14/03/2013
This article is written as part of my
role within the Media team for the volunteers placed in Awassa, it is published
for the VSO ICS program.
On Saturday
16th February 2013, VSO ICS volunteers Habtamu, Jess and Tsion organized a
coffee ceremony by Lake Awassa to create awareness of Fiker Behiwot Orphan
Children and Youth Association within the community (FBOYA).
FBOYA, it is a
member of the national NGOs, licensed by Federal Democratic Republic of
Ethiopia, Charities and Societies Agency as an Ethiopian Residential Charity.
It has 542 members and is the only orphan association in Ethiopia. They
represent children and young people who are living with HIV and affected by the
epidemic. Their Vision Statement is to have orphan children & youths, who
can stand for society free of HIV/AIDS and have strong self-esteem.
One of the
goals of the placement program is to raise funds which can be used to support 5
children for a full year. This would include their educational material, books
and uniforms etc. The volunteers decided that the most effective way to engage
the community would be to hold a coffee ceremony, something which is much
revered in Ethiopia.
In the week
leading up to the event date they produced cards to distribute which were sold
for 5birr each. With the help of all the VSO volunteers in Awassa they
distributed all the cards, raising over 2,000Birr and bringing the event to the
attention of a large portion of the community.
Picture:
Tsion, Habtamu & Jess preparing for the event.
On Saturday
afternoon the event was set up with speakers, informational posters, coffee
ceremony decoration and people dressed in cultural clothing. During the event
quite a crowd appeared, there were around 500 people watching, with more people
coming throughout. A traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony took place; fresh
coffee beans were roasted and ground whilst incense burned and cups were
prepared with sugar. When the coffee was ready it was given out to the crowd
with popcorn whilst the different acts performed.
The Youth
Campus Club and Eyerusalem Club performed traditional cultural dancing, drama
and singing. There was also a solo guitar and singing performance by Laura, a
VSO volunteer from the UK.
Picture: Dancers
performing traditional Ethiopian dance
Most important
was the input of the Fiker Behiwot team, discussing the benefits of the
organization and the future plans, emphasizing that it needs the help of the
community for their vision to be attained. The event was a big success; it has
certainly increased the community knowledge of Fiker Behiwot and the VSO
presence here in Awassa. The fundraising was a huge
triumph, and a great time was had by all.
The team will
be continuing to innovate and fundraise during their time with FBOYA to try and
meet the set target before their placement ends.
Kx
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