code blog

The Seeing is Believing Tour has officially ended. This group was so rich with laughter and full of awe at Ethiopia and CODE’s work here. Regardless of stomach problems, lost luggage and chest colds, everyone has been brimming with curiosity, respect for Ethiopians’ determination to make change and inspired by the thirst for education and [...]

Yesterday we went to the Ministry of Education office and met with the head of education to discuss the obstacles faced by primary school teachers in the region. He told us about the low resources for teacher training, lack of books, supplies, classroom overcrowding etc. By now the group is familiar with these challenges. And although [...]

Yesterday we had fabulous visits to Merawi Reading Room and Durbete Reading Room - both rural and new since last year in the regions around Bahir Dar. Durbete put on an incredible welcoming ceremony with the children performing songs, traditional shoulder dances and small plays. They presented us with flowers and a traditional coffee ceremony. [...]

Lalibela passed like a dream. We had a free day there and some of us climbed to the top of a plateau to visit rough rock hewn monasteries high above the town. The view over Lalibela was spectacular, the mountainous terrain faded into the distance as we watched the constant parade of hill-top dwellers making [...]

We left Addis Ababa and headed north to Lalibela - a patchwork quilt of every possible shade of green warmed the earth as we looked out the plane’s small windows. Here we will visit 11 famous churches hewn out of solid red volcanic rock, an area recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO since [...]

Today we had a chance to visit some reading rooms, or small libraries, in the company of CODE Ethiopia’s Executive Director Tesfaye Dubale.
 
The first one was meant to be a youth centre, but when the community heard that CODE would start a library in their area, they donated it freely and have begun construction right [...]

It’s great to be here again and amongst Ethiopian friends. We all arrived safely, and without a hitch on Saturday night. We’re just starting to get our feet wet, but the memorable moments are already flooding in…
   
“What’s stayed with me today is the depth of passion I have seen in everyone we’ve been fortunate enough [...]

It’s less than one week to departure and it’s getting very exciting. I look forward to connecting with Ethiopian friends again and seeing how the new Reading Rooms in Addis Akaki and Lidetta have progressed since last year. I also look forward to meeting this incredible group of fellow travelers that I’ve only communicated with over [...]

One of our Seeing is Believing tour participants, Stefan Hensel, has kindly taken the time to compile a few photo albums of some special moments captured during our trip.
“This photo essay will, hopefully, reflect the impressions gathered on this trip and the joy that it created for both the visitor and the visited. I hope [...]

Well, the 2007 “Seeing is Believing” tour is officially over, and I think it’s been a great success. Part of the intent behind this trip and blog is to bring us all a little closer to issues that we sometimes feel too removed from to understand. Everyone’s world is a different size. This trip provides [...]