| CAFOD Westminster welcomes visitor from Ethiopia |
By: Nathan Nye
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Posted: Sunday, May 6, 2012 10:06 pm
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Lemlem with CAFOD team at Oakwood
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CAFOD partner Lemlem Berhe Tsegay, from Ethiopia received a warm welcome when she gave a lunchtime talk to about 45 parish, school and office volunteers at the Benedictine Centre for Spirituality in Oakwood last Tuesday, Nathan Nye reports.
Lemlem's name means ‘green place’ - which was most fitting, because she came to talk about the water projects she has managed across northern Ethiopia with the support of CAFOD. Lemlem works for ADCS (The Adgirat Diocesan Catholic Secretariat) to bring water to the almost lunar landscapes of the most arid parts of Ethiopia. Their resources are limited and their task is great but with the participation of local communities, Lemlem and ADCS have installed proper toilet facilities at schools, water tanks in villages and irrigation for local farms.
Lemlem spoke about how local communities provided the labour to build their own toilet facilities and water channels by hand. Materials like sand were also provided by local communities for free. It was only the industrial products like cement and wooden beams that needed to be paid for. Lemlem thanked CAFOD for providing the funds for these resources.
Simple things like toilets at school raise the level of hygiene, which means children won’t miss school through illness or because of the embarrassment and discomfort of having to go to the toilet in the open.
Lemlem will be on the road giving talks in Manchester, Liverpool, Northampton and Nottingham. The final leg of her tour will be as part of a small delegation to hand in the Thirst for Change action cards at 10 Downing Street on 15 May. More than 36,000 actions cards have been collected so far, but you can still take part in the Thirst for Change campaign online until 14 May at http://www.cafod.org.uk/thirst
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the supporters of CAFOD who have joined in the Thirst for Change campaign and who have fundraised this Lent. Thanks to your support CAFOD can continue to help partners like Lemlem to change the lives of so many for the better.
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