Working in AA

People keep asking me what exactly I am doing in Ethiopia. Well besides for dodging street children, getting my butt kicked by insane Ethiopian trainers at the gym, eating lots of yummy stews scooped with injerna, avoiding the daily rains and getting frustrated with finicky internet, I am also interning with CARE Ethiopia's Resource Poor Urban Female Youth Program Design Team. Now for those of you that didn't go to Emory (CARE is based in ATL and speakers from the organization showed up everywhere) CARE is one of the oldest NGOs in the U.S. Originally created after World War 2 "Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe" the organization now works throughout the world. In Ethiopia CARE focuses on women's issues including health, economic empowerment, rights and livelihoods. Currently CARE is redesigning their programs to become more far reaching and long lasting, that's where I come in.
As part of the program design team I am researching what projects currently exist and where the gaps are. I am also engaged in "partner mapping" trying to find information on all the organizations based in Ethiopia who we may be able to partner with. This is no easy task, as most don't have websites or reliable contact information, and I've found myself on the phone or visiting in person with resources. I am also going to be checking out many of our sites first hand, in order to put together some Concept Notes. I am really looking forward to getting to "the field". My first stop will probably be right here in Addis, where I will leave the expat enclave of the Bole neighborhood to venture to some of the slums near Mercato (and elsewhere) where CARE does most of its work here. I will be travelling with the Urban HIV program. Additionally, I was just informed that in a few weeks a team of us will be traveling to South Ghondar (a rural area up North) and Bahir Dar, a city by one of the large Lakes, also in the North, to see some of the adolescent programs occurring there. I am really looking forward to these trips.
I can already say I've learned a great deal about working with an International Organization overseas, though I don't think I've been here long enough to truly take in all I've absorbed. I am off to meet some friends for dinner (Korean food!) but look forward to some future updates real soon .