Photo Essay: Djibouti Rails – Dire Dawa to Djibouti City (Location: Ethiopia/Djibouti)

Photography Essay: The Mursi of Jinka (Location: The Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia)

Welcome to Jinka of The Lower Omo Valley in southwestern Ethiopia.  It is a vibrant market town where the local nomadic tribe of the Mursi people come to trade for supplies.  The Mursi are traditionally cattle herders and live in one of the most isolated regions of Ethiopia.  They are most known for the clay plates, which women wear starting at the age of 15.  It took us three days to reach Jinka, combining the transportation of local buses, taxis and hitch-hiking along dusty dirt roads that roared through every vertebrae within your spine.

Global Team for Local Initiatives & Lori Pappas

Come join Lori Pappas, founder of BI-based Global Team for Local Initiatives (GTLI) on Friday, December 10th, from 5 – 6:30PM at The Bainbridge Commons on Bainbridge Island.  As founder of the non-profit, Lori spends over six months in Africa working with the Hamar Tribe of southwest Ethiopia and has returned to WA to share her stories of building a school to educate the Hamar women, as well as the trials of teaching the people basic hygiene and sanitation as preventative illness practices.  Earlier this year, Lily Brewis and I spent 10 days with Lori and the Hamar, documenting GTLI’s work with pictures and film.  I’m pleased to announce the debuting of the first short film I’ve helped put together about their work among the Hamar.  There will also be a slideshow, drinks and snacks to consume, as well as authentic Hamar jewelry and two fine art prints by Cameron Karsten Photography (matted and framed) depicting the Hamar people available for purchase.  Proceeds will go towards Global Team for Local Initiatives.  I hope to see you there!

Photography: The Hamar Tribe (Ethiopia, Africa)

Global Team for Local Initiatives and the Hamar Tribe of SW Ethiopia

Global Team for Local Initiatives (GTLI) is dedicated to helping indigenous people lead healthy lives. Working closely with tribal elders, GTLI helps implement sustainable development projects for long-term survival and income generating activities for immediate relief.

Currently, GTLI is working with the 23,000 member Hamar tribe in remote southwest Ethiopia. Through projects in water, health, education, and income generation, they are helping this ancient tribe, affected by drought and disease, gain the skills they need for continued survival.

Visit www.gtli.us for more

Photography: Ethiopian Hospitality Revisited

Film: Adult Functional Literacy with the Hamar by Global Team for Local Initiatives (GTLI)

Film: Adult Functional Literacy (AFL) in Minogelty by Global Team for Local Initiatives

Adult Functional Literacy (AFL) is at the core of the SHIP program. Unable to speak Amharic, the Ethiopian national language, the Hamar are unable to negotiate for themselves with the government or traders. AFL is teaching interested adults how to speak, read and write basic Amharic, as well as literacy with money and numbers.

Photo Essay: Attire for Bridal Goodbyes

Photo Essay: GTLI’s Issue, Hamar’s Battle – Water

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