In our room on the lake

During our weekends in November, we had the opportunity to explore the countryside surrounding Addis Ababa.  The village of Debre Zeyit (Amharic for “Mount of Olives”) is situated in the Misraq Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, just south east of the capital city.  Below are a few images from our time there…

Our view in the morning

Boys on the boat

Sisay on land...

… and Sisay in water

Adrian overboard!

The lake from our doorway

A traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony

Breakfast at Kuriftu

The incredible ceiling in our room

The morning after Harar! My favorite local beer

Local art sold on the roadside

Next post: Southern Ethiopia and the tribes of the Omo Valley Thanks so much to you, as always, for reading…

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Condom Art Pins with PSI & youth at Mekdim

As you can imagine, CONDOMIZE-ing ICASA 2011 was truly a team effort – we were thrilled to have fantastic partners to help us implement all of our activities in Addis Ababa, especially during our final weeks of preparation for the conference.

Condom Art Pin table at PSI Ethiopia

CONDOMIZE and PSI Ethiopia implemented Surge Prevention programming throughout the capital city with partners from The AIDS Resource Center in Addis Ababa, DKT Ethiopia, EngenderHealth, The Ethiopia Private Health Sector Program, Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia, Handicap International, OSSA Ethiopia, PEPFAR, USAID and World Learning.  These activities were all aimed at preparing the local community for the surge of international delegates who would be attending ICASA 2011.  Below are a few images from condom trainings that I conducted in partnership with PSI Ethiopia and Mekdim:

Condom Art Pin making at Mekdim

Pineapple Fanta and cookies! Snacks during a focus group with PSI and Mekdim

A PSI illustration of condom efficacy

Community feedback on educational materials

Cookies and a bedroom scene

A morning after scenario...

Tigist with young people at Mekdim

Condom Art Pin making to close a focus group at Mekdim

"Condoms only work if you wear them."

In addition to our partnership with the Surge Prevention team, we were also working with local artists and community volunteers to ensure that CONDOMIZE at ICASA 2011 had a uniquely Ethiopian feel…

Making the furniture for the CONDOMIZE Coffee Ceremony Zone

Sisay varnishing a freshly made table

Running errands in our neighborhood

Sisay's cousin, keeping our guesthouse clean while wearing my hat

Me and Lucy the cat, working on the CONDOMIZE social networking initiative

Lucy on my bed

Ayele on our patio with the CONDOMIZE banner, make completely out of colored condoms

Stuffing condom cases in our converted kitchen / work area

And finally, at Millennium Hall…

Hanging the CONDOMIZE banners in my Education Zone

"Love Smart. Play Safe."

Stay tuned for photos from our time in Ethiopia outside of the capital city, and finally images from CONDOMIZE at ICASA 2011!

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Children in Arat Kilo

I am just now back home in New York after being based in Ethiopia for nearly two months this fall.  As many of you know, I truly love Ethiopia – I have traveled there frequently since my first visit in 2004, and everything from the language, the food, the culture and especially the people have always made me feel warmly welcomed.  Below you will find some images from my time in Addis Ababa this November…

In The Condom Project van

Our neighborhood tailor

Our neighborhood flock

Ambo and Coca Cola keep the team going...

Donkeys, my favorite animals

Puppies, just outside of a shoe maker's storefront

Roadside construction

My team and I stayed at the BL Guesthouse near Arat Kilo, and I could not have been more comfortable there.  My room was on the second floor with a balcony that overlooked our beautiful garden and surrounding rooftops.  The guesthouse was made complete by a resident cat named Lucy and a shed that we converted into a kitchen and workspace for the duration of our stay.

