North Shoa

One of the most underdeveloped areas of Ethiopia is in the mountains of the northern parts of Ethiopia called North Shoa. North of Debrabrahan is an area with few roads no bridges and a life that hasn’t changed much in the last 2,000 years. Tin roofs have replaced some grass thatched roofs and sporadic electricity has reached these areas and apart from cell phones which have reached all parts of the Ethiopia there is little to call modern. With the introduction of these new technologies has come an awakening and a new desire to become part of the outside world and a fierce battle to retain their isolation at the same time. Old territorial boundaries are being challenged and the old and the new are creating new forms of friction. Tribal wars

are still in existence and customs and traditions are slow to accept new development.
High from the top of a Mountain, Feru and I stood as he pointed out clusters of tin roofs that were different villages and different tribes. The climb in his Toyota truck had been steep and winding with drops of thousands of feet below us. “See that village there” he said pointing to the shiny tin roofs nestled at the bottom of a mountain, “That is Amhara, and that one just beyond is Oromo, That is a different territory and that last skirmish between those two villages resulted in the death of eighteen people” “see that area just beyond the river there” I could see another cluster of tin roofs that looked the same as the village only a few miles away. “That is the Afar region” Tribal differences were indistinct from where we stood and viewed the distant landscape. The land looked beautiful from here. One could not see a difference between languages here or the difference of tribal customs. There were no roads there, only camel and donkey paths.

The road up the mountain was only a few years old and already the harsh mountain climate had eroded parts of the gravel road and made it impassable beyond a raging stream.
North Shoa, The most ambitious Plan yet.
Heading North Ministry
The area of North Shoa is a part of the country that has been a hotbed of ethnic violence for centuries, where the Amharic, Oromo and the Tigrean tribes have practised revenge killings
Feru is a man with a great vision. Having successfully managed the Gumuz project and tamed the wild side of the hunters and gather’s and established five churches in a land where revenge killings and sacrifices were common, Feru now desires is to see the land of North Shoa tamed for Christ. The Ethiopian government has recognized the work Feru was responsible for and he was given an award for the work he has done in the Gumuz area. The town of Sherarobate is the main point of commerce between the Amhara, the Oromo, and the

Afar and he was recently given a large tract of land by the Ethiopian Government here to build some model farms and begin a big nursery project. All land in Ethiopia is owned by the Ethiopian Government and if you have a development proposal to improve the land with reforestation, they will give you a small parcel to start. If after a period of years they determine you are doing a good job they will reward you with more land. Feru is hoping his plan works to overcome tribal differences and be exposed to the Truth in the Gospels. Feru’s license enables him to approach these people with a holistic program that meets the physical needs, spiritual and mental aspects so they may live in Peace and prosperity. Tere is a village North of Sherarobate where seedling plots were started four years

ago and school improvement projects were begun. The first ten or so selected were now getting ready to teach ten more. The labour came from those who wanted to learn and start farms of their own.. Sheep Fattening co-ops were begun and oxen fattening. Fruit trees have been planted in selected areas. The Christian church built a new church for the Coptic Church and as a result they have begun talking and listening to each other and discussing the Old Testament. As the programs pay back the loans they produce more and the people get a sense of ownership and self sufficiency. Each project is like a seed that produces a tree that grows more trees.
One of the main things that change a community’s life is the benefits that are directed at children. Education is their hope for the future. With not even some of the basics schools are in desperate need of things like toilets and showers and black boards. Books and shelves are almost non existent. The staff from the public school in Tere was able to mobilize the community to build an addition for kindergarten which Ethiopia has mandated for all schools and Devxchange paid for the tin on the roof, but they still need a wall to separate them and a resting room for them to have naps in. Things like a photo copier or computers would supply them with some basic teaching tool. These are some of the project ideas being proposed by the dedicated staff.

Besides seedling projects, model chicken farms, sheep fattening and bull fattening programs are being financed by Devxchange.
I was unable to get to the town of Gambala where I had been looking forward to exploring the work of Grant and Wendy. I was particularly interested in the security walls they were building that served the dual purpose of providing security against the sometimes violent events in that area of Sudanese refugees and providing vertical gardens to feed the inhabitants. The day before I arrived there had been a riot in one of the refugee camps and eighteen people had been massacred.
The journey has ended but the story never ends. Will humanity continue to improve itself? Will Love keep growing and spreading. Seeds that are sown will sprout the plant from which they grew. The planting of Love will grow love and respect and overcome fear and hostility. Sharing will promote respect and humility and life. Prosperity will give security if the heart has learned Love. The trip

gave me the great opportunity to see the progress of Devxchange and the effectiveness of the programs that were begun eight years ago. Simple acts of love have improved the lives of thousands in this concentration of humanity.

Recently Feru organized a "Peace and Reconciliation" conference for the area where 3,000 people from 18 different communities attended. This is the beginning of great things to come.