Week 6, physiotherapy paused

The current Corona situation in Ethiopia: Schools in Ethiopia have been closed since March 16. Since today, state employees have been working from home. There are currently 12 confirmed cases here. Anyone entering Ethiopia must quarantine in a hotel for 14 days. Many flights have been canceled. Handwashing stations (water and soap) can be seen everywhere on the streets. I still feel safe and comfortable here and find it extremely exciting to observe what is happening on the ground. Many people here are afraid and uncertain, and they find it difficult to filter the information overload. The television and radio continuously report on Corona, and alarming images of Europe that resemble an apocalyptic film are shown. There is no more information about the locust plague, which will likely hit Ethiopia harder than Corona. At the moment, I have minimal concerns for the Ethiopian population regarding Corona: The population here is very young, 77% of the population is under 35 years old (CH: 39%, IT 34%), and only 3.5% belong to the at-risk group (CH: 19%, IT: 32%).

The physiotherapy operations at Addis Guzo have been suspended until the end of this week, as the clients with severe disabilities belong to the at-risk group. To get to the Addis Guzo compound, they sometimes have to take several public transports, which are not crowded but still quite full. The repair service with customer contact has also been suspended. It is ensured that there is always water in the tanks despite the frequent water outages. There is a daily update during the morning meeting, and last Friday there was a large meeting with all employees. For the time being, the rest of the operations will continue, and there is enough work for everyone...

Despite everything, I'm doing very well. On Sunday, I went on a trip to Suba Menagesha Forest with Nathalie, Jasmin, Hailu, Malaika, and Eldana. The forest is densely overgrown with juniper and kosso trees, as well as many shrubs, ferns, etc. At times, the forest also reminded me of a larch forest in Switzerland... It felt really good to walk in this forest with fresh air and vibrant wildlife. At one point, we saw colobus monkeys from a distance, and when we returned to the car, many curious baboons came by. We got caught in a long and heavy rain shower in Menagesha Forest. I was the best equipped of all, but I was completely soaked afterwards.

In Addis too, I often go for walks, either in Gulele Park, at the ILRI Campus where Barbara, my host, works, or at Yeka Forest, our local mountain. Currently, it rains almost every day, mostly at night. The weather can change quickly, and the rain is very strong, almost monsoon-like.