Lucy the cat, exploring my room

As seen from my balcony: the garden and our German housemates, preparing for a camping expedition in the north

Our generous neighbors, whom we met while on a search for garlic... which we eventually found at their house

Adrian, just inside his balcony, making Condom Art Pins

Joshua cooking dinner during a regular blackout

One of the nicest things about staying near Arat Kilo was the close proximity to so many things – friends and colleagues lived nearby; local restaurants and fresh groceries were just down the hill; and we were walking distance to ISAPSO, our partner organization that was working to create our CONDOMIZE tie and dye condom cases:

The ladies at ISAPSO

The tie and dye process

Drying the cloth for our condom cases

We were also a short drive to Memnon, the local company responsible for the sewing and screen printing of our CONDOMIZE tshirts for ICASA 2011…

CONDOMIZE!

A sign on the wall inside the Memnon office

Pattern on a shelf, next to a stack of tshirts freshly printed for the Great Ethiopian Run

Memnon's screen printing machine

Our Ethiopian inspired artwork

What's YOUR slogan?

Up next, our work with local partners to prepare for ICASA 2011 plus images from our time outside of the capital city of Addis Ababa:  Debre Zeyit in the Ethiopian countryside and a weekend in the Omo Valley   Stay tuned!

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November in Arba Minch, Ethiopia

It is sunrise here in Istanbul, and I find myself awake and listening to the sounds of a distant mosque’s call to morning prayer.  Lying in bed and scrolling through my photos, I am overwhelmed by how lucky I am to be able to travel around the world and do what I love for a living.

I am truly grateful for the experiences I have had…

Coffee with a friend in the Tophane District of Istanbul, Turkey

Evenings in Arba Minch, Ethiopia

the people I have met…

the people I have met…

Market Day in Jinka, Ethiopia

Outside a family home in Ethiopia's Omo Valley

Ethiopia's Hammer Tribe

the beautiful things I have seen…

the beautiful things I have seen…

"Bridge of God" in southern Ethiopia

Baboons outside of the Ethiopian Crocodile Market

Donkeys on the road to Konso, Ethiopia

Sand sculptures on the beach in Durban, South Africa

and all of the wonderful work I am privileged to do.

and all of the wonderful work I am privileged to do.

Gathering for an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony & educating women about the Female Condom

Taking questions on stage in my CONDOMIZE Zone at ICASA 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

And with gratitude for your loving support and kind attention…

With gratitude for your loving support and kind attention -

More from me soon. xojl

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Inside the Byzantine walls

On my way to Ethiopia for the second time this fall, I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon in Istanbul, Turkey.  Here are a few photos from our time in the Old City…

Lunch with Adrian in the Sultanahmet District

Antique photographs hidden in the corner of a stone wall

The Sultanahmet Mosque (or "Blue Mosque") as seen from a royal viewing platform

The snail is a reminder to go slowly - children are crossing

Beautiful tiles outside the shops in the Old City

Sipping Raki at an outdoor cafe

Invited to afternoon tea with new friends

I have just landed back in Istanbul again this morning and am thrilled to be able to stay here for the coming week   More photos from this trip, as well as our time in Ethiopia, coming soon!

Many thanks, as always, for reading… xojl

Circa Joy Lynn

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After my trip to Egypt this fall (see my post about A Day In Cairo), I returned to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during the Marathon Meeting for the International Conference on AIDS & STIs in Africa.  As many of you know, I have been back on the African continent since November 1st and am now preparing for CONDOMIZE at ICASA 2011 next week.  But before writing about my time here now, I wanted to first post a few pictures from the fall…

Sheep grazing down the road from BL Guesthouse

My neighbors

My room on the garden at the BL Guesthouse

Three essentials in my work - condoms, coffee & shoes

The following photos were taken at Memnon, an Ethiopian company that is creating and printing all of the CONDOMIZE tshirts for ICASA 2011.  The United Nations Population Fund felt that it was very important our CONDOMIZE ICASA products were Made In Ethiopia this year, and I am proud to say that we have been working closely with local manufacturers and purveyors to ensure that everything possible (shirts, condoms, even the furniture in our CONDOMIZE Zones) is Habesha.

