A different kind of livelihood

I was in South Omo last week to visit some projects of organizations that work in this rather remote part of the country. I always enjoy going there and I usually come back with mixed feelings. On the surface, anyone visiting parts of the area may be impressed by the different tribes and cultures that still exist there, the beautiful people and their attire, the vast land that they occupy with their livestock, just to name a few.
One evening we were treated to cultural dances and a traditional barbecue, which consisted of roasted leg of lamb, the likes of which I never tasted before. The sky at night was bright with a magnificent display of countless stars. Under the surface, there is another kind of life down there, of course, and all is not as rosy as visitors are often made or wish to believe. The communities there face harsh living conditions and the effects of global climate change manifest themselves in higher temperatures, erratic rainfall, more frequent droughts and more serious floods.
As usual, the negative impact of all this is felt more by women than by men as they are the ones who are expected to care for the family’s basic needs, like fetching water and cooking food. One community we visited lived 29 kilometres from the nearest water source. That is a long distance to cover on foot, while carrying a jerry can of water. Much of the work done by organizations focuses on water projects, reducing the time women spend on fetching water and making it possible for them to attend to other important matters.
Much has changed over the past few decades and will continue to do so. Many other things will remain the same though, at least in the near future, and some practices are not particularly pleasing to the eye or one’s consciousness. One especially disturbing practice is the whipping of young women by men during their initiation rituals. The women allow this to express their love for the men, and their backs are scarred for life. Surely there must be other ways to express this love and I oppose such violence against women, sustained in the name of “our culture”. Women also cannot own any asset or property and are forever dependent on their husbands. In other words, life is not easy down there and much deserves to be improved We need to take care not to romanticise all that catches the eye during a short visit.
Let us have a look though at opportunities which present themselves in the area and amongst communities from a “Doing business” point of view.
South Omo is still regarded as one of the main tourist attractions of Ethiopia. Most tour operators offer a similar package in terms of touring the area, places to sleep and eat, and tribes and communities to visit. I strongly believe though that there is room for expansion in this sector. By expansion I don’t necessarily mean more but there is certainly room for more variety in tour packages, specialised tours, luxury tours and combination tours (visiting communities & bird watching for example). Excursions could be organised from a more ecotourism point of departure, while communities could allow for visitors to get a deeper insight in their livelihoods and cultures, than the quick snapshot for one Birr each. There is also still room for good quality accommodation and camps, including community managed luxury tented camps, whereby earnings flow back into the local economy rather than out of it.
Tourists often want to buy a souvenir or two from the particular area they visit and although there is a good variety of souvenirs available in the capital, buying items and utensils locally add some value to their authenticity. With some support though in terms of design, quality and presentation, groups of producers could benefit much more than they do now.
Most of the tribes in South Omo are nomadic cattle herders – although more and more people are settling down around towns and relief distribution points – depending on their livestock for a living. In times of a threatening drought, timely marketing of livestock would be preventive, trading the still healthy animals for cash, instead of waiting much longer just to see the price they fetch go down. Money thus earned can be saved, invested and used to purchase animals again once recovery sets in. Using the right approach, many could benefit from this kind of livestock marketing. The pastoralists are in a position at the beginning of this livestock supply chain and again with the right business development support, they could probably move up a bit further down the chain, empowering themselves and positioning themselves more strategically. And in order to bring healthy and strong animals onto the market and with a shortage of a sustained drugs supply, there is certainly room for more drugstores, from which community animal health workers could purchase and restock their kits.
To be able to withstand the high temperatures, visitors to the area must drink a lot of water and luckily there are now several brands of bottled water for sale in the towns. One of the side effects though is that one can see empty plastic bottles lying around in many places. This is so the case around the country actually and one would guess that this would present a reasonable opportunity to invest in recycling plastic.
In terms of basic services there is a need for a variety of water works, providing the challenge for water engineers to design and develop structures that will store and provide for save drinking water.
In conclusion, I see quite a number of opportunities – and my observations are far from exhaustive - for economic development in the area but it takes the courage and will to stick it out there for some time, like the staff of development organizations that work from mobile outreach camps, motivated by the principle that every human being has the right to a dignified life. And with the multi million budgets that are being prepared now for the eagerly awaited millennium celebrations, I trust that the people who live in the more remote and harsh country sides will not be left out.