Report

I had the opportunity to work with the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in Addis Ababa when the organization was beginning to implement their HIV/AIDS program in several regions throughout the country. IOCC and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church have formed a partnership against AIDS and received funding through USAID (US Agency for International Development) for President [Bush’s] Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Although I have worked in South Africa and Swaziland in AIDS programs, my job in Ethiopia entailed the largest research project I have led thus far. After hiring two research assistants/translators from Addis Ababa University, we began pre-assessment research that entailed a series of in-depth interviews, focus groups and surveys in the capital, Awasa and Shashemene (in the south). Talking to community members about what they believe to be the strengths and weaknesses of the church when it comes to this type of disease control gave me insight into this culture that would have been otherwise quite difficult to find, and the hope of the communities was truly inspiring.

It is an unfortunate fact that the severe lack of economic development in the country means that many of its citizens are some of the poorest on the continent. That didn’t seem to deter them from talking to us however. One of the more interesting aspects of Ethiopian culture lies in the ability of Ethiopians to share what they have; everywhere I went, people offered coffee or lunch, and as I walked down the streets each day, it amazed me how often I saw Ethiopians giving coins to the beggars. Although the shouts of ‘faranji, faranji’ (foreigner), when they saw my white face, could become tiring at times, the words were almost always accompanied by huge smiles and eyes filled with curiosity.

I think the most important part of our work there occurred through the focus groups: married women told us about their problems in discussing sexuality with their husbands; people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) talked about the discrimination they deal with everyday; an anti-AIDS group talked for several hours about what it’s like for the young people to try and eradicate the stigma of the disease in their communities. The insight shared during these discussions was priceless and cemented my view on how important pre-assessment is to any project concerning a topic often shrouded in secrecy.

By the time I left Ethiopia, I felt that our research accomplished its goal of helping the monitoring and evaluation team of IOCC’s partner organization (DICAC), especially concerning the high incidence of female genital mutilation in the country. This project highlighted the prevalence of the practice for the church, and USAID and IOCC felt that this was something to focus on as it continues its work on HIV/AIDS over the next few years.

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The End of the Research!