CONDOMIZE silkscreens at Memnon

Silk screen printing

The photos that follow were taken at the ICASA 2011 Marathon Meeting, during which many of the important decisions about the all-Africa conference are made:

Inside the Marathon Meeting room

Meeting in progress

Tizu and me, setting up for CONDOMIZE

Sisay and Tizu

À la mode - Condom Art Pins!

We were also invited to a lunch and traditional coffee ceremony at the house of Sisay and his mother.  Sisay has been our driver and a TCP team member since 2005 – and his mother is an incredible cook!  It was such a pleasure to be invited into their home

Sisay

Sisay's mother and little neighbor

251 is the country code when dialing an Ethiopian phone number from abroad…

More photos soon from November & December, here in Ethiopia… xojl

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Welcome to Durban!

I was honored to join a select group of female condom experts from around the world at the Female Condom Parallel Programming Meeting in Durban, South Africa this past week.  The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the development of international initiatives that would prepare the global market for the World Health Organization approval of multiple female condoms, not just those created by a single company.  These female condoms will be made from different materials, all with varying modes of insertion and separate sets of instructions for proper use.  Our task:  Create a plan for global female condom parallel programming with policy, marketing and training recommendations to be implemented by national governments as they decide which female condom(s) to procure.

Female condomologists at the table

Presentation by Bidia from The United Nations Population Fund

I arrived in Durban last Tuesday and joined colleagues from UNFPA, MatCH and Universal Access to Female Condoms at the Riverview for dinner.  We had the pleasure of enjoying delicious South African wine and cuisine, accompanied by an exhilarating conversation about the work to be done over the next few days…

The giant elephant in the room… at the airport, that is.

In the conference room at MatCH

We were joined the following morning by a fantastic group of female condom experts from PSI Mozambique, the South Africa National Department of Health, Association Camerounaise pour le Marketing Social, Support Worldwide and PATH.  Our time together was made up of sessions, group work and presentations on female condom technology, programming, training, education and marketing from around the world.

Reports from the Female Condom Technical Review Committee

Mags leads the brainstorming on female condom policy recommendations to national governments

Device used to insert a new latex female condom (FYI, the strawberry is just for decoration - the device is not flavored)

Maya's presentation on the Support Worldwide transition from FC1 to FC2

Support Worldwide & TCP

With my colleague from The Condom Project, I presented our global initiatives in condom destigmatization, peer driven condom distribution and our culturally specific educational materials.  I also presented our work with the United Nations Population Fund’s All About Condoms initiative and The CONDOMIZE Campaign.

PSI Mozambique

Female Condom champions from MatCH, Support Worldwide, The Condom Project (me) & ACMS

It was such a pleasure to attend this meeting, and I am truly looking forward to the implementation of our recommendations in the near future.  I cannot think of a more interesting way to have spent my Thanksgiving holiday!

On the beach in Durban… I'd say yes

My toes in the Indian Ocean

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And we are thrilled to report that the amazing participants from Bahamas Red Cross, The Society Against STIs & HIV (SASH) Bahamas and The College of The Bahamas (COBUS) have done us proud   They are going to be a wild success at the 2011 Caribbean HIV Conference, and The Condom Project will be sending all of our love and support to them while we are in Ethiopia this winter!

Condom Art Pin making!

Adrian, our CONDOMIZE Artistic Engineer, leading the Condom Art Pin training

My workshop on condoms, lubricants & additional safer sex supplies available around the world

Fantastic participation from the Peer Educators at Bahamas Red Cross, SASH & COBUS

Demonstraing the fit of a finger cot...

... and my favorite party trick: How to Make a Dental Dam Out of a Condom, Using Only Your Teeth

How To Use a Dental Dam

A brief overview of how condoms are tested, with a demonstration of the destructive effects of oil-based substances on latex barriers

The CONDOMIZE Campaign on Twitter, sizzling with Bahamian tweets

Africa & the Caribbean connect, via Twitter

Scouting the 10A bus route for condom distribution during the 2011 Caribbean HIV Conference

Roundtable on condom distribution techniques

Amanda, organizing roundtable take-aways...

