Safety in Harbu Chulule, 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
HOPE- Ethiopia! You’ll love it! Bunk beds, western toilets, cold showers (steaming hot if you’re lucky), lots of ministry opportunities, but most importantly, you get to meet some amazing kids! The kids want to know you, love you, and receive love from you. They are so precious. You’ll get to meet Ralph and hear his vision for HOPE and it’s incredible. We did many different ministries. Cutting grass, reforestation (replanting trees, about a 30-40 min walk away), helping build homes for future kids, helping in the kitchen, a field day for the kids, weekly movie nights with kids, sewing class with the ladies, apple orchard, eye clinics, vet clinic, dentistry, and most importantly, playing with the kids! Ralph says that if 50% of your time is spent playing with kids, that’s all he asks. As far as the town, you’ll walk through it to get to reforestation, but as far as hanging out there, no one really did that. Some people may grab you or pinch you. I’m just saying that so you’re not surprised if it happens. We had an all squad month here and it was really great. No WiFi though, so it will give you plenty of time to hang with the kids. Our squad worked out in the evenings, played volleyball, and had worship time almost every day. We also had a night for a bonfire which was nice. As far as snacks, you can get some when you go into town but it’s not like American snacks. You find that popcorn is your thing! The kitchen ladies also make really great desserts sometimes. Our thing also was laying out in the soccer fields with our sleeping bags at night to watch the stars, it’s amazing. It will be cold at night and somewhat chilly during the day, you might want a beanie and a pullover. This will be a good month for you to choose into your team but also get to spend time with your squad. When we left, some people from our team was helping Robirra strengthen his muscles. We built him a walker and he loves it. Lulae is a hoot, and Fedessa is the youngest and he’s super sweet. Maskerem is a drama queen and super hilarious. If you hang out and focus on one of the kids and spend time with them, it will be totally worth it. You’ll make great memories. 🙂
We were advised by our host Ralph to not walk outside into town as females alone and to make sure we always had a male with us for safety reasons. Going into town can be a bit overstimulating , I would not take anything valuable with you , if you have any valuables on you (phone, wallet ) keep them very secure. Also prepare yourself for the kids , they come up to you and try to take things and will pinch you.
Besides our visits to the market we stayed on the compound. There are security guards that are there both day and night. Just be cautious and aware of your surroundings because your in the heart of a village where Christianity is not. It is nothing to be fearful of but as A in M says, “always have your light switch on.” When going to the market it would be wise not to bring or have out expensive devices (phones, cameras, etc) because some people don’t like having their picture taken.
For the most part, we stayed on the compound during our month which is very safe. There are several security guards and a couple who even sleep on the compound.We did however experience some children and even young men who can be a bit aggressive in the village. Make sure you are with Ralph, Gadisa or Zee when you’re walking around. With that being said, most people are generally very friendly.
Ministry Summary
Ministry Summary in Harbu Chulule, 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
HOPEthiopia was a huge favorite for many of my squad mates and myself. The children, staff, and house moms are all incredible! Ministry included; women’s ministry, sport’s ministry, teaching English, kids ministry, cutting the grass, brick sifting, and gardening. Since we had such a large group (40 people) we finished with our ministry rather quickly. We ended up finding things to do and searching out different things we could do to help.
We had an incredible month at HOPE! Ralph and his entire team on the compound are great and we felt very supported and encouraged by them.Each team is different, but we spent most of our time working with the children who live in the children’s village. We also painted, gardened, did prayer walks & home visits.
Hope Ethiopia is AMAZING. Ralph and Glenda will pour into you and are awesome people! The whole organization really has an amazing story behind how it all got started. There is a lot of different ministry you will do. Go with it! Ralph loves for you to experience a lot of different things. You might teach in the schools, plant trees, build houses, paint, participate in a medical clinic if one is there. You can also make your own ministry, playing with the kids, gardening, spending time with the cooks, etc.
Lodging
Lodging in Harbu Chulule, 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
Most things said before are still the same. Some things changed though. There is now a TV in the living room area that will attach to your laptop with an HDMI cord. While I was there we had movie nights on Friday nights with the kids after dinner and it was really special. The kids like to watch action movies because they have a hard time understanding English in movies and they are able to follow and understand action best. My squad is a big squad, 42 of us and we were not all able to stay in the guest house, however, they have put bunk beds in the training center and 2 small teams stayed in that room in the training center. It reminded us all of camp living style. The bathroom in the training center is small though, although they were fixing things when I left.
