Village Life

Of the 23 million people in the country, 74% or 17 million people live in villages. Qat, coffee, corn (for livestock) among other vegetables, some fruits and some grains are grown throughout the country. Cows, sheep, goats, chickens, and camels are also commonly raised. Sadly, the primary source of income is qat which uses a large amount of water to grow and which must be consumed the same day it is harvested. The climate and water requirements are perfect here to grow coffee, but qat is much more in demand. Thre is a legend that claims coffee was founded here (there is a city called Mocha) but very few farmers choose to grow it.

Those living in villages face challenges such as: unclean water, lack of electricity, lack of schools and medical care, and unsanitary conditions. Because of the lack of education and poverty, girls are married young and work hard all their lives. Boys have more opportunities for education but in remote villages they are isolated from those opportunities which would help them to improve their lives and the livelihood of those in their village. Even though boys have more chances, they may still be unable to finish their education because they are needed to help support the family. As you can see from the picture of the man plowing his field, the common farmer uses the most basic of tools (a donkey drawn plow) which makes working in the field back-breaking work!

Because of isolation, each town, village, and city in the country has it's own dialect. This village is not that far from my city, but they speak a dialect that is challenging for me to understand. Dialects are a constant issue for foreigners (and sometimes locals) when trying to travel and communicate!