Our first full day in Ethiopia: visiting ALERT Hospital and Leper Village

We woke up this morning around 7:30, still a little tired and jetlagged, but excited to go out into the city of Addis and look at our new surroundings. We started out by visiting the Bazaar, held by a group of churches that support disabled people in the city who make various crafts. It was a lot of fun to see all the different things they had to sell and a great time to buy some souvenirs for ourselves, families and friends. They had everything from embroidered postcards, scarves, and jewelery to small furniture, pottery, and photo books.

After leaving the Bazaar, we headed up to the ALERT Hospital, which is the main training place for doctors learning to treat leprosy in all of Africa. We were able to tour several parts of the hospital, visit some patients, and see not only the training center, but also the crafting center. This is a unique place that the hospital offers to past and present patients and others in need where they can make beautiful tapestrys, tablecloths, shirts, blankets and wall hangings 'from scratch.' The whole process, from start to finish, happens at the craft center: they make the string/yarn that they use; put it onto smaller stools, weave the blankets, and embroider them with beautiful designs.

After our tour, we had a beautiful lunch-- my first experience with real Ethiopian food! The main staple of the Ethiopian meal is 'injera' which is a thin bread/tortilla type of food with a unique, tangy taste. This is typically eaten with different vegetable and meat stews . . . after trying some injera with the stews, I have decided that injera may not be for me :) But, the stews were great and everything tasted really good!

After lunch we headed to the Lepers village, where we visited several families struggling to get by and were able to provide them with some important daily staples, such as oil and soap. It was a humbling experience to be invited into their homes. One mother even asked us to stay for tea-- it is amazing that she was so generous when she lives with so little and digs through garbage each day to provide for her ten children.

To see the poor conditions in the Leper Village and to see the clothing the children are wearing makes you want to give the shirt off your back to them. It was overwhelming to be standing in a circle with three other group members and to be surrounded by over 40 children who are just curious and want to shake your hand. They smile at you and run alongside your van, not asking for anything but a wave in return. It was definitely an eye-opening experience.