In November 2000, Sybille Eisele and Britta
Uhl had the opportunity to become acquainted with the work of
the relief organisation for two weeks, and to convince themselves
of the utilisation of donation funds.
MfM is active in three project regions:
In Merhabete, a high mountain plateau in central Ethiopia
only accessible with great difficulty; in the Erer Valley
in the East, where drought and extreme temperatures make agricultural
development problematic; and in the Illubabor region in the
West, a tropical rainforest in which any infrastructure whatsoever
(roads, schools, medical care) is extremely insufficient at
best.
Despite their poverty, the people there are very open-minded
and hospitable, and immediately accept foreigners in the family
circle.
MfM is especially active in Ethiopia in the following sectors:
The struggle against soil erosion; the agro-ecological training
of farmers; the cultivation of more high-yielding seedlings;
the construction of schools as well as appurtenant dormitories,
hospitals and mobile clinics; and the improvement of the quality
of life for the rural population. This improvement consists
of minimal, small steps, for instance in the utilisation of
stones as construction material for the huts instead of poorly
weather-resistant wood. Women there are also shown how they
can enrich the daily menu through the cultivation of vegetables,
and use simple clay ovens instead of an open hearth in the
hut in order to prevent the menacing malnutrition or 
diseased caused by the acrid
smoke. There's also the possibility to set up an additional
minor source of income with personal loans (e.g. a few kilos
of grain, 2 goats or amounts of DM 100).
Of course, a distribution of foodstuffs immediately ensues
in the event of catastrophic droughts. In this connection
MfM pays considerable attention to self-initiative and the
participation of the population with regard to these developmental
assistance programmes.
Those who are initially interested for this purpose function
as a model and example for others. Every supported individual
has to make a personal contribution, either in the form of
work or a minor payment, for instance for more high-yielding
livestock. Only in this way is it ensured that the people
are not raised to become beggars, but 
rather learn to stand on their own legs after minor
start-up assistance - and subsequently have a more worthwhile
life than previously.
MfM mainly relies on indigenous employees in its internal
organisational form, and also works closely together with
the government. Completed projects (e.g. schools) are planned
in co-ordination, and the ongoing operation is taken over
by the government after completion.
Altogether, over 4,000 km were covered by jeep during the
two weeks of the visit, and over 50 individual projects were
visited. According to the assessment of the two Burkert colleagues,
every mark of the donation fund is quite beneficially invested
and the improvements are promising. 
However, there is still quite a bit to do in order
to provide a bit of hope for the people in Ethiopia.
MfM in Ethiopia:
Employees
594
Project start
1982
Project region
32,720 sq.km
Beneficiary population 1.7 million
Field operations
9,519
Waterholes
657
Kindergartens/homes
4
Seedlings distributed 39
million
Further information:
www.mfm-online.org
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