Our plan was to attend our church in Addis Ababa prior to travelling down to a holiday resort by a lake 3-4 hours drive out of the city. After the service we had an unexpected meeting with Gary and Peggy Ifft. We had first met them in 2007 (when they and Phil worked at the Korean Hospital in Addis). A chat over coffee in a nearby cafe led to us travelling behind them to their home in Ziway - a small rural town on our route. We left with a promise to call in on our return. We learnt that they arrived in Ziway through contact with an elder of the local Miserete Kristos Church in Ziway. A subsequent meeting with the church elders confirmed that there were various development needs in the area, ideal for a visionary couple who were experienced in working on a range of projects within Ethiopia.

The highest priority was to build a bridge over the Bochessa River. The village of Bochessa was cut off from shops, schools, medical care and transport. In the dry season the residents built a slippery bridge of eucalyptus poles nailed across several long logs. However this was washed away at the height of the rainy season and boats had to be used to ferry the villagers over. There were stories of tragedies where people were swept away and drowned in the waters. Hippos were an additional hazard.

Relationships are so important in Ethiopia and it was through an American friend (who could raise the funds), and an Ethiopian friend’s son who remembered a retired bridge engineer that used to be his professor at Addis Ababa University, that the bridge was finally built. We were taken to see it and could easily imagine how it had revolutionised the lives of the villagers. We  crossed the bridge towards the village beyond. The wide area of grass and ancient trees beside the river was being well used by both animals and people. There was evidence of blankets laid out in the shade with a group of excited children having fun in the shallow water at the edge of the river. It was an idyllic scene reminiscent of days gone by which I’m sure masked  the desperate poverty and need in this community. We were in no doubt that people were grateful to Peggy and Gary for orchestrating the bridge building project. Gary casually pointed out the half a mountain that they now owned as a result.

They also took us to visit the school that they had built which is spread across three campuses. Children are admitted on the basis of need - if they are orphans cared for by an elderly relative for example, or if they have only one parent. They are not charged fees, class sizes are limited to thirty five and because Peggy has experience with food programmes they receive a nutritionally balanced breakfast and lunch each day. I have visited four schools since I came to Ethiopia and the differences were noticeable. The children looked healthier in the Ziway school and they had space both in the classrooms and outside. It was clean and the teaching was given in Amharic, Oromifa and some English. We learned that their vision is to expand to a high school which is a project planned for the rainy season.

There is no doubt that little scruffy Ethiopian children have a cuteness that is hard to replicate. In each classroom we entered we were met with smiles, curiosity and respect. We also saw classes in action. The equivalent age group to mine at Bingham were sitting still at tables in rows and rote learning the alphabet, and there was plenty of evidence of learning. If you believe all the educational research in the UK you will soon get the impression that this age group can only learn by practical experimentation through play!

Time restricted us from visiting the home for orphans, the farm and other projects that this remarkable couple have worked on since their arrival in Ziway in 2009. There is so much development potential that Misgana Ministries was set up. In Amharic ‘Misgana’ means 'praise' or 'thanksgiving'. I’ve just read Gary’s book about his life journey and how God led Peggy and him to Ziway. It is clear looking back on their previous experiences how each project prepared them in some way for the challenges they have faced in Ziway.

An inspiring conclusion to our short break in the African countryside.

Here's a 2 minute glimpse of some of the younger kids being very, very cute: