crank flashlight and a dulling machete is appreciated, but we both wish we were in Kololo.

On December 29th, all structural work was complete, a majority of the roof was in place, window openings were leveled, squared and ready for frame installation.  Hay and heavy soils were blended in preparation for the creation of cob.  Construction was going soundly, and community relations were at a peak.  Daniel and I were both were discreetly offered wives.  We respectfully declined.  We left for Addis on the 30th, while build assistant manager, Ijigu, remained in Kololo.

 Ijigu,  is a trusted friend, 7 year Tesfa employee, and was my assistant manager for a similar build in Ekodaga in 2010.  Just as with Kololo, Ijigu assisted me in construction planning, ordering materials, delegating labor, and dolling out payroll.  Because of his previous experience, and the communities respect for his leadership, we decided to continue the build in my absence.  Ijigu was to supervise the process of mixing and applying the first coat of cob to the exterior of the schools 3 buildings; he is well versed in this messy exercise, and was ready.  I am very confident in Ijigu’s ability to manage a worksite.   

In country visa processing has never been a streamlined activity.   Tesfa and Ethiopia Reads in country director tells many a ghastly tale of his trips to the Ethiopian immigration office.  Every year it’s something different, and the officials responsible for processing paperwork become more and more inept. Officials arbitrarily hand out visa extension amounts, with no standard protocol, just based on your interaction, and their mood that day.  Daniel for instance was in luck, after the office lost his visa, the ball was in his court, after some back and forth chatter, he was given that days maximum visa extension.  Meanwhile the very professional gentleman behind him was provided a single day extension.  Very little reasoning was offered.  

 I on the other hand was not looking for an extension, rather, I was hoping to renew my two year business visa.  To do so, I had to fulfill a scavenger hunt of requests; proof of employment, in country banking information, a organizational information, project proposals (for those I implemented),  and many other “certified” documents, all this including a full and might I add a very thorough health exam.  In a blur of nearly round the clock activity we fulfilled all of the immigration offices requests… Only to be thwarted. Other documents were requested, while others needed different stamps of approval.  It was ridiculous. As time ran out, we worked with a lawyer to acquire a 10 day extension.  We got it.  The office visits and scavenger hunt continued.  After 9 more days of certifying original graduate diplomas, rounding up an array of stamps, visiting with countless officials, and spending a few thousand birr on cabs, we were still without a work permit, temporary residence, and of course time to figure any way out of this mess.   I am now working with Serbian consulates and Tesfa/Ethiopia Reads management to acquire a visa from outside of the country.  Oddly, the process is much tidier from a far.

While this melee was taking place in early January, I caught some sort of stomach virus, and my computer’s battery  refused to take charge.  I was sicker than I have ever been, and was without a means to watch type emails, blog, or simply watch a movie to pass the time.  Things were not really going my way.  Meanwhile, Daniel’s visa extension was gradually expiring.  We all were consumed with taking care of my paperwork, consequently Daniel’s was never finished.  Things were obviously not going his way either.  Well, except that he now is now able to attend this year’s New Orleans  Mardi Gras festivities. 

So we both, mid-build, were forced out of the country, the same country that are were trying to assist.  Uncomfortably ironic isn’t it? 

Since I left, Ijigu and I have been in steady communication.  While in country we spoke every evening to discuss the day’s progress.  Work was going as planned.  We were going to use almost all of the dirt that excavated for the school’s foundations to construct the structure’s walls.  Organic recycling at its best. I now have been in Serbia for 7 days, allowing Tesfa management to relay phone conversations with Ijigu to me via email on a regular basis.  There has been minimal complications, and right now, the first coat of cob is complete on all interior and exterior walls.  The first 2 structures second coat of cob is nearing completion.  Ijigu expects the cob portion of the built to be finished by the end of the month.  At that point, work will stop, and Ijigu will return to Addis, enjoy some family time, and wait for my return.

 When we return on the 11th or 12th of February we will finish the final phase of the build.  Laying the floors for the buildings, erecting the bathroom,  painting, the installation of glass in the window frames, and finishing the water management system, including our bridges.  We expect that the work be complete by the second week of March.  

I am very excited to return.

