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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Safety

Safety in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?

People’s Opinions

  1. We felt incredibly safe in our compound at Testimony! We were able to go to the nearby market on our own and run alone in the compound. Everyone is very friendly and eager to say hello.
  2. Addis is known as a very safe place, especially for a third world city. We are an all-girls team and we felt safe moving about the city without our host. A few of us even had times where we traveled to a cafe or store alone because of a lack of team mates to accompany each other (we are a team of five). Always remain vigilant while traveling but there is no need to become paranoid in Addis.
  3. Pretty safe! Didn’t have any safety issues. We were always back by 9:30 which was recommended by our host. Girls are fine to travel alone during the day (usually 2), but every now and then some of us would go to get coffee by ourselves during the day and it was safe.

Ministry Summary

Ministry Summary in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?

People’s Opinions

  1. Two teams from our squad worked with Testimony 25:40 and had the most amazing month! The host, Gadisa, and his staff were so welcoming, kind, and easy to work with. We had wonderful accommodations and very fulfilling ministry working with the young boys in the program (playing, teaching English, spending time with) and teaching English/loving on people in the Oromo refugee camp. You will fall in love with those boys and all the kids at the refugee camp!There is a market nearby full of tons of delicious, fresh produce. Go frequently and make relationships with the people there! Try to find Endale and Misrat for coffee and Getu for produce/smoothies. Be sure to try sambusas for 4 birr each! So delicious!Our only issues was having no transportation budget. We had to fundraise extra to continue ministry at the refugee camp to pay for our bus there and back. (Hopefully your driver will be Mess-i. He’s the best!!) Also it was rainy season and the power went out regularly. It made cooking meals pretty tricky since we didn’t have propane. Plan accordingly and buy ready to eat food just in case.No Wifi available at the house or in the community. You will likely travel once a week into Addis to Savor to get Wifi. (If you have logistics, Gadisa can likely drive you into town an additional day for Wifi).
  2. Ministry in Addis was fantastic. We worked with a man named Masre who spends the majority of his free time volunteering at local NGOs around the city. The exposure we received to the many outreach programs around the city was phenomenal. Most of the ministry was working with kids between the ages of 2 and 18. We would definitely recommend this ministry to other teams and give it a 4.

Lodging

Lodging in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.

People’s Opinions

  1. We stayed at the Ze’na Pension. It was comfortable, despite the AirBnb ad which only had a picture of a toilet. The staff was friendly and accommodating and they had nice rooms.We rented the apartment. They called it the villa, but it was a full, furnished, two bedroom one bathroom apartment with a kitchen shared by the staff (there was a door to close off the rest of the apartment). We also rented three rooms with full size mattresses and their own full bathrooms and western toilets.The manager here was a Christian and took us to church with her, showed us around the area when we needed it and asked to pray with us/for her multiple times.
  2. Our squad flew into Ethiopia just before midnight. As logistics we made arrangements for our squad of 48 to stay the night nearby before traveling to ministry. The only place large enough to accommodate our squad last minute was OH Life Center and Guesthouse. They had very nice facilities and picked us up at the airport after we arrived. However the lowest price they could offer per person was $20. This did include the airport pick up and a light breakfast beforehand. If you’re looking to book, email Fray at ohlifecenter@ordinaryhero.orgOne of the staff walked us into town to buy SIM cards the next morning. Pro Tip: You can only activate one SIM card per person/passport. Bring a person/passport for each SIM card you need!
  3. Contact info for OH Life Center and Guest house:Tel. +251 913 41 01 16+251 933 21 96 74Email: ohlifecenter@ordinaryhero.orgMiss Fray is the guest house manager. She’s the sweetest thing ever.
  4. Logistics looked everywhere to find a place to host our LDW in Addis. Everything was WAY out of budget. Finally we chose Ordinary Heroes Life Center in Lafto (about 20 min. from the airport). They let us stay for $13pppn, not including breakfast, but including their personal airport pickup. Some of us chose to eat meals there and enjoy their coffee, so we paid personal money. It was cheap and very convenient, plus it was fun to support their ministry. The staff was so kind and hospitable. The founder from Tennessee happened to be there during our stay, and she said when we left that if we needed anything at all, even a place to stay, to come back and not worry about the cost. They are hosting us cost-free the night before we head to the airport on our way out. Wow. The place is beautiful, clean, and so relaxing. Wifi worked but was a bit slow. I recommend everyone to stay with OH. You will be blessed.
  5. We stayed with a family in the suburbs of Addis. While the living conditions were pretty nice the house was honestly too far from ministry. We did have western toilets but we did not have hot showers. There were three of us in one room and two in the other room. The family went out of their way in most cases to really make us feel welcome. The one huge downside was the amount of time we had to spend every day traveling back and forth to the city. Between morning ministry and evening ministry we spent roughly 4-5 hours a day traveling back and forth from home to the city. This is not an ideal location to stay for the month because of the traveling distance.
  6. If you want to stay in a guest house for more on the cheaper side, there is one called Morning Coffee Guesthouse that will take missionaries for $30 a night per person but there can be some negotiation for a little less. Most guesthouses in the city usually cost from $30-$45 per person a night.

