U2 at The O2 - Inspired to Speak Out

I've been working with the NGO (non-governmental organisation) ONE for a few years now and my passion for the work they do continues to increase day by day. As they are not a charity seeking funding but a grassroots campaigning and advocacy organisation they suit me much better as a partner. I'm more comfortable giving voice to issues and allowing my voice to speak on behalf of those who can't be heard than I am at raising money.

One of the founders of ONE is Bono, the lead singer of U2 and as such my husband and I ended up as guests of ONE at the U2 concert at The O2 this week. To say it was good is a major understatement, U2 really know how to put on a show. Due to my poorly knee I had changed our standing tickets to seated ones at the last moment and this meant we were up in the Gods on the 4th floor.

Memorable moments from Ethiopia #ONEMums

I wrote this post on 13th October as I sat at the airport waiting for my return flight.  I have just found it in my drafts and thought it was high time it got published!
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I am sat at the airport waiting for the flight to board and I’m just trying to process everything I have seen, heard and learnt.  My travel partner Jen is poorly and has been for a few days so she is having a snooze whilst I work.

I am trying to sort out in my head what the key times have been from this journey but I keep coming to the same conclusion that practically every moment in Ethiopia has been memorable; all for different reasons.  This country will defiantly stay with me and now has a special place in my heart.

In no particular order here are some of my really special times –

*   Connecting with a little girl on the first day at the Mary-Joy centre, all those stolen glances, coy smiles and hand holding really set the tone for my stay in Ethiopia.

*   Being told by 2 Ethiopians that my accent is so good that they thought I could speak Amharic,  oh yes, how I chuckled at that one, I think I am up to about 10 words now! But for someone who has always struggled with languages it was welcome words to hear.

*   Seeing just how beautiful this country is, there is so much land and it is all so lush at the time of the year.

*   Experiencing first hand that the Ethiopians are a beautiful people.  So warm and friendly, they go out of their way for you and there is always a smile.  In a country where so many have so little there was no danger of pick-pocketing or violence, isn't that wonderful?

*   Finding out about the women being rescued by Women at Risk and meeting some of them at FashionABLE. To take them out of the sex trade and to pay them a good living wage is a marvellous thing.

*   Overhearing at Bahir-Dar airport two women talking in American accents, ‘they all have those #ONEMoms tags, I’ve read about them’.  Yay, the message is out there.

*   Shaking hands, doing high 5’ and hugging a million and one stunning children. One little girl in the slums project kissed my hand, it was so touching. I am in awe of Gabrielle’s natural manner with all children, they love her as much as she loves them.

*   Getting to know Jen Howze and spending time with the most eclectic group of women, I truly feel I have firm friends over the pond now. I have such admiration for the work these women are doing and whereas I started by feeling like the poor relation in blogger terms, all they did was affirm me and build me up.  Thank you ladies. X

*   Having so much loving support from home, despite a bit of unrest, people rallied together and I’m proud to be a UK parenting blogger. I can’t even begin to name all of you that helped, but you know who you are and I love what you have done.

*   Our farewell dinner as we each sat and shared how we had been impacted during our 8 days in Ethiopia, we all agreed over tears and laughter that this was just the start. We are a force to be reckoned with and we will fight for justice for all people.

*   The finally, finding God’s grace in just about everything.  Perfect.

Thank you Lord, thank you friends, thank you ONE.

I would love for you to read more about ONE and to sign up to offer your voice. There is a very simple widget in my sidebar.

Disclosure: I travelled with the ONE campaign to Ethiopia on an expense paid trip in October. Our trip was about success – Living Proof -- of what is working and why it is important that we continue to support projects that are making a huge, measurable difference for less than one percent of the entire US budget. It is about letting more people know what a tremendous difference the US and UK are making in the lives of millions around the world. And it is about adding thousands more voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs.
 The good Images need to be Credited to the wonderful Karen Walrond

Beautifully Different...... Yes all of us women

Before I say too much, have a watch of this video. It was made by a friend of mine and has no sales or charity angle.  This is just about you, as a woman.... go on, it is 3 minutes of your life that you won't regret...



