Ethiopian Review

By Rachel Clare | Stroud News & Journal

Gloucestershire, UK — TWO residents from Painswick, southwest England, are travelling to the slums of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to visit projects that their church and community have financially supported for four years.

Iris McCormick and the Rev John Longuet-Higgins, vicar of Painswick and the surrounding villages, will leave on Wednesday, November 11 for nine days.

They will travel with a team from World Vision to Lideta – a community on the outskirts of the slums in Ethiopia’s capital – which is sponsored by a group of villagers in Painswick.

Ms McCormick will also meet Tadesse Tsion, an eight-year-old girl from Lideta who she has sponsored since the birth of her own daughter, Hatty, seven years ago.

“After I had Hatty and was sitting comfortably in Stroud Maternity Hospital, I started thinking about other mothers who do not have such an easy time,” she said.

“That is when I decided I wanted to help a child from Lideta have a better life.”

A recent harvest lunch, teddy bear parachuting event and barn dance contributed to projects in Lideta, where many live in dire poverty.

Funds raised go towards small community projects, like helping a group of women set up a bread-making enterprise at the local market.

Money also helps the local Ethiopian churches raise awareness of HIV and Aids, and contributes to Lideta’s schools.

Mr Longuet-Higgins said: “I am sure the trip will have a huge impact on us – some people say that when you come back and go shopping in Tesco you feel a real sense of injustice at seeing all that food when you have just witnessed people starving.

“Neither of us have ever seen this scale of poverty before so I am sure it will be eye-opening.”

The pair are also taking supplies for children such as inflatable footballs and pencil cases, but they want to leave their suitcases as empty as possible so they can contribute to Lideta’s small economy.