One note: These sort of experiences are representative of the drawn out processes involved in many developing world bureaucracies.  A delicate balance of patience and assertiveness is critical in our work.  However,  Ethiopia’s political environment is more stringent than ever, and regardless of tact, many of these such road blocks are becoming common place.  I can assure you all, our wealth of project implementation experience, and effective management communication will ensure project success.  

Notes From Kololo.

 Tesfa's eighth school, the one that all of you helped build, is nearing completion. It is amazing to see the progress. Thanks again to all of you. You did this!

 Some interesting notes from our crew in Kololo:
 

·       Kololo is said to be established during Emperor Haile Silasse’s time

·       More than 200 family heads live in Kololo.

·       Farmers grow Maize, Ginger, Teff, Godere (potato-like plant root), Coffee, Mango, Avocado, and Banana.

·       The Tembaregna, Hadiyagna, Wolaytigna and Amharic languages are said to be spoken by the villagers but the dominant language is Tembarigna.

·       There is no other school in the village.

·       The only school relatively near to Kololo is the Debub Ambocara school which is 2.5 hrs away.  Students from Kololo go to that school and have to travel 5 hrs both ways.

Here are some future students:

The children of Andesew and Kebebush. 

The children of Molore and Tadelech.

Get ready kiddos! School is almost in session!

Weights and Measures

Meazi and Melese wandered onto this old scale at a birthday party. Their bellies were full of cheeseburgers and cupcakes. Melese was on it by himself, and while watching him my mind flashed to that picture of a malnourished Ethiopian child in a feeding scale. Do you remember the picture I am talking about? I can't find it now, but it was a picture of a food distribution center where families went to get Plumpy Nut. They had to be a certain weight to get it. If you have been to Ethiopia, and you are now following what is happened in the Horn of Africa, it is impossible not to constantly see those hungry kids when looking at your own kids. They don't have to be on a scale to notice it.

What to do? I feel like anyone who reads this blog already cares about Ethiopia and supports organizations that they believe in. For those readers who may be looking for a way to help, here are some suggestions:

 Tesfa. I have basically walked into the boardroom of Tesfa, and pinned my heart onto their bulletin board. I believe that they are the organization that can help my Ethiopian family the most. The new school and library in M&m's village will change many, many, lives. While they are not directly doing famine relief,  they are educating future leaders and thinkers. Although our school in Kololo is fully funded, they still need funds to keep all of their current programs strong. Tesfa  Ethiopia Reads, and The Fregenet Foundation are my ideas, here are some of my wise friends' ideas:

Mudula water is a network of adoptive families, supporters and the non-profit organization Children's Home Society and Family Services. It's goal is to  develop a gravity water scheme for Mudula, a town or "kebele" of 10,000 people in Southern Ethiopia. A natural spring that pumps 5 liters per second sits in the mountains, 2000 feet about the kebele, waiting to be tapped. Mudula Water will harness that natural spring, and feed to the people below. The impact on the Mudula society and surrounding areas upon completion of the project will be quick and significant. Positive effects of the project will include sustainability, feasibility and community driven involvement within the society, leading to a stronger sense of local responsibility. Vital health and hygiene education, as well as technical training will also be provided to the community. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this project will not only give people clean water, it will relieve the burden of women and children who spend hours every day, sometimes multiple times every day, fetching water.  They will have time to run small businesses, to do household chores, to tend to their farms and to get an education.

Mudula is located in the drought zone of East Africa and is in dire need of water. This project is crucial now more than ever. This is a grassroots fundraising effort and we are continuously looking for support.   We cannot do this without you. For more information please visit www.mudulawater.org or visit https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=469401&supID=331974821 to donate to our wonderful relay team, the Mudula Mamas, who are racing in the Janus Charity Challenge to raise money for our cause!   Together we can deliver potable water to over 10,000 people, keep girls in school, improve sanitation, and end the cycle of poverty.

Molly, who adopted a girl from Mudula, which in the Southwest region of Ethiopia, started a non-profit called Hope by Twelve . They have several projects their girlpods are raising money for, but one in particular is in dire need of help. The Mudula Water project is a gravity flow water system that will deliver clean water to the rural village of Mudula (Molly’s daughter’s home village and where her daughter’s family is still located) and surrounding villages.  With the current drought in the Horn of Africa, it is now more vital than ever that they quickly raise the money necessary to build the water project.What is a girlpod? A girlpod is girls helping girls. It’s a simple solution. But it has the power to change the world. And it’s easier than you might think.

