Travel report of the Ethiopia trip by Kathrin, Marketing Manager at CUP&CINO
It is behind us now, this extraordinary and unique trip to Ethiopia. You naturally think about a few things before such a trip… in relation to yourself – how will I feel? Will I get sick or will I tolerate the food? And in relation to the people we meet – will we have any fear of contact? How will they react to our visit? In retrospect I can say: All these thoughts were unfounded. It was a wonderful trip where we were able to meet wonderful people. People wealready miss a few days after the trip and who made us feel welcome. In their home country and in their home.
I am very grateful that I was able to see the problems on site with my own eyes. Even though I had dealt with the issues extensively beforehand, neither pictures nor videos truly describe the situation on site. I could see the polluted water with my own eyes, I could smell it and I could have touched it, if I had dared to put my hands into this polluted water, in which children wash themselves and with which small children are fed. We were able to experience how the people in the Tigray region in Ethiopia live and what determines their lives every day, how their community functions and with how much joy of life they start each new day. We were able to dance with the people, laugh, celebrate the new bubbling water as it was drilled and felt like rain on our skin. We were able to hear from them how grateful they are for our support and with how much appreciation they enjoy the water from the wells every day – the well is now their most precious asset, which they take care of like their most precious treasure – this is how they show their gratitude, this is what they can give back to us. We were particularly impressed by the visit of a school that has had a well for several years. The students were able to communicate with us in English and we were allowed to participate in their lessons. At the end we played with them and enjoyed the moment.
The trip showed us that the work of the CUP&CINO Foundation is incredibly important, but it also showed us that water is only the beginning. Water is the most important thing in life and this is really about survival and staying healthy. Through water, children are given the opportunity to be educated and thus have the chance to live a self-determined life. Every person in the world should have this right.
I am incredibly grateful for this experience and wish that people in Europe would be more satisfied with the absolutely privileged life that we are allowed to live here.
-Kathrin
Interviews and travel report: https://youtu.be/SJztUl88Yts
Picture: n2s Media Team