I only watched this video yesterday for the first time but it had an effect on me straight away.  It is truly awesome (said in my best American accent).

Last week I was in Ethiopia and our official trip photographer was Karen Walrond, wife (to an English man), Mom, blogger, author, public speaker and all round amazing lady.  This woman oozes confidence and beauty and is a perfect ambassador for her philosophy that 'what makes us different makes us beautiful'. Look at that stunning smile, you can imagine what a wicked sense of humour she has.  She was one of the first people to greet Jen and I as we arrived in Addis Ababa and there could have been no-one better as instantly we were hugged and welcomed.

I did not come to a full realisation until last week what an issue I have with the way I look.  Since having Bells Palsy in 2006 I hate my smile in photos, all I see is an asymmetrical smile and I never feel happy with it.  Karen does not see that and I need to learn to see myself as she does. This lady knows that every face tells a unique and fascinating story.

A couple of times last week I recall thinking about the gorgeous smiles of the women we met in Ethiopia, women that might have been in the sex trade, that could have known true hunger or that have so many facial lines from working hard in the harsh sunlight all their lives.  But I did not look at them and think they were ugly or anything else derogatory, I just saw their joy and happiness and the way that translated into their smiles and faces. I saw beauty.

I really loved the fact that they had no vanity and did not worry what the photos might come out like.

I need to take a leaf from their book, I need my joy to translate to my face, so there is something for me to work on, less vanity and more enjoyment of life.  To the right is a picture that Karen took of me and I need to embrace that photo and see the beauty in it don't I? If I'm completely honest what I see right now is double chins, an eye that does not open properly on the right and the asymmetrical smile. So many occasions last week people said to me 'smile Michelle' and that was my smile. I've obviously got used to masking.

It was a real eye opener when a number of the women I travelled with felt the need to affirm me and comment on how I was beautiful or compassionate or the owner of a unique voice. It sure did make me realise that I disrespect myself a fair amount.  I need to stop putting me down and start being my number one champion!

I once wrote a post called I am Beautiful - I think I'll go and re-read that now.  It might be very helpful.

Yes indeed I am sure it will, I truly had no idea that this was even an issue for me, let alone one that has made me sit here and cry as I write this. I could make a flip comment now and put it down to tiredness and time of the month but actually I need to accept this is an issue for me and I need to work on that.

What about you?  What do you see when you look in the mirror?

Image Credit for picture of Karen Walrond: Maile Wilson

Image credit for picture of me:  Karen Walrond



Meet Mulu, I could be living her life (Ethiopia Day 2)

Before arrival in Ethiopia we received our itinerary and I read that we were to visit the site where the FashionABLE scarves are made and having already checked out their website I knew they were a not for profit project in Ethiopia making stylish and on-tend scarves to sell predominantly to American women. I had been sent a sample but to be honest I am a bit clumsy style wise and I had no idea how to wear it, so I left it at home. Big mistake as I have 20 stylish women with me, all of whom are more than happy to sort me out and now I am the proud owner of a couple of scarves.

On our visit today we met with Cherry Friedmeyer who is the Director of an NGO called 'Women at Risk', this is an outreach organisation that works to get women sex workers off the street and into a year long rehabilitation program.  I think I love Cherry, this women has more passion and drive than I have seen in a long time. Her love for all the girls that they rescue is so apparent and the women love her too and that is really special.

This post today is about Mulu, one of the women workers I met at FashionABLE and as she spoke it occurred to me that we are not so dissimilar in many ways.  I can not even bring myself to Imagine if I had been born in Ethiopia and ended up working as a sex worker, that for me is too massive to comprehend but it easily could have happened but for a different birth country.

• Mulu and I are the same age
• We are both mothers to daughters
• We both love our work and have a passion for it
• We both love to see others overcome adversity and wish to help that happen
• We both love God and worship as Christians

This is Mulu (in the blue) along with Cherry as she told us her story yesterday. She smiled throughout and truly seemed to have come to terms with the paths her life had taken. At FashionABLE they call her the mother as she looks out for the younger girls.