If you are interested in getting involved with Hope by Twelve,  if you know any girls or boys that might be interested in helping raise funds with Hope by Twelve, or you and your kids want to start a girlpod (boys are welcome too!) in your area, email Molly at molly@hopebytwelve.org.

You can find them at:
Hopebytwelve.org
facebook.com/hopebytwelve 

Sarah Lensen has started, Ask5for5 :


I began pursuing a BIG dream two weeks ago. After deciding I could no longer avoid the news about the famine in the horn of Africa, I had that gut feeling that I couldn't sit this one out. I HAD to do something because I could. Something bigger than I could do alone. That's when #Ask5for5 was born.

Two of my children, Ashen and Bereket, were adopted and are from the region affected by the drought in Ethiopia. They would be two of the statistics if they still lived there. I see my son’s and daughter’s faces in the photos of those suffering in the refugee camps. It could have been him. It could have been her. The thought haunts me. And moms just like us are watching their children go hungry day after day. I can't imagine what it's like, but I have to –I have to be there to help them, because it could have been my children. These families have lost their livestock, their crops, food prices are inflated at the market if there any food there, and don’t have any more lifelines to tap into. Many are traveling hundreds of miles through parched land in hope of finding help. Many are dying along the way. It is estimated that 29,000 children have died in the last 90 days in the famine in Somalia alone.

But I KNOW we can do something about it. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed, we can rally ourselves and our friends to respond! I set up a fundraiser through See Your Impact. 100% of your gift will go to the relief and development organization World Vision, where it will be combined with government grants to multiply up to 5 times in impact!
  It's so so simple; here's what you need to do:

1. Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)


2. Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.


3. Share Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter, and join our page to stay updated too! 


4.  

My dear friend Meghan is working with Doctors Without Borders again. Read this post. And donate HERE. She is also working on funding grain stations in Hadero. Leave a comment on her blog or mine if you'd like more information about that opportunity.

Please feel free to add your own ideas in the comments.

In the morning I will make Meazi and Melese their favorite breakfast, Trader Joe's whole wheat Farina. We'll add two cups of whole milk, and gobs and gobs of our home brewed honey. Meazi will say, "Mmmm, mom my belly feels sooooooo warm." Melese will spill his on his lap, and we will get him another bowl. Maybe we won't be thinking about their brothers and sisters at that exact moment...
maybe we will.

Eyes of my eyes Giveaway! This is your feet on drugs...

Some of you may know that I had asked Mary Louise Parker to host our Fundraiser. I bombarded her with incessant requests sent her an e-mail. Unfortunately she was in NY on April 17th, and everyone was stuck with me as the host. Mary Louise is the beautiful and talented star of the show Weeds. She has a daughter from Ethiopia, and does a lot of work for WWO, Jane Aronson's charity.

Converse has designed a special shoe for Mary Louise, a Weeds shoe. Mary Louise has donated these shoes to me. I want to give them to you. I would have listed them in the online auction if I had had them by then, but I didn't. I know that the majority of the readers of this blog have already donated to the school and library in Ethiopia, and I don't want to ask for donations, or raffle tickets, or anything like that again. I want someone to win them. Someone with biggish feet. They are a men's size 8 or a woman's size 10. They are signed by Mary Louise and have a cool Weeds season 7 logo on the heel. Even if they are not your size, they are cool and you could give them as a gift like she did, and like I'm about to.

 You don't need to have made a donation to the school or library to win. You just have to leave a comment. Season 7 airs on Monday night, I will pick a winner by random integer generator, or whatever that thing is, at 4:20 pm Monday. I will announce the winner on Tuesday morning. If you want more chances to win post on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, etc, and leave another comment saying that you did. (Isn't that what people do? Seems like a good idea I guess? Maybe MLP will see the contest and know how grateful I am and sign right up for hosting a future fundraiser? Yes please.)

Good luck! Just say yes to drugs! Er, I mean SHOES!

*If you feel too guilty about being in the running for cool shoes without having made a donation for the school you can always go here or here and enter guilt free. :)

Good Luck!

