This post is to document, reflect and capture the steps and lessons
learned from my latest endeavor- the doro bet project. It all started with
casually mentioning to my kind Ethiopian friend Dr. an idea I had seen for
placing a chicken coop over a fish pond. I wrote about this in a past blog but
for my own internal processing will lay out what happened. Thank goodness I decided
to go with the simple doro bet once recognizing that the science did not
support an integrated chicken/fish pond. Probably one of the biggest things
that got this project off kilter was me going on the recommendation and advice
of my acquaintances to buy the 15 chickens from the Ag office under their improved
breed doro program. The day I asked about buying chickens they said, yes today
is the only day to buy the chicken, you must do it now. Usually I have run into
the opposite- “oh you are too late, that should have happened a month ago, now
you have to wait a year”. So by going off my best information at the moment I
paid for 15 chickens out of my own money, 1500 birr.
This triggered my needing to apply for a grant to get reimbursed
and I quickly filled out a “mini” grant – the smallest and fastest grant
available. My second hindsight mistake (ie. lesson learned), was to take the
word of Getachew of the NGO Farm Africa seriously in believing he would help
pay for the building materials (like roofing and fencing). I estimated the
supplies would cost about 2000 birr and submitted the grant. For a few weeks I
had been trying to get a hold of Getachew, calling, stalking his office,
leaving text messages but to no avail.
The first day back in Goba after being in Addis to pick up
Erik (yay, he’s here for a month!) I went to the Ag office and someone casually
said “oh the chickens arrived yesterday, you need to pick them up today”. Thank
goodness Gobezie saved the day by helping me go buy chicken feed, get some
basic building supplies and with the help of a few monks carry the 15 chickens
out to the monastery. It was one of those classic unexpected but it all works
out kind of days. At one moment I was feeling the high of feeling competent in
successfully buying chicken corn from the market and taking a gari out to the
monastery, all negotiated by myself in Amharic.
Upon arrival at the monastery I learned that the chickens
could be stored in the small class room made for the few kids living at the
monastery, a good “temporary” solution. The next day Erik and I showed up ready
to bust out a chicken coop. After waiting for an hour to gather some basic
tools we started work along with a carpenter and a slew of kids and bystanders.
Several hours later we stopped working after a long discussion that digging
post holes 60 cm deep was totally unnecessary. But concluded that if they insisted,
then they could do it, and we would return the next day to continue building.
Of course the next day the holes were not finished but since
the head carpenter wasn’t feeling well we started placing the poles and frame.
Despite the huge language barrier we all managed to have fun and to work pretty
well together. The kids were fun and helpful and one barefoot monk was thoroughly
enjoying watching the scene and chatting. After five days of work we were ready to put
on the roofing…. which is where the project stalled. I had finally managed to
talk to Getachew and even after visiting the monastery he is stalling on buying
any materials. Now it is a week later, the chickens are in their dark hole of a
house and I am again trying to get a hold of Getachew who is playing the
frustrating game of not giving a clear answer and being very elusive.
Today I went to the Ag office, prepared to give a training
with the help of their chicken experts to several of the monks at
Teklehaymanot. Before walking out there (its about a 30 minute walk), we called
to reconfirm the training (which I had arranged with the head monk Aba Kenfe
last week, repeatedly confirming that the date and time were suitable). And of
course Aba Kenfe said the monks were in church and today was not a good day. Fortunately
Tesfaye (my ag expert friend) was understanding and agreed to do the training
on Saturday, which I wont be able to attend because I will be trekking in the
Bale Mountains with Erik.
Tomorrow Erik and I will go back to the monastery, build a
very rudimentary but healthy doro bet with the few supplies we have and call it
good. It has been a very frustrating project largely due to the
communication/language barrier along with many cultural differences and habits.
The cultural habit of being polite and agreeing to things then not coming
through got in the way several times. I’m glad I had a taste of trying a
project but am now humbled by just how difficult and slow things can be. My biggest
lesson learned is to do my best, especially with clear, repeated communication
but in the end to accept that so many things are out of my hands and control. It’s
not just up to me to make a project “successful”. Fortunately next week I am
flying to Italy so it’s a lot easier to see the big picture right now.
Thanks for reading my latest endeavor. Ishi baka (ok,
enough)!
