Trip to Entoto Mountain - An Unforgettable Experience

Addis Ababa is nestled at 7900’ above sea level (it is the third highest capital city) and is surrounded by several mountains. One of which is called Entoto Mountain with an elevation of almost 10,000’. After a few weeks in Addis and with Sitota beginning to settle in with our family we decided to take a drive to see this mountain. We hired a minibus driver and began the climb to the top of Entoto. I was not surprised that there were no guard rails to be seen. It was a great view of Addis Ababa as we drove to the top.

We noticed as we climbed in altitude that the air was so much fresher. We were getting above the pollution and the smell was wonderful! Eucalyptus trees were everywhere. As we continued our slow climb we began to see women of all ages (some as young as Chloe) carrying huge loads of eucalyptus firewood on their backs. These loads are about 7-8’ wide and some of them more than 2’ in diameter with an average
weight of 35 kg/ 77 lbs! They carry these bundles of wood approximately 10 km down the mountain and into the city to sell for firewood at a wage of about $1-2 USD. There are no supportive shoes to be seen, only cheap flip flops or sandals. My heart is heavy for these woman. They are hunched over from the weight of the load with their arms stretched out to balance it as they walk on constant decline. They are also in danger of sexual assault while gathering their load in the woods. We have read accounts of these vulnerable woman and young girls being raped or bribed for money by guards on the mountainside.

One thing I have noticed in Ethiopia is that the woman have such labor- some jobs; road work, digging sewer tunnels, laying sidewalk blocks, not to mention they do their laundry by hand, grinding staples items
like salt and grain, making bread and carrying water. These are all such labor-some jobs!  In an effort to alleviate some of the incredibly hard work of the wood carriers the International Labor Organization have stepped in to equip some of the woman with other trades and skills to earn a better living. Jobs such as basket and scarf weaving. They provide an education for the children of the woman as they work as well. Our family had a chance to visit the center for the former wood carriers and watched as they weaved these beautiful scarfs in an array of gorgeous colors. The scarfs were available for sale and it was nice to
have a opportunity to support these women in their new careers. Please pray for them.