Oasis of hope in northern Ethiopia: Bishop Toal on the faith of the African country and the help offered by the SCIAF

After my return from a week spent visiting projects supported by SCIAF in northern Ethiopia, I have some thoughts to share on what has been a fascinating experience.

I have seen something concrete about this vast and complex country in northeastern Africa and the remarkable work undertaken by SCIAF and its partners in the local Adigrat Diocese, helping rural communities to improve the lives of their inhabitants in a difficult natural environment. .

Many of us remember Ethiopia's terrible famine in the 1980s and the way Bob Geldof and Band Aid encouraged us to respond generously to people with such extreme needs.

When we were told that our trip would be in northern Ethiopia and in Tigray province, I remembered that it was the area affected by drought and famine there was over 30 years old and i was aware before traveling that life remains precarious today because the water remains scarce and annual. precipitation is even more unpredictable today due to climate change.

It is true that since then, Ethiopia has seen a lot of progress and its people aspire, like all of us, to continue this momentum by all available means.

The landscape of Northern Ethiopia is spectacular, especially when traveling in the mountains, but it looks extremely dry and can be very, very hot.

Finding sufficient water sources and sharing the water that falls during the rainy season has always been part of the challenge of living in such areas.

Traditionally, many rural people are pastoralists, which means that they raise goats and sheep and move in search of pasture for them, hoping to support themselves with their animals.

Those who live closer to reliable water sources can grow and keep large animals, especially oxen that facilitate plowing and other difficult farming tasks.

Donkeys also greatly facilitate the transport of goods in very rugged areas and restrictions of transport by motorized vehicles.

The SCIAF group has visited a number of communities that have been helped to access, store and circulate water, as well as to slow down the flow when the rain falls below the torrents.

SCIAF supports the work of the local people, including the drilling of boreholes for deeper water access and the provision of solar panels to power the pumps to allow the distribution of water. water up to ground level.

SCIAF also provides cement for the construction of irrigation cbads, bringing new areas of cultivated land.

With a steady supply of water, the fields now produce three harvests a year, rather than the only one following the rainy season.

The water collection points for humans and animals are now located at different locations in the communities and more water is available for human consumption, cooking and washing.

It was great to see what was accomplished and to appreciate how important our contribution to the long-term transformation of people's lives in these sometimes isolated communities is.

The provision of solar panels for the water pump supply has ensured a regular water supply to a community twice as large as Motherwell's.

It is a great blessing for the community, which is predominantly Muslim, and she deeply appreciates the support of Adigrat Diocese and its partners, including SCIAF.

Another characteristic of water-related projects is the construction of control dams at strategic points of a river that can pump water into the surrounding fields. When heavy rainfall occurs, dams slow down the speed of the water and give it time to infiltrate the soil, restoring the deeper water reserves.

Another feature of this work is the construction of dams at higher levels to slow the flow of water on the hillsides, thus preventing soil leaching. This is very important when too many trees have been cut for firewood and other uses.

Once again, the local population is doing a remarkable job and is becoming aware of how they can improve their traditional mode of production with the help of the modern technology we have helped to provide.

Our hosts in Tigray were Adigrat's Bishop Tesfaselbadie and his Social and Development Commission.

They welcomed us very well and emphasized the great bond that exists between us in the universal Church and that the sharing of our resources is a powerful sign of our union in Christ.

For me, this is an important aspect of the SCIAF's mission: through our aid agency, the Catholics of Scotland look to the Church of the poorest countries and share what we can with them .

It is encouraging to see this work and, as a Scottish bishop, to hear the gratitude expressed by the local bishop for the generosity of Scottish Catholics.

That is why I convey to Scotland a very positive message about the work of SCIAF in Ethiopia and other countries, by members of the Church. They love us very much and greatly appreciate our help.

By visiting the Church elsewhere, I am also waiting to learn something about Christian faith and life.

The Church in Ethiopia is very old and dates back to the fourth century. She is mainly Orthodox. Since arriving in Ethiopia in the nineteenth century, the Catholic Church, though small, has been active in the fields of health, education and social affairs, but it remains close to the orthodox tradition in in many ways.

Fasting is one of the aspects of the Christian life that occupies an important place. The Wednesday and Friday of each week are fasting days, as well as Lent and other extended periods throughout the year.

On those days, people refrain from meat, fish and any food produced from animals – they follow a vegan diet. We are not used to fasting like this in the Western Church, but Pope Francis sometimes challenges us.

Certainly, during Lent, we take seriously the disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. After visiting the Church in Ethiopia, I will reflect on what I should do in this regard. Given that Lent is also the time when we make a special effort for SCIAF, I will certainly encourage a generous response from the Catholics in Scotland who have found that we support such worthwhile work in Ethiopia.

We are not the only ones to do it, but the fact that we do it on behalf of the Catholic Church of Scotland makes our work very special in the life and mission of our Church.