Let Them Eat Cake

How can you make a cake in rural Ethiopia without an oven?  The answer is a makeshift “Dutch Oven.” This involves a large pot, with three rocks in the bottom and a smaller pot placed on those rocks, inside the bigger bot. Then a large lid is placed on the large pot, and voila, you have an oven!

A makeshift Dutch Oven!

My sitemate Alex and I decided to have a celebration for our birthdays (both in May) and for the end of the school year with our English Club.  We used a funfetti cake mix and chocolate frosting to make this delicious double layer concoction:

Layer number one!

The final product!

The group before we ate the cake; notice Dougm (the boy in the front), eyeing the cake!

The students had never tasted this type of cake before, or anything this sweet for that matter! As they tried the cake and ate it, they were smiling, with their eyes wide and seeming to say, “WOW THIS IS AWESOME!” When I asked them in English, “How is it?” They all responded in English in unison, “Delicious!!”

Sosina and Misrek were all smiles while enjoying the cake!

We had such a wonderful afternoon together, sharing this part of American culture and enjoying with my Ethiopian friends and family, and the six students who I have been teaching English for over a year.

During the celebration, one of the student’s fathers said, “Hannah, you won’t be here next year for your birthday.”  As he said that and I looked around the room at all these people who have come to mean so much to me, and a wave of emotion came over me.  I want to spend every last minute and day that I have here enjoying with the Mezezo community; Eating funfetti cake, singing English songs, teaching about helath, playing Frisbee, and sipping coffee by candlelight in the evenings. 

A group of my Mezezo family and friends who I love dearly!

Letting Girls Learn

Menstruation is source of many challenges for girls in Ethiopia, especially in the rural area. A study done in Northern Ethiopia found that "Due to menstruation related problems, 43%-50.7% of students were absent from school, ranging from one day to four days" per month, which resulted in "decreased academic performance, sports participation, and socialization with peers". (1)

What are RUMPS?

Reusable menstrual pads, or RUMPS, can be made at a very low cost and can be used for an extended period of time, since they are washed and reused.  RUMPS can allow girls to continue going to school while they are menstruating.  Many girls in Ethiopia, especially in the rural area, don’t attend school while they are menstruating because of lack of sanitary pads, and related feelings of fear, shame, or anxiety.

The final product: a reusable menstrual pad!

Sewing the edges of the menstrual pad.

The second to last step: sewing on the button and cutting the button hole.

I decided to lead a training for female grade 9 and 11 students in Mezezo, to teach about menstrual hygiene and give the students the chance to make RUMPS.  I wanted to teach about different emotional changes that may occur as a result of menstruation, and also what is “normal” regarding menstruation, in order to hopefully reduce the fear, shame, and anxiety associated with it.  I offered students at school a chance to sign up for the training, and quickly had 50 girls enroll.

Posters that I made for the training, in English and Amharic.

Twenty minutes before the training was supposed to start, girls started peeking their heads into the room, looking curious, as I hung up posters and organized the RUMPS materials (fabric cut into a cross shape, buttons, needles, thread, and scissors). At ten minutes till, the room was full with 50 students (the exact number of RUMPS materials I had prepared) and we got started!   

I taught about menstrual hygiene and menstruation, in both English and Amharic.

The students were so attentive and eager to learn; they were so excited to make the RUMPS and be able to take it home with them.  A foreigner teaching about menstruation, in their local Amharic language, probably helped to keep their attention J They each got to make a RUMP to take home with them.  After they finished, they eagerly came up to me to show me their final product, with huge smiles on their faces.

We took a group picture afterward, and when we finished taking the photo and I announced that the training was over and thanked them all for coming, they all began giggling and chatting; it was so amazing to see these girls who are usually so shy in class, come out of their shells and laugh like this!

The entire group of 50 girls after the training.

Something as simple as learning to make a RUMP can make all the difference of whether a girl can go to school.  It is a skill that they can use, and also one that they can teach to others; to friends, sisters, and the community.  Gradually through the ripple effect, more and more girls will be empowered to learn and go to school, because when girls learn and continue going to school, the whole community and society will benefit.

Proud girls posing after the training, in front of the RUMPS posters!

In case you're interested, these are the steps of making a RUMP:

1.     Cut two cross shaped pieces of material.

2.     Cut a 2-inch slit in the middle of one of the pieces of material.

3.     With a needle and thread, sew the edges of the pieces of material together.

4.     When you finish sewing, use the slit to flip the material inside out, so you have a nice-looking seam!

5.      On the same side that the slit is on, sew a button on one of the flaps and a button hole on the opposite flap.

6.     To use, place 2-3 layers of clean, absorbent cloth in the slit

7.     Wash with cold water and soap, dry in the sun, and reuse!

(  (1). Tegegne TK, Sisay MM. Menstrual hygiene management and school absenteeism among female adolescent students in Northeast Ethiopia. BMC Public Health. 2014;14:1118. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-1118.

The Essence of Peace Corps..

In rural Ethiopia, the English language is extremely important for students who want to move onto the next grade and eventually attend University.  Starting in 9^th grade, all the subjects and textbooks are in English, as well as the “metric” exams (taken in 10^th and 12^th grades, to determine if the student can move to the next grade and/or to University).  Therefore, it is important for them to have a solid understanding of English, even though it is not their native language.  However, especially in the rural areas such as Mezezo, there aren’t many people who speak English, making it difficult for students to practice and to succeed in English!  

For the past 12 months I have worked with the same group of 6 fifth-grade students in an after-school club, where we practice English, do crafts, read children’s books, learn songs in both Amharic and English, and play sports like Frisbee and soccer (futbol).  Together, the students recently read their first children’s book, and it was wonderful to watch the fifth graders sound out the rhythmic stories of Dr. Seuss!  It reminded me of my childhood.  Together, the students learned how to play Frisbee, a game they had never heard of before.  Together, the students have also become more and more comfortable with speaking English, and in 12 months went from only knowing a few basic English words, to being able to have conversations!

Teddy and Sosina, two of the students participants in the after school club!

Last month I was lucky enough to have my parents visit Ethiopia; we spent two days in my rural village, Mezezo.  In Mezezo, we visited the home of one of the students from the after-school club, whose name is Teddy.  While there, Teddy and his friend Sosina, also from the after-school club, came over to me and in English, whispered in my ear, “Can we sing in English for your mother and father?” They were so thrilled and eager, as they first introduced themselves to my parents in English had a conversation in English together, and then proceeded to sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” motions and all! When they finished, they were beaming.  Their confidence and eagerness to show their English-language skills to my parents made me so proud. 

Teddy takes the stage to show his impressive English skills to the group!

Then Teddy’s father said to my parents, “I’ll never forget what Hannah has done, teaching them English is going to change their lives.  He then said, “For me, that is the greatest gift anyone can give to me; to teach my child in ways that will change his life and give him opportunities for the future.”

My sitemate, Alex, Sosina, Teddy, and me!

This experience is the essence of my Peace Corps service.  The personal connections, relationships, and ways that I can influence others, while I am learning even more from them, is what Peace Corps is all about.