Food / Meals

Food / Meals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).

People’s Opinions

  1. In Shiromeda, if you are staying at Win Souls Guesthouse, there are a few cafes in close walking distance.– $5 a day per person translates into about 90 birr per day. It is quite doable to eat out at least once or twice a day, depending on what meal you purchase. (It’s anywhere from 18 – 50 birr per meal, depending on what dish you get.)– YARS restaurant. Go left out of Win Souls; it is up the road in the market area just a few blocks. (Maybe a 5 minute walk at most.) This ended up being one of our go-to restaurants. – Hunan bakery. Is just a couple shops before you reach YARS. They sell loaves of bread and individual buns for just a few birr. You can buy 1 bun for 1.20 birr – about 7 American cents!– States cafe. Right outside of Win Souls on the right.– Mame Hotel. This is down the road a few blocks (go to the right out of Win Souls). It’s a little tricky to find because the sign is in Amharic, but the entrance has a white wall, and you walk under an arch with the name on the sign. It’s slightly pricier than others in Shiromeda, but very good. (They also play more western music, as opposed to Ethiopian style.)
  2. The best burger place we were taken to is called Burger Shack. Unfortunately trying to explain how to find it is quite difficult. It is cheaper than Sishu and the burgers are larger so if you’re able to Google it we definitely recommend it. The chocolate chip cookies at Sishu are incredible. Bruno’s is a great place to go for ice cream. It is located within walking distance of Edna Mall in Bole. The other recommendations below are still accurate.
  3. SISHU RESTAURANT!!!! Some of the best burgers we have had, including ones we have had in the U.S. I would highly suggest going there. We stayed in the lafto/jemo area…so to get there we would take a taxi to Mexico and then from Mexico area take the taxi to Kera. When you get off the taxi walk straight in that same direction and turn right down the hill. You will be able to see the blue roof of the big warehouse building…that’s it. It will be on your left and you have to walk behind this furniture store place.
  4. We stayed with HOPEthiopia in Harbu Chulule but had to go into Addis every week to buy groceries. We found that there were about 5 different grocery stores you could go to get everything that you needed. Here are the five stores:Shoa Bakery & Flour Factory – KIRKOS W. 09 H. NO. 115 A. A, Meshualekeya Area(we bought all of our sliced bread there)Safeway Supermarket – A. A, N/S/LAFTO, W-01, H, NO-NEW Lebu BR, YEFKER BLDG LEBU Round about next to N/LAFTO Subcity(this is a more American store and you can find lots of different items here. It is kind of expensive.)Shi Solomon Hailu Supermarket – S/C/KIRKOS K.15 H. NO. 286/4/050 BEH. TEYA(we bought our ground beef and cheese here)Eden Gebereselassie Asfaw – S/CITY KIRKOS, KEBELE 13-14, H. NO. D-010 Kirkos Shopping Center, Addis Ababa(this is the cheapest place to buy rice, peanut butter, oil, and all your other main essentials.)We also went to a fresh fruit and veggie market and the driver that takes you will know where to go. It is very cheap and the people are great!Hope this is helpful for future teams!
  5. If you are in the Lafto area:orno Bakery: not far from OH Life Center; it’s a great bakery. They have really cheap banana bread (like 10 Birr), loaves of bread for 15 birr, and etc. Its really yummy and good for quick breakfast or just bread for sandwiches.Cafe across from Forno: I don’t know the name, but it has really good traditional ethiopian coffee (4 Birr for one). They also have pastries and snacks there. They dont really speak english at all (but you can do some sign language and figure it out).A&M Cafe: near OH Life Center. If you go out of the building and go straight down a small road, take it all the way until you reach a bigger road then turn right. It will be on your right after a short walk, and it is upstairs. It is run by a sweet Christian family. The dad speaks good english, the rest of them not so much. They have coffee and food. We went here alot for lunch and dinner especially. You can get a good meal here for around 1 or 2 dollars (20-35 birr). They also do have wifi, although it is very spotty.Safeway: Good grocery store in Lafto (near the roundabout). Our team for Unsung here did alot of PB&Js and oatmeal and easy cheap meals like that, so this was our go to. They have some american brand things too if you’re missing some food from home!Kaldis: Right across the street from safeway. The locals refer to this as “Ethiopian Starbucks”. They have pretty good coffee and food. The service is usaully pretty slow, but you can get a burger/eggs/etc here for pretty cheap!

