As we drove into the community of Gonbisa Kussaye for the ribbon cutting ceremony of their water project, dozens of children greeted us along the roadside, holding signs and chanting, “Bishaan lubuuddha! Water is Life!” Watch it here.
Our 2014 Water Tour in Ethiopia was a rich and rewarding experience for the 19 travelers from Seattle, Chicago, Phoenix, and Massachusetts. The group included six middle and high school students and their parents, in all an amazing collection of people who took time out of their lives to see the work they are supporting and the difference it makes.
Participants spent four days with our local partner organization, sharing meals and becoming friends, and also visiting the projects Water1st has funded in Ethiopia. Highlights of the visit included attending a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Gonbisa Kusaye project, which serves 1,800 people in 9 sub-villages. The group also carried water from a traditional water source to the homes of people in Dawo Kara, the project Water1st is funding this year.
Click here to listen to the reactions of some of the tour participants after they walked in the shoes of the women of Dawo Kara one morning.
The Water Tour participants also soaked up a bit of Ethiopian history and culture, visiting the palace of Menilik II, one of the most beloved emperors of Ethiopia. They also toured the Merkato, the largest open-air market in Africa, and took a turn at the looms where the beautiful scarves we auction each year at our fundraisers are made.
Contact us if you are interested in traveling to Ethiopia with us in 2015. We really love getting a chance to know our supporters better, and we promise it will be the trip of a lifetime. View trip photos here.
