The day started off well, with a great breakfast of pancakes, Nutella and peanut butter cooked by our ever-so-gracious hosts. After filling our bellies and loading up the van once again with all of our equipment, we made our trip to the slums. I was especially excited for today because we would be following and interviewing Samrawit. We met Samrawit a couple days ago when she came to the LIA compound for English and math lessons. It was her who approached us. She was more than eager to practice her English and take pictures with the visitors. We saw it right away, this girl was smart and assertive. There was something special about Samrawit.

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If the harsh reality of life for kids on the streets of Addis Ababa had not become painfully apparent to us before, it was now. Meeting the children under the garbage bags and seeing the drunken, strung out adults they were destined to be was painful in a way that challenged prejudices and theories I didn’t know I had. It was with a mix of sadness and anticipation that the rest of the group headed out the next night.

The goal of this midnight venture was to meet and hopefully talk to some of the girls and young women who called the streets home. The night before the children the team had met were just a part of the stories of the streets. We were told that many girls who start off on the streets go into prostitution as a way of supporting themselves. We went out that night in hopes to hear their stories. Read the rest of the entry >

Day 5 in Africa…

Day 5 began early for a few of us who went to film Dereje’s goodbye and trip back to Addis. Dereje usually leaves much earlier on Monday mornings due to construction, but since he was going to ride back with us today, he was more than happy to depart from his family a little later.

At 6 am we made our way through the sleepy streets of Debre Berhan passing the morning commuters still wiping the sleep from their eyes. Dereje’s neighborhood much the same; quiet with only the sounds of a lone rooster and tiny birds filling the morning air. It was a gorgeous morning.
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Today’s post continues the stories from Africa. Enjoy!

The third day of our trip took us to a town 4 bumpy hours outside Addis. A few members of the team took the bus with our new Ethiopian friend, Dereje, the others roughed it in the van; a vehicle which apparently does not handle rough roads as well as an Ethiopian bus, a discovery we would later make on the trip home. Read the rest of the entry >

Everything is packed (well, almost). All the equipment and bug spray has been purchased. Long labored over plans are in place. At 11:32 am, central time, Wednesday morning the long planned and discussed trip to Ethiopia begins!!

After 3 layovers and over 20 hours of travel and more than a couple thoughts of ‘are we there yet?’ the Rule29, MacDonald Photography and LIA crew will arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and set up camp to begin the process of capturing the stories and lives of the people that LIA serves everyday.

The project we are working on is LIA’s very first documentary. With the help of our partners and some good friends, we will be spending the next 10 days watching, listening and searching for what it is that makes these people and the LIA organization so unique. All of this in efforts to create a film that will educate about the work LIA is doing for communities in Northeast Africa.

Part of the time we will be following an LIA trainer, Dereje, who leaves his family every week to work with orphans and vulnerable children in the city. We are hoping to learn what life is like for these kids who have to survive on the streets. And also what life can become when LIA is able to help.

Make sure to keep posted as there is so much more to come!