Projects

One of the major projects at Simien Lodge has been providing transport for the local community. A 25-seater bus was purchased, partly from donation income, and handed over to the local village committee. IOt goes to the market and the hospital on Wednesdays and Fridays and travels to Gondar the rest of the week. It provided useful income for the village as well as needed transport.

The management placed great emphasis on raising awareness of the birdlife and other wildlife in the Simiens. A lot of study goes into the endemic animals, but not a lot into the changing habitats of the birds, especially the large raptors. Consequently, the stands that Simien Lodge takes at WTM and the Bridfair in Rutland are important for communicating with the various wildlife societies.

Organised by Simien Lodge, this annual event on the last day of November each year is now a fixed calendar date. We organise it for the weekend after the Great Ethiopian Run so that tourists can stay over in Ethiopia and run a second race if they wish. However, it is principally designed as a community event. In 2015, there were 3000 runners, and the number is limited by the number of medals and T-shirts sponsored.

It may seem obvious, but so many people still cook over open fires. To reduce wood consumption and eliminate smoke in houses, a Mirte stove was designed several years ago. Working with concerned clients, particularly Pastest UK, Simien Lodge has fabricated hundreds of these stoves, which have been given to local people.

Walia numbers are increasing. They were once a threatened species, but protection and a reduction in predators have meant that their numbers are increasing. They are easily recognised by their long curved serrated horns, and it is now possible to get within 100 meters of these beautiful animals. Chennuk is the best place to see them.

The management put great emphasis on creating awareness of the birdlife in the Simiens as well as the animals. A lot of study goes into the endemic animals but not a lot into the changing habitats of the birds, especially the large raptors. Consequently the stands that Simien Lodge take at WTM and the Bridfair in Rutland are important for communicating with the various wildlife societies.

One of the principal medical problems in the Simiens is cataracts because of the intense UV light in the mountains. Eyes need protection from intense sunlight, but that protection is often not available. Nor is proper cataract surgery available with many of the ophthalmologists preferring to live in the capital, Addis Ababa. In conjunction with a French Rotary Club, Simien Lodge supplied a cataract microscope. Initially, this microscope was given to Debark Hospital, but it has now found much better use at the new eye hospital in Gondar.

Simien Lodge has on several occasions hosted Vision Aid Overseas, a charity focused on providing glasses to those in need. Optical correction is the biggest cause of blindness in Ethiopia, and VAO does much work to ensure that children can see at school and that people can see into old age.