Mock set-up of the CONDOMIZE Zone!

Welcome to the Condom Art Pin making table!

Me, training the Presenting Educators on CONDOMIZE Zone set-up

Victor from SASH, taking his place behind my table of safer sex supplies available around the world

Me, with the Caribbean Presenting Educators (aka, the Bahamian versions of me)!

A review of the budget...

... and lunchtime!

Adrian with Condom Art Pin trainers

Me & the Peer Educators from Bahamas Red Cross

Me & the gentlemen from SASH Bahamas

To quote one of our recent CONDOMIZE blog posts… “Our future’s so bright, we’ve gotta CONDOMIZE.” I am so proud of you, Bahamas!!! The 2011 Caribbean HIV Conference is going to be amazing   Sending you much love from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia… xojl

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The Village Voice, September 2001

On love, on grief, on every human thing,
Time sprinkles Lethe’s water with his wing.
— Walter Savage Landor

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In transit

On Tuesday morning two weeks ago, I arrived in Cairo with my colleague.  After a brief lunch at the one and only restaurant open during Ramadan…

Our driver Ibrahim, fasting at McDonalds

… we arrived at our meeting with an AIDS service organization with whom we had the pleasure of working in the winter of 2009.  The organization in Cairo, which for the safety of their staff and beneficiaries will remain anonymous in this post, is doing truly incredible work with key populations in their community.  They began as the only outreach program for female sex workers in Cairo in 2006, piloted new programming in 2007 and, having gained experience and momentum in their work, are now scaling up their activities with generous support from The United Nations Population Fund, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the National AIDS Program.

In our meeting

Carrying condoms is not technically illegal in Egypt; but if you are unmarried and found to be in possession of condoms, they are used as evidence against you to prove that you are engaging in sex work (which is absolutely illegal). This makes it extremely difficult for anyone to have access to condoms when they might need them. This incredible organization provides legal aid and advice on how to handle the law if you are stopped at a check point and found to be carrying condoms, with lawyers who believe in their cause volunteering on their 24-hour hotline. They also provide condom distribution to the general public, as their belief is that anyone who may engage in sexual activity has the right to protect themselves.

Informational booklet about the Egyptian sex trade

During the Egyptian revolution, our colleague from this organization slept in Tahir Square for 18 days. He told us that the revolution actually made his job much easier – shouting about the cause was easier, the slum areas were more accessible for outreach, and reaching female sex workers for education was less restrictive.  They were able to further their interpersonal education initiatives and pubic focus groups, talking to bus drivers and sex workers about HIV, AIDS, safer sex and condoms.

Cairo at dusk

But with the growing instability in Tahir Square, the organization had to eventually move its drop-in center back to a slightly less centralized location in Cairo.  Since the revolution, the government has been shutting down certain specialized initiatives, such as coalitions for MSM (Men who have Sex with Men), anti-stigma organizations and alliances for “out positives.”  But our partner organization is forging ahead, including guidance counseling for sex workers looking to transition out of the profession and into a new line of work.

Arabic anti-sexual harassment campaign on Facebook

After our meeting came to a close, I felt newly inspired.  I had a renewed desire to continue fighting for equality and the creation of a climate in which people can ask questions and discuss who they are and what they want openly, without fear of negative repercussions as a result of long-standing societal “norms.” 

I feel so privileged to be able to travel as I do for my work.  Meeting these incredible people who are fighting in nearly impossible terrain for rights that many of us take for granted is a constant reminder that our world has so much further to come.  And if we all continue to do what we can – be a positive influence on the children in our lives, encourage those around us to ask questions and challenge assumptions, offer support in any way we can to organizations and individuals striving toward these goals – we will get there.

Cairo, illuminated

In the marketplace

Before sunset

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