Wycliffe Rotary support charity work in Ethiopia

John and Jean Broadbent (Yorkshire friends of Wycliffe Rotarian Ian Tunnicliffe) have done extensive charitable work in the village of Adi Iblal in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Currently (early 2021) there is conflict in this region between the Ethiopian Government and the local TPLF party. This is further complicated by the presence of Eritrean Forces.

A flour mill represents the biggest investment of their project in the village of Adil Iblal. It is close to the road and is a prominent building. It is reported that Eritrean soldiers broke into the mill and caused some damage, but fortunately did not take the machines. Since the reconnection of power supply, the machines have been tested and two were operable and the third was capable of repair. After repair and re-installation, there was a great relief to the people in the village and the surrounding area. Those households who still have some maize grain can, once again, go to the mill to have it turned into flour. This is a very important process amongst people living at subsistence level. 

Wycliffe Rotary decided to send money to fund the work to return the machine to working order. Parts of the machine were taken to a local engineer's workshop. Fortunately, he had everything he needed in his own stock and the machine was returned and reassembled and is now back in use. This is a big bonus as it is the machine which grinds maize, the most coarse of the grain which passes through the mill, is often the food of the poorest families. John and Jean report that Wycliffe’s kind donation has been enough to cover everything to do with the machinery.

However, there is still some repair work needed to the building which will be dealt with as a separate issue. John and Jean report that it has funds in hand for this.