Lodging for us included bunk beds and rooms of about 6-8 people. It was very comfortable living and honestly a huge blessing. The guest house is very nice. We used the projector to watch movies as a squad and with the kiddos for movie night (a part of ministry that we put on). It also had a kitchen with all the supplies you need, and a big porch (perfect for time with the Lord).
Posted by Caleigh Schuur on 2/18/2018 Squad: WR-W Squad (Aug ’17) Team: El Shaddai
HOPEthiopia.You will most likely stay in the guesthouse. There are three rooms with bunk beds, a nice dining area with a huge kitchen and a small living center with couches and a projector for movie nights. Ralph and his staff will share the guesthouse with you while you are there. Power would go out occasionally but they have a generator. Western shower and toilets. Washer and dryer as well.Amazing. Bunk beds, maybe in the main guesthouse or huts if there are lots of people. There are hot showers. You can drink from the tap 🙂 Food is delicious! There is an area with couches where you can watch movies and relax.
Food / Meals
Food / Meals in Harbu Chulule, 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
All meals were cooked for my squad at HOPEthiopia. The cooks we had were Zenit, Mimi and Buze. They were all really nice and spoke English. They were working on learning more before we left. They don’t eat the food they serve us but they serve us American food; spaghetti, noodles with veggies and cheese, pizza(disclaimer, the cheese in Ethiopia isn’t super great but it’s better than nothing.), soup, FRENCH FRIES (they are amazing might I add), potato wedges… Good food! I will warn you, they put so much oil in everything and put jalepenos in everything so if your squad doesn’t like spice, let them know, but they will probably figure that out. Occasionally after dinner we would get these cookie things that are covered in a peanut butter sauce. They discovered how to make cinnamon rolls. Popcorn was a popular snack when you have munchies, also sprite, coke, fanta, and mirinda. There are little stores in walking distance that have popcorn and soda and cookies and other little things. Also if you go out to local restaurants and order injera and soda, that is the bomb. Ox injera is very good and I highly recommend trying it out at least once. The cooks at HOPEthiopia will also serve injera every once in a while. There will also be lots of what they call, coffee ceremonies. Coffee served to you in a little cup along with popcorn sometimes.
Posted by Hannah Sullivan on 3/11/2020 Squad: GY-Gap Year 2019 Route 1 Team: Esther
We had a lovely lady named Warqaa who cooked us breakfast in the morning (usually oatmeal, eggs, and/or toast) and we would cook lunch and dinner for ourselves. We stopped at a grocery store in Addis Ababa before the 3-4 got treck to HOPEthiopia. There is also a market that we walked to with our ministry hosts to get things like veggies, rice, bread, etc throughout the week. The nearby market is only a 10 minute walk from the compound and is open (Monday’s, Thursday’s, and Saturday).
HOPEthiopia provided breakfast for us and we cooked lunch and dinner.They took us to town once a week for grocery shopping.
Transportation
Transportation in Harbu Chulule, 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
HOPEthiopia procided and took care of all transportation while we were there.
HOPEthiopia provided all transportation for us. Solomon who lives in Addis is available to hire on off days if you want to go to the city or on an adventure day. He’s super trustworthy.
Medical
Medical in Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).
People’s Opinions
We went to HOPE during rainy season and several of us got colds/coughs/fevers. Ralph has a cabinet with a ton of medicine. We never went to a clinic or anything but I’m sure there are some available in Addis.
Communication
Communication in Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?
People’s Opinions
Hardly had any service and Internet once a week if you chose to go to the city on your off day. Sheritan Hotel has wifi but it is about 5 USD per hour.
Financial
Financial in Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.
People’s Opinions
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Translators
Translators in Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken
People’s Opinions
Their are a few people that translated for us; Warqaa, Mongay or Magursa were always there to help us.
Gadisa and Zee will be your translators – maybe Tadele also.
Translating can be difficult because some people speak Oromifa and some speak Amharic.
Off Days / Fun Activities
Off Days / Fun Activities in Harbu Chulule, 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
I also recommend the Crater Lake! I will warn you, it’s tiring to hike especially with the altitude being so high there but it was so worth it. Hike down into the crater, ride a boat to an island, see a really old temple and then ride a boat back across and you can pay 200 birr to ride a horse all the way back up the crater. The horses are smaller than I expected but very good at hiking up with you. They move fast though. The bus ride to the Crater Lake is about 2ish hours depending on traffic and roads. That whole trip only cost me $30 and that included riding a horse up.
You have to go to Crater Lake! My favorite adventure day so far. Also, you can ask to go on a hike to the Hot Springs. It’s something to do 🙂
Other Important Contacts
Other Important Contacts in Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions
People’s Opinions
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Tips
People’s Opinions
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Additional Info
Additional Info in Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?