We are in Ethiopia this week, virtually following along with the ONEMoms team as they traverse the country gathering material to share with the world.  “ONE.org is a non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Backed by more than 3 million members, ONE .org works with government leaders to support proven and cost efficient solutions to save lives and help build sustainable futures.”-ONE.org

Photo Credit: Rana DiOrio

World Moms Blog is excited recently to have become a community partner of ONEMoms and we’d like to bring you along as we  follow their trip of 12 ONE Moms traveling through Ethiopia from October 6th through October 13th.

The diverse group of ONEMoms includes a  Supermodel/Activist, a Book Publisher, a Pig Farmer, Mom Bloggers, Food Writers, a Lawyer, a Scientist and a designer.  Their goal is to meet up with Ethiopian women, agriculturalists and health care workers, and in doing so engage us in a global dialog on the important issues faced in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is a fascinating country, and the only country in Africa that was never colonized.  The Italian government’s long ago attempt to do so apparently left hints of Italian influence behind.  It is the most populous land locked country in the world, and home to over 80 languages.

Ethiopia’s breathtaking landscape has a diverse ecology and terrain with deserts on the eastern border, and tropical forests to the south.  It is one of the Founding members of the U.N., and the African Union Headquarters are based in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa.  Culinary history suggests that its unique cuisine has been around for millennia, agriculture produced by mostly small-scale farmers makes up the greatest portion of the economy,  and it is the largest coffee producer in Africa.

The ONEMoms itinerary will encompass a variety of economic, health and agricultural issues such as a visit to the FashionABLE factory, which is dedicated to creating a sustainable business for women in Ethiopia. As a not-profit company FashionABLE provides training and education as well as jobs, so that instead of being dependent on charity, the women can become a vital part of the developing economy.

World Moms Blog Author wearing her FashionABLE scarf.

Photo Credit: Gabrielle Blair

They will go to a  Fistula Hospital where women are treated for Obstetric Fistula, one of the most devastating of all childbirth injuries, with a 90% success rate of a cure.  They will travel to villages outside of the city to meet with Women Farmers to discuss agriculture, and visit the sites of nutrition programs, and educational resources.

Please travel along with us and the ONEMoms.   You can do so by tweeting or posting questions  you may have for women and families in Ethiopia.   ONEMoms will share your questions and comments and report back via SoundCloud, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, ONE Moms blogand the members individual blogs listed below. You can also become a ONE Mom #ONEMoms to add your voice to ours.

YOU CAN JOIN  ONE MOMS HERE,  and follow the ONEMoms on the trip with the below information. 

Gabrielle Blair, DesignMom @designmom
Alice Currah, Savory Sweet Life @SavorySweetLife
Rana DiOrio, Little Pickle Press @LPP_Media @RanaDiOrio
Asha Dornfest, Parent Hacks, @parenthacks
Cathleen Falsani, Sojourners @godgrrl
Liz Gumbinner, Cool Mom Picks and Mom101 @coolmompicks @mom101
Jennifer Howze, BritMums @jhowze
Christine Koh, Boston Mamas @bostonmamas
Michelle Pannell, Mummy from the Heart @michelletwinmum
Diana Prichard, Righteous Bacon @Diana_Prichard
Maya Haile Samuelsson, MarcusSamuelsson @GateHaileMaya
Kelly Wickham, Mocha Momma @mochamomma
Karen Walrond, Chookooloonks @Chookooloonks (the trip photographer)

BON VOYAGE!!

This is an original post to World Moms Blog by our Social Gods columnist, Elizabeth Atalay.

The images used in this post are used with permission from ONEMoms.

Elizabeth Atalay

Elizabeth Atalay is a Digital Media Producer, Managing Editor at World Moms Network, and a Social Media Manager. She was a 2015 United Nations Foundation Social Good Fellow, and traveled to Ethiopia as an International Reporting Project New Media Fellow to report on newborn health in 2014. On her personal blog, Documama.org, she uses digital media as a new medium for her background as a documentarian. After having worked on Feature Films and Television series for FOX, NBC, MGM, Columbia Pictures, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, and Castle Rock Pictures, she studied documentary filmmaking and anthropology earning a Masters degree in Media Studies from The New School in New York. Since becoming a Digital Media Producer she has worked on social media campaigns for non-profits such as Save The Children, WaterAid, ONE.org, UNICEF, United Nations Foundation, Edesia, World Pulse, American Heart Association, and The Gates Foundation. Her writing has also been featured on ONE.org, Johnson & Johnson’s BabyCenter.com, EnoughProject.org, GaviAlliance.org, and Worldmomsnetwork.com. Elizabeth has traveled to 70 countries around the world, most recently to Haiti with Artisan Business Network to visit artisans in partnership with Macy’s Heart of Haiti line, which provides sustainable income to Haitian artisans. Elizabeth lives in New England with her husband and four children.

More Posts