Haves and Have Nots....

The beauty about a new project, about a first time collaboration, is that the people involved can have a say in how thing go. We are working out the details for the sponsorship program for the school in Meazi and Melese's village. I would like your input.

After the event in April, I met with the president of The Fregenet Foundation . Tafesse told me all about his wonderful school, and asked me if I knew any adoptive parents who might want to help him keep the school going strong. He really does have an incredible foundation, and he could use a family or two to become his school's cheerleaders. In an incredible, full-circle, crazy, kind of coincidence, Tafesse's dreams of a school came after the death of his only child- Leeza. Leeza was Dana Roskey's (of the Tesfa Foundation) fiancee. The grief following this young woman's death has spurred ripples of goodness and hope for thousands of Ethiopians.

Tafesse has run his school for many years and had some very wise words of advice. He told me that individual sponsorships had proved disastrous in his school. Those who were sponsored received visitors, sometimes new uniforms, letters, etc, and those that weren't did not. It was upsetting to students and parents alike. His school is a little different than ours will be (Fregenet is in Addis Ababa), but I can't help but think that we should consider being a unified group of sponsors. Yes, it is fantastic to get assigned a specific child and to see that picture and to make that connection, but really that is a gift for the sponsor not the sponsored. If all of you who pledged to take on a student agree, I think we should form a group and not count on having our own personal student.

Sponsorship for the Kololo school is $21 a month, or $252 a year. 

Thoughts? Concerns? Who is in our group? Who wants to help a city school?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

I Can Meet the Artist, Get to Know Him Personally-Kris Persson.

 Kris Persson has contributed the above photos for our auction on Sunday. I think they are incredibly moving.

Kris traveled with Amy when she met little LT.

LT loves her Uncle Kris.

We love him too.

Thank you Kris, for these absolutely beautiful  shots.

See you Sunday.

 

Online Auction Starts Tuesday on Facebook!

Here is the Facebook link. This auction is to coincide with our event in Venice on April 17th. It will last for one week. Not every event participant wanted their work online, so I am offering as much as I can. Here are the rules: Pieces will be posted one by one with their descriptions, comments are bids. Please bid in at least 10% increments. Last highest bid on 4-19, 8:00 pm PST, wins. Bidder/buyer agrees to pay for shipping costs. All sales final. Payment can be a check to me, or possibly, (If I can figure it out) the Paypal on the Eyes of My Eyes Shop blog. Based on your preference the money will be donated to Tesfa for the Kambata school OR can be used to become a sponsor of a Kololo cutie for their second school year. Sponsorship is $252 a year. (Obviously bid would have to be that amount or higher). I will start posting items now, but bidding is not open until 4-12 at 6:00 am. Thanks for your continuing support for this exciting project. I will be adding more items as I get them!

Woo Hoo!

I Can Meet the Artist, Get to Know Her Personally- Heather Cox

My dear friend Heather Cox has donated this print for the event.

She is another one of our friends who just happens to be an amazing photographer.

Imagine how lucky I felt when we met Heather and Chris, and discovered that they live around the corner.

Heather is a wonderful friend, caring, kind, and generous. She is a great mom to her two girls.

 She has M&m's too.

Thanks Heather, for this beautiful print, and for so many other things. We love you!

I Can Meet the Artist, Get to Know Her Personally- Andrea Fox

Andrea Fox is a blog reader living in the bay area. She created this beautiful quilt for the Fundraiser. How cool is she?

Andrea has a son from Aleto Chuko, who is almost two. Andrea and her sister-in-law Dawn have worked for months on this quilt. Don't you just want to wrap yourself up in it?

Thanks guys! Truly beautiful!

This quilt will be listed in the online auction that will accompany the event.

I Can Meet the Artist, Get to Know Her Personally- Heather Foster

(I should have definitely had a "guess the amount of ugly cries" contest). Heather Foster is my best friend, and an extraordinary painter. I have already featured her here  on the blog.

One of my most favorite new mom moments happened this past November in Santa Fe. Meazi and Melese got to attend Heather's latest show.

They also saw Heather's studio, and got a real feel of what it is like to be an artist. This link, from Heather's gallery, has a great article about Heather and her work. You can also see many of her paintings. She has had great success over the years. Her paintings sell for thousands of dollars.

