Beti: "Many people share this tap for their daily use and there is always a dirty bucket under it. It's used to collect water that is washed off from our hands and other materials we wash. The water will then be used to water plants. I took this picture to show water usage and how we conserve water that many people in Ethiopia lack. Water conservation is a very important concept, not wasting good water and re-cycling it."

[Photo by Beti]  

Alefu: "At the moment Alem hasn't got a job. She looks after her family with the benefit she gets from Gemini Trust where she weaves baskets to sell. Her day to day activities are looking after her children, cooking and cleaning her home and washing clothes."

[Photo by Alefu] 

Alefu: "Both Alem's children are learning at the Gemini Trust's informal education centre. They are both smart and fast!"

[Photo by Alefu] 

Alefu: "Mekdelawit Abate and Temesgen Abate are 4 years old." 

[Photo by Alefu | ] 

Alefu: "Alem Asfaw, 20 yrs old, lives in Lideta and is a beneficiary of the Gemini Trust. They help her with night school, she is grade two and her twins informal education. She hasn't got a job at the moment but she wants to get one and improve her life."

[Photo by Alefu] 

[Photo by Sara]

Ara'aya: "Kiros is serving the locally home-made alcoholic drink called 'sewa'. Made from barley, 'Sewa' is like European beer. People in rural Tigray drink it instead of water as water is not clean or safe and it doesn't have any harmful bacteria. I took this picture because I like 'sewa' a lot!"

[Photo by Ara'aya]  

Badadha: "Previously, the Borana people didn't know the importance of camels very well. Boran clans like the Karayu Bere and Oditu don't eat camel but breed them and use them for different activities. They are drought resistant animals and give milk three times a day. One camel can feed a whole family. They are very good pack animals for taking heavy loads a long distance. They can last more than a week without water."

[Photo by Badadha]  

Badadha: "'Injera' is not common food in Borana. No-one in our village can bake injera. Genet, from Yabello town, is a cook for the masons and carpenters and is baking injera. I eat injera when I visit towns."  

[Photo by Badadha]

Badadha: "Kable Boru needs at least one woman to help her with the donkeys, usually relatives. They assist loading the donkeys and some will go with her."

[Photo by Badadha]  

[Photo by Mesfin]

[Photo by Sara]

[Photo by Sara]

[Photo by Borbor]

[Photo by Borbor]

[Photo by Borbor]

Badadha: "Goats are important animals for Borana. They are more drought resistant than cattle and only need access to water every five days. We like them for their milk, meat, selling and use them as gifts for our relatives. They don't destroy grass like camels. We can sell them at a good price. Their hides are also used for selling. Goats drink after the cattle have finished."

[Photo by Badadha] 

[Photo by Ara'aya]

Almaz: "I like seeing Meley and Fiyori in their school uniforms."

[Photo by Almaz]  

[Photo by Sr Medhin]

Having visited this area I have enjoyed looking at the photos very much.

Ara'aya: "My neighbour Gebresilase. 'Beles' is very popular in Tigray."

[Photo by Ara'aya] 

Frewoini: "My friends Abeba and Genet who work for the government office on their lunch break after a busy morning. They always eat together as in our culture it is rude to eat alone. Lunch break is a time to socialise and catch-up with things."  

[Photo by Frewoini]

Mango: "I work in a restaurant as a waiter."

[Photo by Mango]  

Sr Medhin: "Honey wine is made from mixing honey, water and spices which are left in a warm place for one month, then it is ready to drink. We prepare it for special occasions." 

[Photo by Sr Medhin | ] 

Dama: " I wish for my community members to be trained in masonry and carpentry. Before, there were no local people trained but now young men are improving their skills with help from outside. Then, there will be no need of bringing town people in to build our homes at an expensive cost. Mr Kassa working on the roof, training Mr Diba."

[Photo by Dama] 

Dama: "Mr Addisu covering the floor of my new house with cement mix."

[Photo by Dama] 

Dama: "Mr Gufu Boru dropping the sand by my new permanent house."

[Photo by Dama]

Dama: "In the Madecho rural area, I am having a new house built. Formerly, Borana houses were temporary and made from grass and slits of plants. It didn't protect us from heavy rain. Nowadays, many Borana build permanent houses like this. We need soil, gravel, sand and stone brought by trucks."

[Photo by Dama]  

Dama: "Mrs Kule Huka Guro, 50 years old, is known for her strong house management among the Borana community of Medecho Peasant Association. Unfortunately, Kule has no children of her own but two girls were given to her by relatives and have grown up under her. She sends them to a local elementary school. They are clean and well dressed. Her home is one of the very good symbols of the community. According to Kule, priority must be given for cleanliness for quality of life. Many of the girls of the Borana community are denied their right to learn in schools by their own parents. I appreciate Kule for sending these children from her relatives to schools."

[Photo by Dama] 

Sr Medhin: "She is not a blood relative but we look after her and she is like our mother. She's talking to me, we are close. I like her hat, she makes me laugh."

[Photo by Sr Medhin]  

Alem: "Nigus visiting his mum and aunt, chatting and drinking our cultural drink 'Mes'. 'Mes' is made from honey and is alcoholic. It's prepared at home usually for special occassions and holidays. Nigus is a lucky person because he has his elderly members of his family.

It's not common to have elderly family members in most parts of Ethiopia. People often die young and when I see Nigus sitting in the middle with his aunt and mother that are elderly it's a wonderful scene."

[Photo by Alem]

Sr Medhin: "My community works a lot with teenage street children. They are acting how to share a meal. They use drama to tell others about their lives."

[Photo by Sr Medhin] 

Alem: "Gayam is my relative and is on his way to work. He always passes this mountain everyday and appreciates its beauty. He has asked me to take his picture with the beautiful background of rocks of different colours and shapes. This is a nice place to pass by every day."

[Photo by Alem | ]  

Alem: "This is community at work. They are building a barrier for erosion, now it is the rainy season and when it rains it washes up the topsoil. The community have come to the project site voluntarily and are clearing the field, digging and piling the stones and preparing the field for farming."  

[Photo by Alem | ]

Dama: "Nowadays, Boran land is occupied by bushes which reduces the pastoralist's grazing land. Reducing the bush is banned so we are facing a worrying problem of grazing land which we rely on for our livestock."

[Photo by Dama]

[Photo by Ara'aya]

Ara'aya: "People planting trees."  

[Photo by Ara'aya]