Stories from Iris

Stories from Ethiopia:


Excerpted from an email Happy Room Visionary Iris Landa wrote to her sister about our time in the Dembi Dollo region of Ethiopia.

Kelkecha.

Kelkecha is a district of Dembi Dollo. The town of Dembi Dollo is in the western region of Ethiopia - out toward the Sudan border.


Last November, I went to the new kindergarten out on the top of a hill at Kelkecha. We painted happy rooms and a rainbow with children out the front. We gave out jumpers to each of the children. They had been knitted on machines by the disabled women. The children were so excited, and I had such a fun time with them.







This time, we returned to Kelkecha with polo shirts for each child.


































They were so happy to see me and we did some of the fun games I had taught them. I also took out about 50 stuffed animal toys and about 60 little toy metal cars/vehicles that a 10 year old boy had given to me. When we opened the large plastic buckets and they saw the stuffed animals, they smiled. Then when they were shown the little moving cars they went wild with excitement.

Abba Tesfaye handed them out and then we were on the floor racing the cars around. They had never seen moving toys and of course there are no cars out there... only 4-wheel vehicles.

The childrens' excitement could not be contained.

When we left, the children were kissing my arms and holding onto me with such big happy smiles. I just love those children way out there in the middle of nowhere.

Since I was there last November, there have been visitors to Dembi Dollo and Kelkecha is now on the tour. They told me that people from Malta, Holland and Philadelphia visited the school and were just so excited to see beautiful paintings at the happy school. Everyone takes lots of pictures and say that they will do happy rooms when they return home. For me, I could not be happier to know that this little school is like a beacon of light that will transform other places on the earth.

Danka Women's Center

We stay with the Daughters of Charity at Danka. Danka is like a suburb of Dembi Dollo.
Next to the sisters' community is a small house - one main room and 2 smaller rooms off to the side.
Last November, Sister Tsehay (Sister Sunshine) showed me this run down neglected place and said that she is renting it for a women's center. It obviously needed to be made happy. They had set up a little store in the front side room; it supports several women who work there. They also have morning tea and make little breads. The main room was terribly dark. Well, we painted the room a light cream color and then painted the story of Ruth. Each of the paintings is almost life-size.


There is Naomi and Ruth hugging each other, Orpah waiving good bye, Ruth bending down collecting sheaves of grain, Boaz, the rich gentleman with a bright blue cloak and white embroidery, and finally, the older Naomi holding baby Obed.









Outside, we painted flowers on one side of the front, and on the other side, Danka Women's Center in English and Oromo Language. On the side wall is a rainbow and sun.








The amazing part of this project was the reactions of the people who came by the center. The young men were just as enthusiastic and thrilled as the women. Children sat on the chairs outside and looked in bright-eyed wonder at what was being painted. Everyone who looked inside the main room had big smiles.



One day, I was outside putting tape to paint the lower part. Three women came and stood on the verandah watching me. One was a thin little old lady who was leaning on a stick, the other 2 were middle aged. I gave them a big smile and they just looked blank and sad at me. Then they went inside. I followed a few minutes later. They were smiling and talking excitedly and when they saw me, they bowed and shook my hands and looked so very happy.




When they had a coffee ceremony as the final celebration at the center, there were several very poor women there who use the center. Abba told them the story of Ruth in the Bible and they all cried. When we were leaving,I hugged each of the women. It was so moving. They held onto me and hugged me so tightly and shed many tears and pointed to heaven. They talked to me, and of course I could not understand a word they were saying, but I knew in my heart what this transformed happy women's center meant to them. Their gratitude is way beyond what we experience in the west.



As I look back at that experience, I am in awe of how a meaningful happy place transforms the community. I am so very grateful to God for the privilege of having so much joy and happiness in the work that I am doing.