Heather has donated the above painting "Reading" and the one below "A Selection" for our auction on the 17th.

'A selection' will be featured in the online auction that will accompany the event. (More to come on that if Melese takes a nap today).

I could go on and on about Heather and her generosity but I really want you to see these so I will hit publish now.

Thank you so much Heather. Incredible.

I Can Meet the Artist, Get to Know Her Personally- Lori Precious

If you live in Southern California and have adopted, or are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia, you have probably heard about Lori Precious. She is our community leader and organizer- a one woman powerhouse welcoming committee. Lori manages to find all of these new parents, and with a great openness and warmth (she's from Michigan), she makes everyone feel like they are a part of this incredible community. Steven and I attended the monthly lunches she organizes for well over a year before we ever received a referral. Lori always made us think that we were exactly where we should be on those Saturdays, surrounded by extended family.

Lori Precious is a famous artist. Her work is totally unique. Her medium...

Butterfly wings.

It is with great excitement that I announce that Lori has created a piece for our fundraiser auction. It is an abstract Ethiopian flag, made entirely of butterfly wings. You are going to have to wait to see it.

You may have read something about Lori recently in the news. Lori's ideas have been, how shall I put this, STOLEN, by the very famous artist Damien Hirst. Check out this amazing video...



Lori is not the kind of person who lets this sort of thing slow her down. She continues to create her art. She is also a director. (I know right? All of these double, triple, hyphenated, talented types!) Lori has an amazing idea for a documentary that I hope comes to fruition (or just to a Kickstarter page near you), very soon.

Lori is also responsible for starting and maintaining this charity.  She and her incredibly talented husband have two kiddos, Miles, and Silanchi (Amharic for 'pistol' I think). They are a great, giving, family, and I am so grateful that she decided to give to our school and library as well.

Thank you so much Lori. See you on the 17th.

On The Ground- School Update

In what will go down as my most favorite Monday morning e-mail message, I was informed by Dana Roskey (of the Tesfa foundation) that an organization called On The Ground had made a donation for the Kambata School...

$ 32,893.20

Yep.

So, although the school is going to cost a little bit more than the original estimate (based primarily on Kololo's extremely remote location), we are almost completely there.

And, thanks to all of you, we have met OUR original goals here at eyes of my eyes.

Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. $10 or $32,893.20, every donation counts and is important. Thank you for coming together to make this happen.

More reason to celebrate on the 17th! 

I Can Meet the Artist, Get to Know Him Personally- Jim Hubbard

Jim Hubbard is an award winning photographer. And by award, I mean he is a photographer who has been nominated three times for a Pulitzer Prize.

In 1989, Jim Hubbard created Shooting Back, an organization dedicated to empowering children at risk by teaching them photography. The name was coined from a spontaneous comment by one of the young participants in the program: when asked why he was photographing his own world, the homeless child responded, “I’m shooting back.”

I met Jim a few years ago. I was hopeful that they would choose Ethiopia as a location for this project; Ethiopia definitely being a place full of small houses and big welcomes. I love the idea of children documenting their own lives. It is so interesting to see photos taken by small children, to see what their eyes see. I think Jim should still consider doing this project in Ethiopia, and taking me and my friends to pass out the cameras. Maybe we can swarm him at the event to convince him? Just kidding Jim. We promise to only swarm your photos.

 I am thrilled that Jim is donating a piece or two for our auction on the 17th. I don't know which ones they'll be, but they could be his I-phone photos from yesterday and I would still be thrilled. Give yourself a treat this Sunday and spend some time here. Be moved and inspired.

Thank you Jim.

A Book (Bag) In Your Hands

The Eyes of My Eyes shop has its first item for sale. All proceeds go to the Kololo school! Purchase here. Enjoy!

I Can Meet the Artist, Get to Know Her Personally- Christy King

Christy King is one of the great women we have in our Los Angeles adoption community. She is a single mom, and an educator. She has a really, really, really cute son named Eli. Christy makes these cool pieces. Notice the Amharic?

Christy is allowing us to offer one of her custom pieces at our auction on the 17th. Can you picture your kidlet's mug in one of her creations? I can. These are so cool in real life. Miss Tunsitu has one, and it is stunning.

Thanks Christy!