SEPAG - Southern Ethiopian People's Action Group

Enat Afer

The Enat Afer project in Masha – a local example of good practice

Enat Afer Centre
© Graeme Watson

Concern about the future of the region's ecosystem has resulted in the foundation of the Enat Afer Centre ('Mother Earth', in Amharric) in Masha in the 1990s. This project was initiated by Dr Kifle Tondo, who was born in the area, but who now lives and works in Germany. The project consists of a new Centre building on the outskirts of town staffed by a group of local agronomists and teachers. At present the Centre has two major projects, both of which are designed to encourage local identification with and the good management of the local forest fauna –

1. Sustainable Building Methods Project. The new Centre building is constructed out locally-made mud-brick. In the Centre's classroom regular week-long sessions are held to teach local people how make mud bricks and how to construct houses from them. Clay is readily available in the area, but the traditional building material for houses is wood. The aim of this project is to introduce a new, low-tech building method that will help to counteract the accelerating destruction of the forests.

2. Honey Production Project. As mentioned earlier honey production is a very important economic and cultural practice in the area. The Honey Project involves teaching local people to produce and use new forms of beehive, with the aim of increasing production and sustaining identification with the forest. Local people are taught to make and use a 'transitional' hive which, like the traditional hive is placed high in the treetops, but which doubles honey production. They are also taught to use a modern European style of hive, which is located on the ground (and is therefore much safer to use) and which can triple the volume of honey produced. Staff at the centre also lead programmes to plant varieties of tree which are favoured by the bees and are involved in research into developing new low-tech production methods – they are currently testing a variety of hives made from mud-brick!

The Enat Afer Centre is extremely well organised and is much valued by local people. It offers hope that something can be done locally to change things for the better. Its work, though, is little known outside the area.

SEPAG has no formal connection with the Enat Afer project, but we are in communication with its organisers and can put anyone interested in finding out more in touch with them.

SEPAG is encouraged by the Enat Afer project and hope to follow its example. We intend to use their locally produced bricks and expertise to build our new library building.

Last updated 29/01/2006 by Graeme Watson