Revolution by MU1500 in Gambella Ethiopia

At this very moment, a small revolution is spreading throughout the Gambella region of Ethiopia. It’s a peaceful revolution but one that has the potential to bring immense change.  The agents of change are not your stereotypical revolutionaries. They are women: members of the local Mother’s Union, mostly middle aged, many of them illiterate. Apart from a few cooking pots and other demonstration materials, their weaponry is not visible. Instead, they have recently been armed with knowledge. Their mission is to share this knowledge so that other women, children and families might benefit from the life-changing news they have received. The messages they carry are deceptively simple: Small things we can’t see without “glasses” (microscopes) cause disease. Just like we need wood, mud and grass – all three – to make houses, we also need protein, vitamins and energy foods – all three – to make strong bodies. Some can’t merely be told, they must be demonstrated: how to construct a vertical garden, how to weave mats to earn an income, how treat common illnesses in children. Together, they promise to overturn the basic yet entrenched problems that have long hampered the region, making it one of Ethiopia’s poorest: poverty, health and inter-tribal tension. The epicentre of change is Gambella Anglican Centre. From here, a train-the-trainer program is empowering women to affect change in their own communities. Firstly, thirty Mother’s Union representatives received health, livelihood and biblical training. These thirty women then returned to their communities, sharing their knowledge through structured programs for a further 1,500 Mother’s Union members across 15 centres. Each of these Mother’s Union trainees will soon become a trainer, inviting one community guest to attend a program at one of 70 local churches. It is hoped that, in time, change will filter down into communities, through informal conversations and the obvious positive effects of lifestyle change. Over three years, for only $35 per woman, the Mother’s Union will provide training courses for 3,000 women every two months. The project has been designed by Dr Wendy LeMarquand, a doctor with over 30 years experience in family medicine as well as training and experience in tropical medicine and village medical practice. Dr Le Marqualand has already overseen a similar project in Kenya. If you would like to join the revolution you can do so by joining Revolution Gambella