Mulu (which means 'the cup is full') told us -

That at about age 11 her parents died and she was sent away from her village to live with extended family but she never felt included there and at the age of approximately 16/17 she fell in love with a man and went off to live with him. Within a couple of years she had a baby girl and after some time his family were very unhappy with her relationship as Mulu was from a different tribe and this was not acceptable to them.

Her husband told her to go to the city and continue her education and he would join her there in the future, he kept their daughter with him. Mulu was working as a domestic and struggling to make ends meet when a girl she knew told her she could introduce her to a way to make more money, this was how she became a prostitute.

Mulu worked in the sex trade for many years and felt cheap and disgusting but about five years ago she met the Women at Risk organisation and started in the rehabilitation program....  the rest for her is ancient history.

Image Credit - Live FashionABLE

I was so pleased to hear Mulu tell us that she now had peace and had found peace with God. There was nothing for her to be ashamed about anymore.  Each day she comes in early to work and has a sense of pride and achievement. It is at this point that Mulu and my stories come back in line, except that Mulu just sees her daughter in the summer as she still lives a long way with her father.

I asked Mulu to tell us about her daughter and exactly what I expected happened, her face filled with joy and she spoke of her 19 year old girl who wanted to study social sciences at university in the future. She has just passed her 10th grade exam with exceptional marks and Mulu smiled broadly as we all cheered on her girls success and told Mulu how proud her daughter must be of her transformed life.

Mulu tells the same but different story of every woman working at FashionABLE. They all  had very tough starts and ended up in the sex trade but they had enough drive and determination to help themselves get out. Cherry told us about how the girls have to be desperate and ready to start the rehabilitation program as it is very hard going for them. Most have addictions, mainly to khat (a flowering plant which gives mild amphetamine-like results) and often they have emotionally controlling boyfriends or husbands. The first step of rehabilitation is to teach the girls to be awake in the day and asleep at night and this is a massive change for them, it did not even occur to me, but of course...

Not bad enough is it that the women are having to sell their bodies for the money to have basic provisions, we learnt that the lowest paid prostitutes will earn about 30 cents per trick and even the highest paid will only earn $15, can you even imagine?  I certainly can't.  Thank goodness all the women that have come into the program do not have to worry about this anymore. They earn an allowance of 450 Birr, that is about $26 as well as medical care for them and their dependants, a roof over their heads and enough fruit and vegetables to keep them healthy.  Once rehabilitated and trained in one of the skills they choose to take on, scarf making being just one of them, they earn far more and have a real living wage and are also able to earn productivity bonuses and to take work home to complete whilst spending time with their children.

I'd urge you to take a look at the Live FashionABLE site and to find out more about the story of how this wonderful project started out. Of course you can also buy yourself a beautiful scarf or purchase one as a gift.  They cost from $28 each and that's about £17 currently plus about £5 for shipping from US to UK. Here's a link to to my current favourite.

Dying the cotton yarn

Then drying it in the sun

Putting it onto spindles

Working the loom

Then for those of you who enjoyed my audio recording yesterday here is my lowdown on day 2, which includes a bit about our visit to the Hamlin Fistula Hospital, I hope to find time to write about this too. Thanks for the great comments about my audio recording, I'll keep doing them and thanks so much for all the sharing, commenting and support of Jen, I and ONE.  You rock readers!  Mich x

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All image credits (unless othersie stated) Karen Walrond at Chookooloonks.

If you think others will enjoy taking this journey with me, then please share this and my other ONE Ethiopia posts and don't forget to sign up to ONE and offer your voice. I am taking this journey with Jennifer Howze of BritMums, so do follow her journey too and follow #ONEMoms #ONEMums on Twitter.

I am currently in Ethiopia travelling with a group of 11 other inspirational Mums and Moms as part of an expense paid trip courtesy of the ONE Campaign. Our trip is about success – Living Proof -- of what is working and why it is important that we continue to support projects that are making a huge, measurable difference for less than one percent of the entire US budget. It is about letting more people know what a tremendous difference the US and UK are making in the lives of millions around the world.  And it is about adding thousands more voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs.