Crapulence
Alcoholism is a big problem in Ethiopia, even though recognizing it even as a problem is in its infant years. This is an ongoing project that is closer to home. I live in a neighborhood where social interactions and long friendships still exist. And for the people I grew up with, my friends, the problem starts when the system ejects them from school because of this addiction. And so most of them went to work on lower level jobs, some went in to the military and some just came to the "big city" Addis Ababa, to secure a meaningful life. In a society where people who drink regularly are considered a problem for the overall neighborhood; it becomes even harder when they try to integrate back in. In my quest to finding out ways to help my childhood friends, I asked some simple questions, questions like why they drink, why it's hard to quiet and so on. Their answers were sad and at the same time I started to understand that they are no different. No different in their problems, because social issues are still the core problem of these people who turn to different addictions as a safe place. To rescue the affected part of the society from this bottleneck to individual and societal development, we need to establish a rehabilitation center where these people can get professional psychological support to turn their lives around and make them productive parts again. After all we may all face the same problems they do but due to lack of knowledge and awareness, the way they react to it is different. They have the same aspirations and hopes of better living standards. I believe the main focus of the project should be humanizing them.
