SV9 -- LeAlem

Site Visit Day 9 (Tuesday) -- Mellow day at the office, administrative/social worker and beneficiary intake area, pictured above ... desk in back is my temporary station. Today, shared draft site visit report with LeAlem partners, identifying areas for clarification, further research, questions, and concepts for discussion.

Followed a couple compelling cases, 7 year-old girl on follow-up for nausea and vomiting, pictured below with Dr. Alemayehu. And 49 year-old war widow with four children, presenting with stomach ache and retroperitoneal burning, complicated by asthma. She lives in one room house with her children, supported by pension income less than $100/year. At bottom, hugging social worker Almaz.

Click through photos for high-resolution.





Tomorrow, home visits for HIV/AIDS patients and orphans and vulnerable children, supported by Organization for Social Services for AIDS patients (OSSA), research postponed from Friday past.

Mid-term thoughts

While first week was rough, the second is proving smooth. (I had been overwhelmed, then a medical got me.) There seems to be a sweep of congruence. Collecting data, making observations, writing, reviewing with partners. Developing patient case studies and making photographs.

Even the hotel seems in rhythm. I initially planned one week in Addis, followed by a week in the Omo Valley (southwest Ethiopia, for ethnographic photography). The day I arrived I asked reception to extend my Addis stay to two weeks, so I could do more work. In a communication error, instead, they cut my reservation short. Last Friday, when I was bad sick, they knocked on my door and insisted I leave. The African Union Summit had filled all remaining bookings, including my mistaken vacancy. Most other hotels were full. I protested and showed my booking confirmation to gain a few day reprieve. Forces came to my rescue. Dr. Alemayehu appealed to the hotel manager, called the owner -- "Jim is helping the Ethiopian people, doing real work." Each day my reservation end date has crept forward. Fingers crossed. I board the plane next Sunday.

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