Category Archives: International Reporting Project

Jun14

10 Interesting Things To know About Ethiopia

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10 Interesting Things To know About Ethiopia
Lion_of_Judah,_Addis_Ababa,_Ethiopia

Statue of the Lion of Judah By Rjruiziii via Wikimedia Commons

I’ve learned a few intriguing things about Ethiopia in the midst of preparation for my International Reporting Project trip. Having never been before, I’m excited and eager to learn about the country, and culture. We will be reporting on newborn health when there, but in the meantime I wanted to share a few of the interesting things I’ve learned about my destination.

1.  Ethiopia has the second largest population of all the countries in Africa.

2. Ethiopia is thought to be the birthplace of coffee.

SAMSUNG CSC

3. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa never to be colonized. Although the Italians occupied Ethiopia for five years ( leaving behind remnants of their culture with some great Italian restaurants I hear).

4. “Lucy” lives in Ethiopia, One of the earliest found skeletons of early human remains (over 3 million years old) resides in the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.

SAMSUNG CSC

5. Ethiopia has the largest population of all the landlocked countries in this world.

6. Over 40% of girls get married before the age of 18 in Ethiopia.

7. The Ethiopian Capital city of Addis Ababa is the headquarters of the African Union.

8. Rastafarians get their name from Haile Selassie whose name before being crowned Emperor was Ras (Ras means Duke) Tafari.

9.Ethiopia is the majority source of the Nile River (84% known as the Blue Nile).

Lake Tana

Lake Tana, Source of the Blue Nile River

10. The Queen of Sheba is believed to have been from Ethiopia.

Painting in St. Georges Church of Queen Sheba and King Solomon

Painting in St. Georges Church of Queen Sheba and King Solomon

I am traveling to Ethiopia as an International Reporting Project Fellow on a New Media Fellowship to report on newborn health. #EthiopiaNewborns 

Jun12

Traveling To Ethiopia With The International Reporting Project New Media Fellowship

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Traveling To Ethiopia With The International Reporting Project New Media Fellowship

“Eat only with your right hand, never with the left.” My friend advised, referring to the injera pancakes used in Ethiopian cuisine to scoop up food.  Her advice aimed to spare me the disapproving looks and awkward moment of a cultural lesson learned the hard way. Leaving in just a few days for my trip to Ethiopia, I have been gathering all the travel tips I can get.

I am thrilled be traveling to Ethiopia along with the eight other New Media Fellows selected for the International Reporting Project trip to report on Newborn Health.  The International Reporting Project was established to fill the void in reporting on global issues.  The IRP fellowship gives U.S. Journalists the opportunity to travel to foreign countries, and share the stories that would not typically be seen in the mainstream media.

We will be reporting on Ethiopia’s development in preventing newborn deaths, a challenge in a country where somewhere around 90% of women live in low resource, rural areas and tend to give birth at home.  We will also explore surrounding issues such as maternal and child health, immunizations, nutrition, and access to healthcare.  Ethiopia is the second most populated country on the African continent, and is a country comprised of diverse ethnicities.  It’s landscapes are varied as well, topography ranges from mountains to jungles, to one of the hottest inhabited regions on earth.  We will be visiting remote villages to meet with NGO’s, Frontline Heath care Workers, and mothers to witness first hand the challenges, and the progress towards saving lives in Ethiopia.

Please follow our journey at #EthiopiaNewborns , on Twitter , Facebook & Instagram

I will be reporting from Ethiopia as a fellow with the International Reporting Project (IRP)