Transportation

Transportation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.

People’s Opinions

  1. Public Transportation is simple to figure out if you read the map. Minibus taxis are always going from 6am till around 8:30pm. Government set prices (don’t get fooled) 1.40 Birr per 1 kilometer. After dark when taxi’s are done you can only get contract which will be more expensive. Even at Taxi Terra’s they will always try to pull you in and get a contract when there is a normal route just a couple feet down the road.
  2. Public transportation is not difficult once you understand how it works. Essentially taxis have a driver and a guy that stands in the back of the van yelling where the taxi is going as they pull up to the stop. You have to listen carefully to see if they’re yelling the stop where you need to go. You can also ask the guy when they pull up. Be warned they increase their rates at peak hours and at night. Most locals are more than willing to tell you how much the ride should cost and you can look around and watch the guy that stands in the back taking the money from the locals so you’ll know how much it should cost. We very rarely had any issues with the taxis lying to us about the price.
  3. Transportation was a bit or a struggle for our team here. The public taxis are somewhat difficult to figure out, but if you can get a local to help you, they’re good. The private taxis we were told were easiest, but they can get really expensive for WR budget. Be sure to ask your contacts for what a right price should be (we definitely got ripped off some!).

Medical

Medical in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).

People’s Opinions

  1. Viking Clinic in Bole is really great. Pretty expensive, but very clean and the nurses and doctors are all very friendly and kind. One of our contacts here told us you can ask for Dr. Shell, who is an american doctor. When we went he was in a meeting but another doctor (a woman- can’t remember her name), was great as well!For directions: tell the taxi it is in Bole Rwanda, near the Somalia embassy.Also- you may want to bring cash. They have a credit card machine but if the power is out (which it extremely common in Addis) it will not work.

Communication

Communication in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?

People’s Opinions

  1. We had to use hotels or internet cafes for wifi. The hotel we used, Saro Maria, is located in Bole and was pretty expensive. 60 Birr for an hour, which is about $3. However, we got lucky and were given a password by someone checking out and that lasted us for a couple of weeks. We also found an internet cafe on our way to ministry with pretty good connectivity and a great group of employees. If you visit Shoa Supermarket in Megenagna and walk out the door to the right, take your first right up a dirt road and about halfway up you’ll see the internet cafe in the bottom right corner of a building with a ton of different businesses. I believe it’s called Aman but look for the advertisements that they have posted about selling movies and tv shows. An hour of wifi costs less than $1. We were also able to catch up on all of our favorite tv shows from back home.

Financial

Financial in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.

People’s Opinions

  1. For ATMs:In Lafto: Dashen Bank by Cup Cake Bakery & Sisters restaurant has an ATM that we used pretty consistently. It has a pretty low fee. (Dashen Banks in general are a good bet for ATMs).Also in Lafto- the Safeway has a few ATMs that work right outside the building.

Translators

Translators in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken

People’s Opinions

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Off Days / Fun Activities

Off Days / Fun Activities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?

People’s Opinions

  1. Sabahar!! This is a really cool place where they harvest silk worms to make their own silk and make tons of super cute scarves, blankets, towels, pillow cases etc. Everything there is so cute, which is probably why Anthropology is one of its buyers. But I will warn you…all self-control goes out the window once you walk through that door :P. Its also a great place to get gifts for friends/family. I honestly have no idea how we go there…but if you look up directions you will be able to figure it out. I think we took the Mekinisa taxi though :S. Have fun!!!
  2. The Hilton and the Sheraton in town both have pools you can go to. Both cost around $15 for the day at the pool. The Sheraton is super nice, and also has great wifi (not free, but one of the few places you can get it in town). The Hilton doesn’t have wifi but it does have hot spring pools which are pretty nice. The food however is very overpriced and not very good.
  3. There is a gym in Lafto area of Addis Ababa called Kebron Guesthouse. There gym is only $35 dollars for a month and it includes hot showers!

Other Important Contacts

Other Important Contacts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions

People’s Opinions

  1. OH Life Center in Lafto (also called Bisrat Guesthouse) has been a wonderful contact for us. The guesthouse is way out of WR budget, but is connected to a ministry called Ordinary Hero (based out of Nashville), and the staff were a great support for us. They helped us get taxis, get to church, etc. Fray works in the guesthouse and has perfect english and is wonderful. Also, Lincoln- a former World Racer works at Ordinary Hero so he is really helpful and good to hang out with!

Tips

People’s Opinions

  1. The Orthodox church here is really prominent, and they do not pray outside of the church environment. So if you are doing an ATL or something or feel led to pray for someone in public, be careful in the way you go about it, and just know that they might not be okay with it (our team had a bit of an issue arise with this).

Additional Info

Additional Info in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?

People’s Opinions

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